TYPICAL 1950s COACH

Reg No: VVP 911 - new 1958
Operator: Sandwell Motor Company
Chassis: Bedford SB3
Engine: Bedford 4.927 litre 6-cyl petrol
Gearbox: Synchromesh
Body: Duple 41 seats

Bedford established itself in the 1930s as the principal supplier of lightweight bus and coach chassis. They shared many of their components with Bedford trucks and this allowed them to be very price competitive. They were the backbone of many small operators’ fleets. Those who wished to look up to date could afford to do so with a new Bedford and then sell it to a seaside operator with a limited season or a rural operator whose costs had to be at the minimum. Bedfords were cheap and cheerful but buyers did not miss out on longevity - a Bedford could last a very long time!

Britain’s most prolific builder of coach bodies over the same period was Duple and the Bedford/ Duple combination could be seen everywhere.

Until 1950 Bedfords had bonnets, like the trucks they were based on. This both wasted seat space and looked old fashioned compared to the new underfloor-engined coaches then appearing. The Bedford SB, introduced that year, was forward control and up-to-date with its full width front styling. It was also longer and thus more competitive on seats. Diesel engines in time became the more popular option but a few operators, as in this case, continued to favour the smoother but thirstier petrol engine.

The Sandwell Motor Company of Handsworth, Birmingham, in its later years had a policy of buying three new Bedfords (its total fleet) every two years. 1958 built VVP 911 was thus sold in 1960 and acquired by West Wight of Totland Bay, Isle of Wight. West Wight maintained even their oldest coaches in excellent condition so it has been possible to keep VVP 911 in West Wight colours since the museum bought it in February 1984. It is intended to return it to Sandwell Motor Company’s green and cream colours when a repaint is required. The Sandwell Motor Company was absorbed into Stockland Coaches in April 1966.

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