Bedford

November 1909.

1913.

1949. Bedford Duple 29-seater. Exhibit at the Oxford Bus Museum.

Exhibit at the Oxford Bus Museum.

Exhibit at the Oxford Bus Museum.

1959 Van

1968. Bedford CA.

1949. Bedford Duple OB.

1961. Bedford J1.

1951. Bedford Duple SB. 33-seats.

1937. Bedford WS11.

were manufacturers of commercial vehicles from 1931 to 1992.

Cars

• 1959 Advert on this page for the new look Bedford Van.

• Beagle 1964-73.

Lorries

• 1902 The Vauxhall Iron Works produced marine engines and also petrol-engined cars.

• 1931 Chevrolet trucks designed in the USA were produced by Vauxhall under. the Bedford name.

• 1939 A range from 12cwt to 5ton were available.

• WW2 Production for the war department totalled 250,000 trucks with the 15cwt being the most numerous.

• 1947 Civilian production was resumed.

• 1950 The first of the Big Bedfords was produced - the 7-ton S-type.

• 1960 The TK range was launched.

• 1968 The KM range up to 24 ton gvw were produced.

• 1972 Up to 32 ton gvw produced.

• 1976 The TJ bonnetted range introduced.

• 1983 Control passed to General Motors' Worldwide Truck and Bus Group.

• 1986 Decision made to stop heavy vehicle production.

• 1987 Sold to AWD Ltd who acquired the Dunstable plant but they went to the receivers in 1992.

Buses

• Production began in 1931, by 1939 they claimed that 70% of buses and coaches with less than 26 seats in Britain were made by them.

• In August 1931 the WHB 14-seater was produced and the WLB 20-seater.

• The WHB was dropped in 1933.

• In 1933 at The Motor Show a new 3-ton truck model was revealed, designed by Stepney Acres.

• In 1936 the WTL was replaced by the WTB a more purpose-built chassis with a longer wheelbase and six more seats.

• Duple Motor Bodies had a long and successful partnership with Bedford.

• In the summer of 1938 an improved engine of 72 bhp against the former 64 bhp was introduced.

• The OWB was the most successful chassis built with 3,398 produced.

• Followed by the WTB with 2,320 produced, the WLB 1,895 produced, and the WHB where only 102 were produced.

• In 1935 Duple Motor Bodies and others were offering coach bodies on the new WT truck chassis, introduced some time before WTB models.

• 1939 The petrol-engined OB was introduced this was a larger version of the WTB.

• 1942 The war stopped production but it resumed as the Utility version the OWB and 3,000 of these models were built by the end of 1945.

• Up to 1950 Yeates and Burlington converted chassis to forward-control.

• 1962 Bedford returned to the 29-seater concept though now the vehicle was in forward-control form. It was available in either petrol or diesel engine and stayed in their catalogue until the end of production.

• 1963 Bedford developed its first vehicle that was suitable for 36ft coaches, named the Val. It featured power steering which, at the time, was impressive.

• 1970 A new range was introduced the YRQ.

• 1978 At the Motor Show Bedford exhibited a small bus called the JJL. The engine was a vertical 330 mounted at the rear; however this vehicle never reached production.

• 1982 Bedford introduced turbocharging across their range; this increased power outputs and reduced emissions.

• 1986 The production of buses and coaches ceased.

Sources of Information

• British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing
• Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris