John Smith’s Ales have been associated with Tadcaster since 1758 and the John Smith brewery on the banks of the River Wharfe remains a landmark in the Yorkshire town to the present day.  Now owned by Heineken, the John Smith beers – remember their ‘Taddy’ ales and the famous Magnet logo of Magnet Ales fame –are still brewed in the town. The company is one of the largest brewers in the UK.

This release on the Bedford OWB bus is decorated in dark green and cream and features the John Smith famous magnet in red and grey on the sides.  It carries the John Smith name on the destination blind and is heading to Boston Spa. The company had quite a large transport fleet but mostly for delivering their products, so this model is an interesting and different vehicle for the many brewery collectors to acquire. Tooling options on this model include the interior wooden slatted seats moulded in dark brown, a reverse printing operation to the destination blind and the small headlight configuration.  Another fine detail includes the silver tax disc holders in the side front window. 

Our Bedford OWB is registered DWD 973 and represents one of the many single decker buses which were originally designed for wartime use but bought by civilian commercial operators after the conflict.