Bedford OWB CTP 200 number 170 Owned by: Working Omnibus Museum Project Ltd .   The body of a utility bus was intended to have a very short service life. Being made up of mainly wood, this bus had almost disintegrated through being kept in open storage, so a replacement body was necessary. When we attempted to find a set of original drawings for the bodywork, it was suggested by Duple coach builders, that we should make contact with Ulsterbus who were about to take on a rebuild of an Bedford OWB with the intention to revert it back to it's original utility body. This was duly completed some years later. 170 is currently fitted with original specification wooden slatted seats which were recovered from Dorset. It has recently changed ownership, being the first bus to be owned by WOMP but funded through a “support group” and has been laid up for a while following an MOT failure as a result of a structural crack to the chassis. This has now been repaired, but the opportunity is being taken to undertake further restoration and we hope that CTP will be back on the road soon. It has appeared in a Film being used as a Prison bus in Ireland. There is often much discussion over the livery of utility buses. Portsmouth’s OWBs were mostly delivered in red primer, although one was delivered in grey. In later life, they were repainted into the traditional red and white livery and upholstered seats were fitted. As CTP200 boasts a set of wartime wooded slatted seats, it is more appropriate to keep her in the utility paint finish and we chose the grey colour rather than the historically correct bauxite red as it is more in keeping with people’s memories and perceptions of a war time utility vehicle. Delivered 1943 as fleet number 170 Withdrawn from service 1962 Donated to WOMP 2006 running at Cosham Compound recreating service in Wymering - a former haunt of this vehicle Click thumbnail to enlarge (c) SW (c) CW (c) CW (c) CW (c) CW (c) CW Progress Report - August 2010 All back together, the brakes now work, the chassis repairs are complete, the engine runs and the best bit of news: CTP200 now has an MOT. Although running, there are a few teething troubles with engine reliability to sort out, but you should soon see CTP200 back on the road again. Amd perhaps have an opportunity to sample the wonderfully comfortable utility wooden seats? Update November 2010 The worst of the unreliable running seems to be overcome. Brian has modified the air breathing arrangements to overcome a problem with the carb freezing with the air now being taken from directly behind the radiator. Having got through several fuel filters, we think that the petrol tank is going to have to be removed to be steam cleaned and possibly epoxy sealed. A new coat of battleship grey has been applied and the city crests replaced. December 2011 Currently off the road for some engine work to deal with excessive smoke. While it is off the road, some bodywork issues are being addressed. We have some paintwork to sort out as well and a question has arisen as to whether the bus should stay in its incorrect pseudo wartime livery or be repainted in red and white with grey roof. What do you think?