British Rail Class 109
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 109 is a class of 2-car diesel multiple unit
s built in 1957 by D Wickham & Co. Five two-car units were built featuring an unusual body design.
The units soon became non-standard and two were sold back to the manufacturer who exported them to Trinidad and Tobago
. Another unit was converted into departmental service, and survived in BR ownership until the early 1980s.
. It was restored using lottery money.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 109 is a class of 2-car diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s built in 1957 by D Wickham & Co. Five two-car units were built featuring an unusual body design.
The units soon became non-standard and two were sold back to the manufacturer who exported them to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. Another unit was converted into departmental service, and survived in BR ownership until the early 1980s.
Vehicle numbers
| Lot No. | Diagram | Car Type | Qty | Fleet No. | Seating | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30288 | 606 | Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) | 5 | 50415–50419 | 59 second | ||
| 30289 | 607 | Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) | 5 | 56170–56174 | 16 first (2+2), 50 second (2+3) |
Further use
One two-car set (50416+56171) was extensively overhauled in 1967 at Doncaster, revamping the interiors and adding kitchen facilities added to 50416. After repainting, the set was used as the ER General Managers special train, numbered 975005 / 975006.Preservation
One two-car unit, (see above) the former departmental unit, formed of vehicles 50416 and 56171, has been preserved and restored to working condition at the Llangollen RailwayLlangollen Railway
The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of...
. It was restored using lottery money.