Class 108 Derby 2/3/4 car sets

The first of the Class 108 "Derby Lightweight" DMUs emerged from Derby Works in 1958. This large class was developed from the earlier series of Derby Lightweight vehicles built in the mid-1950s. They retained the lower side windows but had a new cab design. The Class 108 design proved to be flexible and reliable in service, built to what became the mechanical standard. In all 333 individual vehicles were constructed, production ending in 1961.

Designed essentially for local and branch line use the Class 108 followed the low density design pattern of the earlier units with the same interior layout. Built on 57' 6" underframes a two car set could accommodate 117 seated passengers.

When the class first appeared this quote appeared in some magazines: "A new batch of Derby built units for the NER shows a reversion to light alloy construction, instead of all steel. As 57ft cars were needed for this order light alloy was adopted again as the jigs for the original Derby "Lightweights" have been maintained and cannot be adapted to all-steel construction, which will now be the rule for 64ft bodies produced at Derby." Interesting!

Some ordering details - in March '58 the BTC placed a £325,000 order with BUT, to provide engines, transmission and control equipment for 62 2-car sets (power / trailer sets 50938-87 / 56221-70, and power twin sets 50924-35 / 51561-72). In Feb '59 the BTC ordered equipment for nine power/trailer sets (51416-25 / 56271-9) from BUT, together with the equipment for seven ScR Cross-Country sets and Class 127s.

At the end of 1959 it was announced that BR workshops would build a another 50 2-car sets (these would be 51901-50 plus partners). These would be 21 power trailer set for Nottingham - Leicester GC services, and 29 power twins for Manchester Suburban services (18 sets) and North Wales (11 sets). While this information appeared in the Dec. '59 Railway Observer 51901-50 (50 vehicles) was actually ordered on the 20/3/59 (lot 30601) with driving trailers 56484-504 (21 vehicles - lot 30602), but the other partners, DMCs 52037-65 have an order date of 31/12/59 and a much late lot no., 30660. So it looks likely that in March 59 there were 50 power trailers ordered, but this was revised in Dec. '59 to change 29 of them to power twins.

A 2-car set visited Strasbourg for an exhibition of aluminium rolling stock on June 20-25th 1960. The DTC vehicle was displayed as a shell, without any interior fittings or panelling whatsoever, so that the bodyside, roof and floor construction, and the layout of conduits and piping could be seen in full. It attracted much attention and led to lengthy discussions. The power car, 52045, was a completed vehicle. All the vehicles for the exhibition (a 16 ton mineral wagon, a 21 ton hopper wagon, an experimental aluminium container, a London Transport Executive District Line car and a British Railways box wagon loaded with aluminium components) were marshalled into a train and crossed the channel on the Dover - Dunkirk train ferry on the 11th June.

Vehicle 51562 (DMC) was the 1,000th DMU car to be built by Derby. They held a short ceremony to celebrate the fact in Nov '59. It was also the 414th lightweight aluminium car to be built. The works manager, AE Bates congratulated representative staff members concerned with the railcar construction. The vehicle is now preserved at the NRM.