Thanks to Andrew Middleton and Keith Gunner for additional information.

Class 109 Wickham 2-car sets

These vehicles had one of the more unusual types of DMU body. The welded body framework, built up of solid drawn square section steel tube, formed a complete stress-bearing box girder for which no underframe was required. This method, introduced in 1936, was used in Wickham railcars for many parts of the world and was developed to produce a lightweight car of great rigidity. Care was taken to produce an internal finish that was easily cleanable. The almost complete absence of screw heads and moulding joints set a high standard for this type of vehicle, while there was a general air of spaciousness achieved by the scheme of decoration and in particular the shaping of the draught deflecting partitions at the entrance doors. The "art deco" interior made extensive use of Warerite plastics.

They were built to BTC Order reference BTC (ST/PRE/A/581/14) dated 10 June 1955 and to Wickham "registration" (or order) number 58666. E50415-19 were Wickham works numbers 7345-49 and E56170-74 were 7350-54, respectively.

The first sets entered traffic in the autumn of 1957. They were surplus soon after introduction, and being a 'non-standard' design allowed BR to sell back two sets in September 1961 at the request of Wickham & Co who had overseas buyers for them, the Trinidad Government Railway. They were exported to Trinidad & Tobago, and they operated the 'Last Train to San Fernando' as immortalised in the song. By 1980 at least one car had been grounded and used as a road side cafe!

Battersea

An exhibition was held at Battersea Wharf Goods Depot on the 28th, 29th & 30th June 1957 entitled "Modern Traction Travel Exhibition", to show the public some of the features of the modernisation plan. It featured coaches built by both British Railways and private builders, diesel locos, and the BTC also selected a Wickham set. The exhibition was devoted to show how BR and private manufacturers could do to provide comfortable and well designed passenger vehicles and the Class 109 cars were well praised for their attempts to achieve, ease of cleaning internally, and their improved front end design. The cars were a constructional innovation for British Railways, and to show the interesting features the trailer car was provided in skeleton form, alongside completed DMBS 50415.