The Wickham Story

Part One - 1994-1999

The Wickham two-car railcar is the only one of its type in the world. The Wickham Company, based in Ware, Herts, built only five railcar sets and all were out of service by 1972. This one was converted into a departmental vehicle, for which purpose the interior was ripped out and the body substantially altered. By 1994 it was at a heritage railway in a very forlorn condition and threatened with the scrapman. This is the story of how it was restored from a wreck to as new condition, thanks to the labours of a dedicated team of workers, paid and unpaid, and explains what had to be done so that it can still be in service today.

Seen at Chasewater in 1994 the unit was contaminated with blue asbestos and was in very poor condition. The two small windows at the rear were non-original and the middle doors had been plated over.
Inside the guard's compartment after the asbestos ( and all the interior of the coach ) had been removed. The forward of the two windows had been reduced to half size and an extra one inserted behind it whilst the unitwas in engineers' service.
The rear of the coach was rebuilt and two brand new doors were made. Two windows in the rear which had been plated over were reinstated. The rear small window was removed and a new bodyside made to cover the area where it had been. Lastly the gutters were removed and replaced with authentic types mounted in the correct place.
The same area as the previous photos shows work completed and a coat of primer applied. All that needs fitting are the corridor connection and the engine exhaust pipes. The interior is still, however an empty shell.
This photo shows the bodyside area of trailer E56171 where one window was removed whilst in departmental service. This car ran as the loco-hauled "Wickham Bar" whilst at the Chasewater Railway - as the lettering shows. Note the poor condition of the bodywork.
One of the major problems with the Wickham restoration has been with the doors. A total of six doors had been plated over when the set was converted for departmental use. New doors to the original design have been made from scratch by Chris Lings at the Midland Railway Centre.
This is how the interiors of both cars looked when at their worst, after the asbestos had been stripped - this is E56171 looking towards where the toilet should be fitted. As can be seen the interior would have to be completely reconstructed to the original appearance.