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British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
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In service | 20 May 1998 –present |
Manufacturer | |
Built at | Derby Litchurch Lane Works |
Family name | Clubman / Turbostar |
Constructed | 1998–2004 |
Refurbished | 2007–2008 [1] |
Number built | 19 (plus 9 converted from Cl. 170/3) |
Formation |
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Fleet numbers |
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Capacity |
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Owners | |
Operators | Chiltern Railways |
Lines served | |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Welded aluminium, with steel body ends [5] |
Car length |
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Width | 2.69 m (8 ft 10 in) |
Height | 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in) |
Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car) |
Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
Prime mover(s) | |
Engine type |
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Displacement |
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Power output | 315 kW (422 hp) per engine [9] [8] |
Transmission | |
Acceleration | 0.5 m/s2 (1.6 ft/s2) [3] |
Bogies |
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Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
Safety system(s) | |
Coupling system | BSI [13] |
Multiple working | Within class, and with Class 165 [14] |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Notes/references | |
Sourced from [9] except where otherwise noted |
The Class 168 Clubman is a British diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train used on Chiltern Line services between London Marylebone and the West Midlands. The trains were built by Adtranz at the Derby Litchurch Lane Works in several batches from 1998.
The first batch was classified 168/0 under TOPS and resembled the Class 165 units previously built by BREL York. The Networker-design cab was an interim solution pending the design of a completely new cab for further Turbostar batches. Subsequent builds, subclassed as 168/1 and 168/2, were constructed at the same time as the Class 170 Turbostar and thus are part of the Turbostar family of trains.
The first batch of Clubman 168/0 carriages ordered by Chiltern Railways were the first units ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK industry in 1996. They were delivered as 3-car sets but later lengthened to 4-car sets.
One unit has been converted to hybrid operation as of 2022, but is to be converted back to normal specifications following failed operations. [15]
A typical Class 168 consists of 2+2 standard-class seating throughout, arranged either around tables or in airline-style seating with pull-down tables. The majority of seats are facing seats. The Class 168 is carpeted throughout with luggage racks, air conditioning, and two or more toilets per set (one for disabled users, with baby changing facilities). Passenger information systems are fitted in every car and on the outside of class 168/2 cars.
Three different variants of the 168 were produced - 168/0, 168/1 and 168/2. Both Classes 168/1 and 168/2 are actually of the same design as the Class 170 Turbostar DMU trains, mainly due to the redesigned cab ends. The nine Class 170s that Chiltern obtained from First TransPennine Express were converted by Brush Traction to operate with the Class 168 fleet, and redesignated as Class 168/3. [16] 168329 has been converted by Porterbrook into a diesel/battery hybrid. It was tested in 2021 on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway [17] and entered service as "HybridFlex" in February 2022. [18]
Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit numbers |
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168/0 | Chiltern Railways | 5 | 1998 | 4 | 168001–168005 |
168/1 | 2 | 2000 | 168106–168107 | ||
6 | 3 | 168108–168113 | |||
168/2 | 3 | 2004 | 168214, 168218–168219 | ||
3 | 4 | 168215–168217 | |||
168/3 [16] | 8 | 2000 | 2 | 168321–168328 | |
1 | 168329 ("HybridFlex" demonstrator) |
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Network SouthEast (NSE) originally planned the Class 168 for its expansion of service on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill or New Street. These units were planned to have a higher top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) and better acceleration than the Class 165 Networker Turbo DMU trains.
In the event, privatisation intervened before NSE acquired any units; Chiltern Railways operates these units, in similar diagrams to those originally planned by NSE.
The following units been named:
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains.
Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO), created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Together with Angel Trains and Eversholt Rail Group, it is one of the three original ROSCOs.
The British Rail Class 170 Turbostar is a British diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train designed and built by Adtranz, and later by Bombardier Transportation, at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
The British Rail Class 158Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train. It is a member of the Sprinter series of regional trains, produced as a replacement for British Rail's first generation of DMUs; of the other members, the Class 159 is almost identical to the Class 158, having been converted from Class 158 to Class 159 in two batches to operate express services from London Waterloo to the West of England.
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The British Rail Class 159 is a class of British diesel multiple unit passenger trains of the Sprinter family, built in 1989–1992 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)'s Derby Litchurch Lane Works as Class 158. Before entering traffic, the original 22 units were modified at Rosyth Dockyard to Class 159 to operate services from London Waterloo to Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, replacing various locomotive-hauled passenger trains.
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The Bombardier Turbostar is a family of diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger trains that was built by ADtranz and later Bombardier Transportation at Derby Litchurch Lane Works in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2011. The Turbostar was the first new train type to be introduced after the privatisation of British Rail. The first units were ordered by Chiltern Railways in 1996 and were designated Class 168. Since then the family has grown with the addition of the Class 170, Class 171, and the Class 172.
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The British Rail Class 144Pacer is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train built at Derby between 1986 and 1987. British Rail, seeking to procure improved derivatives of the earlier Class 141, placed an order with the manufacturers British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) and Walter Alexander to construct their own variant, the Class 144. A total of 23 units were constructed. All units have now retired from mainline service, though the majority of the units have been acquired for preservation on heritage railways and in other uses. As of December 2022, 19 out of the 23 units have been purchased following withdrawal for this purpose, of which 14 units are in operational condition.
The 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is a diesel multiple unit in service with Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.
The British Rail Class 172 is a British diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train from the Turbostar family, built by Bombardier Transportation's Derby Litchurch Lane Works for use on inner-suburban passenger services. The class is currently operated by West Midlands Railway.
The Networker is a family of passenger trains which operate on the UK railway system. They were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s by British Rail Engineering Limited and Metro Cammell. The trains were built for the Network SouthEast (NSE) sector of British Rail, which is where their name comes from. They are all multiple-unit trains.
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