British Rail Class 153

British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter"
Class 153, no. 153335 'Michael Palin' at Cambridge on 11th July 2003.
In service	1991/2 - present
Manufacturer	Leyland Motors
Family name	Sprinter
Refurbishment	Converted by Hunslett-Barclay at Kilmarnock from Class 155
Number built	70 (35 as Class 155s)
Formation	1 car
Capacity	75
Operator	Arriva Trains Wales East Midlands Trains First Great Western London Midland National Express East Anglia Northern Rail
Line(s) served	Many including Bletchley-Bedford, Nuneaton-Coventry, Birmingham-Walsall-Rugeley Trent Valley (in multiple with Class 170), Nottingham-Matlock, Heart of Wales Line, Truro-Falmouth
Specifications
Car length	23.2 metres
Width	2.7 metres
Maximum speed	75mph
Weight	41.2 tonnes
Engine(s)	Cummins NT855R5 of 213kW (285h.p.) at 2100 rpm
Safety system(s)	AWS, TPWS
Coupling system	BSI Compact
Gauge	1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)

153373 at Plymouth on 29th August 2003.

153302 at Bristol Temple Meads on 28th June 2005.

153304 at Doncaster on 27th July 2003.

153323 at Betws-y-coed on 10th April 2007.

Interior of a Class 153

Driving cab of a Class 153

The British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter" is a single-car diesel multiple unit train.

In the early 1990s, British Rail took the decision that running 2-car trains on rural routes was inefficient, and identified the need for single-carriage trains. Initially consideration was given to splitting the Met-Cam Class 156 units to form class 152 units, however due to various problems with the Class 155 units, the decision was taken to split these units instead.

Work was undertaken by Hunslett-Barclay in Kilmarnock between 1991 and 1992. The modifications included fitting a cramped cab to the B end of each carriage, making it extremely difficult to load a bicycle!