British Rail Class 153

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British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter"
Class 153, no. 153335 'Michael Palin' at Cambridge on 11th July 2003.
In service1991 - present
ManufacturerLeyland Motors
Family nameSprinter
RefurbishmentConverted by Leyland Bus[1][2][3]
Number built70 (35 as Class 155s)
Formation1 car
Capacity75
Operator(s)Arriva Trains Wales
East Midlands Trains
First Great Western
London Midland
National Express East Anglia
Northern Rail
Line(s) servedMany 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 length23.2 metres
Width2.7 metres
Maximum speed75mph
Weight41.2 tonnes
Prime mover(s)Cummins NT855R5 of 213kW (285h.p.) at 2100 rpm
Safety system(s)AWS, TPWS
Coupling systemBSI Compact
Track gauge1435 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 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.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Class 153 - Arriva Trains Wales, Great Western Railway, East Midlands Trains, Arriva Rail North". Angel Trains. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  2. Barclay, Kenny (November 2017). British Rail in the 1980s and 1990s: Diesel Locomotives and DMUs. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445670058.
  3. Thomson, Gordon (July 2016). Railways of Ayrshire. Marlborough: Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1785001482.