British Rail Class 153
| British Rail Class 153 "Sprinter" | |
|---|---|
 Class 153, no. 153335 'Michael Palin' at Cambridge on 11th July 2003. | |
| In service | 1991 - present |
| Manufacturer | Leyland Motors |
| Family name | Sprinter |
| Refurbishment | Converted by Leyland Bus[1][2][3] |
| Number built | 70 (35 as Class 155s) |
| Formation | 1 car |
| Capacity | 75 |
| Operator(s) | 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 |
| Prime mover(s) | Cummins NT855R5 of 213kW (285h.p.) at 2100 rpm |
| Safety system(s) | AWS, TPWS |
| Coupling system | BSI Compact |
| Track gauge | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
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
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Barclay, Kenny (November 2017). British Rail in the 1980s and 1990s: Diesel Locomotives and DMUs. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445670058.
- ↑ Thomson, Gordon (July 2016). Railways of Ayrshire. Marlborough: Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1785001482.
