British Rail Class 168

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British Rail Class 168 Clubman
High Wycombe - Chiltern 168214-168003 Birmingham Mainline service.JPG
Chiltern Railways 168214 at High Wycombe in 2015
168002 MSO Interior.jpg
The interior of a refurbished Class 168/1
In service20 May 1998 - present
ManufacturerADtranz, Bombardier
Family nameTurbostar (Clubman)
Constructed1998 - 2004
Refurbished2007 - 2008[1]
2013 -
Number built19 trainsets
Formation2/3/4 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers168001 - 168005
168106 - 168113
168214 - 168219
168321 - 168329
Capacity204 seats (3-car unit)
272 seats (4-car unit)
Operator(s)Chiltern Railways
Line(s) served
  • Chiltern Main Line
  • London to Aylesbury Line
  • London Marylebone - Oxford
  • Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line
Specifications
Car body constructionWelded aluminium. Steel ends.
Car length23.62 m (77 ft 6 in)
Width2.69 m (8 ft 10 in)
Height3.77 m (12 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Maximum speed100 mph (160 km/h)
Prime mover(s)MTU 6R 183TD13H, one per car
Engine type13-litre 6-cylinder turbo-Diesel
Power output422 hp (315 kW) per car
TransmissionVoith Hydraulic T211rzze
2 axles driven per car
Acceleration0.5 m/s2 (1.1 mph/s)[2]
Safety system(s)ATP (168/3 excluded)
AWS, TPWS, Tripcock system
Coupling systemBSI[3]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

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.

Description[]

The trains were built 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.

Seating[]

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). The class 168 has been heavily praised for its comfort. Passenger information systems are fitted in every car and on the outside of class 168/2 cars.

Variants[]

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.[4] 168329 has been converted by Porterbrook into a diesel/battery hybrid, and in 2021 is being tested on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway with plans for it to enter public service in 2022.[5]

Class Operator No. Built Year Built Cars per Set Unit nos.
Class 168/0 Chiltern Railways 5 1998 4 168001 - 168005
Class 168/1 8 2000 168106 - 168107
3 168108 - 168113
Class 168/2 6 2004 168214, 168218 - 168219
4 168215 - 168217
Class 168/3[4] 9 2000 2 168321 - 168329

Operations[]

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 Network 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.

Gallery[]

  • Class 168/0 No. 168003 at Marylebone. The Class 168/0 features the original cab design.

  • Class 168/1 No. 168113 at Marylebone. This shows the final cab design. This cab design was also found on the Class 424 Networker Classic.

  • The interior of the MSO vehicle from a Chiltern Railways Class 168.

  • Chiltern Railways Silver Mainline refurbished Class 168/1 No. 168106 at Marylebone.

  • The interior of a Chiltern Railways Silver Mainline refurbished Class 168.

  • Interior of 168106 taken in the dark before departing Birmingham Snow Hill for a service to London Marylebone.

References[]

  1. ^ "Chiltern Railways: About us - Our train fleet". Chiltern Railways. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  2. ^ "CLASS 168". eversholtrail.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  3. ^ "System Data for Mechanical and Electrical Coupling of Rail Vehicles". Rail Safety and Standards Board. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  4. ^ a b Broadbent, Steve (4 March 2014). "Chiltern plots further expansion". Rail. Peterborough (769): 46–53.
  5. ^ "Porterbrook on LinkedIn: #HybridFLEX #finalgreenmile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.

Further reading[]

  • "First post-privatisation new train enters service on Chiltern Lines". RAIL. No. 332. EMAP Apex Publications. 16 June 1998. p. 11. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
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