British Rail Class 168
| British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
|---|---|
|
Chiltern Railways Class 168/1 No. 168107 at Marylebone. | |
|
Refurbished Class 168/1 Interior. | |
| In service | 20 May 1998 - present |
| Manufacturer | ADtranz, Bombardier |
| Family name | Turbostar |
| Constructed | 1998 - 2004 |
| Refurbishment |
2007 - 2008[1] 2013 - |
| Number built | 19 trainsets |
| Formation | 3 or 4 cars per trainset |
| Fleet numbers |
168001 - 168005 168106 - 168113 168214 - 168219 |
| Capacity |
204 seats (3-car unit) 272 seats (4-car unit) |
| Operator(s) | Chiltern Railways |
| Line(s) served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Welded aluminium. Steel ends. |
| Car length | 23.62 m (77 ft 6 in) |
| Width | 2.69 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Prime mover(s) | Diesel, one per car, MTU 6R 183TD |
| Power output | 422 hp (315 kW) per car |
| Transmission |
Voith Hydraulic T211rzze 2 axles driven per car |
| Safety system(s) | ATP, AWS, TPWS, Tripcock system |
| Coupling system | BSI[2] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU) train used on services between London and the Midlands.
Description
The units were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units 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, which are 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 carriages ordered by Chiltern Railways were the first units to be ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK industry in 1996. They were originally delivered as 3 car sets but were later lengthened to 4 car sets. The Midland Mainline Class 170/1 were the first production Class 170 Turbostars to be constructed and are based on the experience learnt from the Class 168.
Technical details
The Clubman/Turbostar platform is a modular design, optimised for speedy manufacture and easy maintenance. It consists of an underframe, which is created by seam-welding a number of extrusions, upon which bodyside panels are mounted followed by a single piece roof, again made from extruded sections.
The car ends are made from glass-reinforced plastic and steel, and are bolted on. Underframe components are collected in ‘rafts’, which are bolted into slots on the underframe extrusion.
The drive system consists of a MTU diesel engine with a two speed Voith T211r hydrodynamic transmission system. This is the same gearbox as previously used on all Sprinter variations. A cardan shaft links the output of the gearbox to ZF final drives on the inner bogie of each vehicle.
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment, manufactured by Alcatel is fitted as well as a tripcock system for operation on the London to Aylesbury Line, where tracks are shared with London Underground.
Seating
A typical Class 168 consists of 2+2 standard class seating throughout, arranged either round 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 in fitted every car and on the outside of class 168/2 cars. The Clubman fleet has problems with its passenger information system, which is based on GPRS and GSM technology, but frequently fails to accurately find its position, resulting in misleading information being displayed to passengers.
Variants
Three different variants of the 168 have been produced - they are 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 will obtain from First TransPennine Express will be converted to operate with the Class 168 fleet, and redesignated as Class 168/3.[3]
| 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[3] | 9 | 2000 | 2 | 168321 - 168329 |
Operations
Network South East (NSE) originally planned the Class 168 for their 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.
Liveries and interiors
Class 168/0 unit 168003 at Marylebone. The /0 class features the original cab design.
Class 168/1 unit 168111 near West Ruislip.
Class 168/2 unit 168215 at Marylebone.
The interior of Chiltern Railways Class 168 prior to refurbishment.
The refurbished interior of Chiltern Railways Class 168/1.
References
- ↑ Chiltern Railways. "Chiltern Railways: About us - Our train fleet". Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ↑ "System Data for Mechanical and Electrical Coupling of Rail Vehicles". Rail Safety and Standards Board. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- 1 2 Broadbent, Steve (4 March 2014). "Chiltern plots further expansion". Rail (769): 46–53.
Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 168. |
- "First post-privatisation new train enters service on Chiltern Lines". RAIL. No. 332. EMAP Apex Publications. 3–16 June 1998. p. 11. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.