| British Rail Class 166 Networker Turbo | |
|---|---|
 Great Western Railway Class 166 atDidcot Parkway in 2015 | |
 Refurbished standard-class saloon | |
| In service | 11 May 1993 – present |
| Manufacturer | ABB Transportation |
| Built at | Holgate Road Works,York |
| Family name | Networker Turbo |
| Replaced | |
| Constructed | 1992–1993 |
| Number in service | 21 |
| Formation | 3 cars per unit:DMCL-MS-DMSL[1][2] |
| Fleet numbers | 166201–166221 |
| Owners | Angel Trains |
| Operators | Great Western Railway |
| Depots | St Philip's Marsh (Bristol) |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Weldedaluminium |
| Car length |
|
| Width | 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug(2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h)[1] |
| Prime mover(s) | 3 ×Perkins 2006 TW-H(one per vehicle) |
| Engine type | Inline-64-stroketurbo-diesel[3] |
| Displacement | 12.2 L (742.64 cu in)[3]per engine |
| Power output | 260 kW (350 hp) per engine |
| Transmission | Voith T 211 rz[1](hydrokinetic, one per vehicle) |
| UIC classification | 2′B′+2′B′+B′2′ |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI[4] |
| Multiple working | Within class,and withClass 165[5] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 166Networker Turbo is a fleet ofdiesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger trains, built byABB Transportation at theirHolgate Road Works inYork between 1992 and 1993. They were specified by and built forBritish Rail, the state-owned railway operator inGreat Britain at the time. The trains were designed as a faster, air-conditioned variant of theClass 165Turbo, intended for longer-distance services, and, like the 165s, belong to theNetworker family of trains. They are known asNetworker Turbos to distinguish them from the electrically propelled members of that family. Today the 166s, alongside the 165s, are normally referred to asThames Turbos, theNetworker Turbo Express or just simplyTurbos.
The Class 166s are still in service today, solely operated byGreat Western Railway. Until 2017, they operated only on express and local services in theThames Valley area alongside the Class 165 units. In this time, they were based atReading TMD but since July 2017, the 166 units have been gradually moved over to be based atSt Philip's Marsh depot to operate local and regional services around Bristol and Exeter. Nowadays, all of the 166s are based in Bristol while many 165s remain in the Thames Valley.
These units are a modification of theClass 165 design. They have a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h) (suitable for mainline use), are carpeted throughout, and have air-conditioning. Externally, the Class 166 can be distinguished from aClass 165 by opening hoppers on every other window. Until late 2013 the presence of first class at each end was another distinguishing feature.
Other differences over a 165 are as follows:
Twenty-one 3-car units were built, numbered 166201-221. Each unit was formed of two outer driving motors, and an intermediate motor. The technical description of the formation is DMCL-MS-DMSL. Individual carriages are numbered as follows:
The units were built to replaceClass 117,Class 119 andClass 121 DMUs, and locomotive-hauled trains on services fromLondon Paddington along theGreat Western Main Line.
Six cars were added to the original order in 1991 afterNetwork SouthEast acquired some of theCotswold Line services fromRegional Railways to allowClass 158 units to be converted toClass 159s for theWest of England services.[6][7]
Their operation in the Bristol area is slightly different. All services in the Bristol area have guards and will in the future so the trains will not be driver only operated at all in the Bristol area. The practice of the opening/closing of the doors is also different, in which the driver releases the doors which are then closed by the guard. All 166 units now have local door panels fitted in at the doors of the end coaches, this is to allow the units to stop at stations with short platforms such asAvoncliff andDilton Marsh. In these instances, the guard releases only their local door with these new panels, so drivers do not release the doors at the stations with short platforms. This method of operation has now been retrofitted to North Downs and Oxfordshire services.
When built, these units were operated by theThames Line andNorth Downs Line subdivisions ofNetwork SouthEast.
Their main destinations included fast-trains toReading,Newbury andOxford, with some services continuing beyond Oxford toBanbury andStratford-upon-Avon, or along theCotswold Line toEvesham,Worcester,Great Malvern andHereford. Units are also used on the Reading toGatwick Airport services along theNorth Downs Line. Many services operated by the 166 were branded asTurbo Express in the timetables.
Following privatisation, the units passed to theThames Trains franchise. In April 2004, operation of the Thames Trains franchise passed to theFirst Great Western Link, and subsequently to First Great Western.
In 2012, First Great Western took delivery of five Class 180Adelante units forCotswold Line services, and three-carClass 150Sprinter units forReading to Basingstoke Line services, allowing Class 165 and 166 units to be used entirely for Thames Valley services.[8]
In July 2017, the 166s began to transfer over to be based atSt Philip's Marsh depot inBristol, where they would then begin operation on theSevern Beach line to allow other services to be strengthened further west.[9][10] Since September 2017, they have rapidly been introduced on other services such as theWeston-super-Mare toFilton Abbey Wood /Bristol Parkway service and theCardiff Central toTaunton services. In January 2018, they began service on theGolden Valley Line and in February 2018, they began service on theHeart of Wessex Line, as well as operating some services on theWessex Main Line as far asWarminster andSouthampton Central. In January 2019, they also began operating the regional service betweenCardiff Central andPortsmouth Harbour which allowed more of theClass 158 units that solely operated this service to move further west.
In December 2020, they began operating on theRiviera Line andAvocet Line following the retirement of theClass 143 units.[11]
The transfer of the 166 (and 165) units to services in and aroundBristol andExeter have overall allowed units that previously operated these services to move further west, such as theClass 150 and Class 158 units.[12]
Towards the end of January 2010, First Great Western announced an £8 million refresh programme to their fleet of Class 166 Turbo DMU trains.[13]The carpets and seats were retrimmed, interiors repainted, Passenger Information Displays replaced with a GPS-based system, and toilets upgraded. The refresh work was carried out at Reading Depot. All 151 vehicles have now been refurbished.
In late 2014, another set of refreshes to the Class 166 was started. The changes made during the 2010 refresh remain in place, with some upgrades, including the fitting of LED head/tail lights, new toilets which are more accessible than the old toilets, new door buzzers & new door buttons of the standard design with a round button on a yellow ring. All units have now received the refresh. Unit 166204 was named in honour ofTwyfordstation master Norman Topsom MBE who retired in November 2015.
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166 | Great Western Railway | 21 | 1992–1993 | 3 | 166201–166221 |
Some units received names
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