| British Rail Class 159 South Western Turbo | |
|---|---|
 ASouth Western Railway Class 159 in 2018 | |
 Standard-class interior, as refreshed by SWR | |
| In service | 10 June 1993 – present[1] |
| Manufacturer | British Rail Engineering Limited |
| Built at | Derby Litchurch Lane Works |
| Family name | Sprinter |
| Replaced | Locomotive-hauled trains |
| Constructed |
|
| Refurbished |
|
| Number built | 22 (plus 8 converted from Class 158) |
| Number in service | 29 |
| Number scrapped | 2 vehicles |
| Formation | 3 cars per unit:DMCL-MSL-DMSL[2] |
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity | 169 seats[4](23 first-class, 146 standard) |
| Owners | Porterbrook[5] |
| Operators | South Western Railway |
| Depots | Salisbury[6] |
| Lines served | West of England Main Line[7] |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Weldedaluminium |
| Car length | 22.57 m (74 ft 1 in)[8] |
| Width | 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in)[2] |
| Height | 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in)[2] |
| Doors | Double-leaf plug[2](2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (145 km/h)[2] |
| Weight | approx. 38.5 t (38 long tons; 42 short tons)per car[2] |
| Axle load | Route Availability 1[2] |
| Prime mover(s) |
|
| Engine type | Inline-64-stroketurbo-diesel[9] |
| Displacement | 14 L (855 cu in) per engine[9] |
| Power output |
|
| Transmission | Voith T 211 rz (hydrokinetic)[2] |
| UIC classification | 2′B′+B′2′+B′2′ |
| Bogies |
|
| Braking system(s) | Pneumatic (disc)[2] |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI[2] |
| Multiple working | Within class and withClasses14x,15xand170[2] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
TheBritish Rail Class 159 is a class ofdiesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger trains of theSprinter grouping, built in 1989–1992 byBritish Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)'sDerby Litchurch Lane Works as Class 158. Before entering traffic, the original 22 units were modified at Rosyth Dockyard to Class 159 to operate services on theWest of England Main Line, replacing various locomotive-hauled passenger trains. The units were originally branded byNetwork SouthEast asSouth Western Turbo.[1]
In the late 1980s, the locomotive-hauled stock on Network SouthEast's (NSE)West of England route fromLondon Waterloo toSalisbury,Yeovil Junction andExeter St Davids was in urgent need of replacement. TheClass 50diesel locomotives were not suited to the stop-start nature of the route and frequently broke down.[10] A single breakdown could cause chaos because of the long sections of single track west of Salisbury, following theBeeching cuts.
Various options were considered, including electrification, shortenedHSTs, construction of new locomotives and stock (a passenger version of the proposedClass 48), or the proposed Class 171 (which would have been part of theNetworker, aninter-city version of theClass 165 – not to be confused with the laterTurbostars. A study found the best options were electrification or new DMUs.[11]
With the UK economy in decline in the early 1990s, it was found thatRegional Railways had over-orderedClass 158s, at the same time as NSE was looking for a similar number of new diesel trains. NSE agreed to take on the surplus Class 158s.[11]
The original 22 units were built as Class 158 units, but were rebuilt byBabcock Rail inRosyth Dockyard before entering traffic. This entailed fitting first-class accommodation and retention toilets, and various other modifications. The rebuild was required because it was not possible for Network SouthEast and the newly-privatised BREL to agree terms on the variation order to NSE specification.[12]
The first unit (159004) was handed over to NSE on 6 January 1993.[1]
The units converted to Class 159 specification during construction are numbered 159001–159022, with individual vehicles numbered 57873–57894 for driving motor vehicles and 58718–58739 for intermediate motor vehicles. The class is maintained at a purpose-built depot at Salisbury.[2][3]
In 2007, eight further Class 159 units were created through the rebuilding of surplus Class 158 units displaced from theTransPennine Express franchise.[13]
The units feature BSI couplers, which enables them to work in multiple with other units from the same class, but alsoClass 170 and the classes of thePacer andSprinter groupings.[2]
The units were dedicated to the West of England sector of Network SouthEast, operating services between London Waterloo and Exeter; they also worked services between Salisbury andSouthampton Central, and on the Reading to Basingstoke line to replace elderlydiesel-electric multiple units. They then transferred to the South West Trainsshadow franchise in readiness for privatisation.
Upon theprivatisation of British Rail, the West of England route passed to the South West franchise in 1996, which was won by theStagecoach Group.[19] Starting in 2000, units were progressively refurbished and repainted from NSE's blue, red and white livery intoSouth West Trains' express livery. Other post-privatisation modifications included clearer LED destination displays, upgraded air-conditioning and more openable windows.
Currently, the Class 159s operate mainly from London Waterloo to Salisbury/Exeter in formations of six, eight, or nine coaches (2 × Class 159, 2 × 159 plus 1 × 158, or 3 × 159 respectively) and between Salisbury and Exeter in three- or six-coach formations. Until the December 2009 timetable change,[20] some trains continued beyond Exeter toPaignton,Plymouth andPenzance; these usually operated as three-coach units, though at weekends there were some six-coach formations. These services are now operated byGreat Western Railway. The service toBristol Temple Meads is now also operated by Class 159s.
Since 2006, the original Class 159 fleet of 22 has been supplemented by eight three-coach Class 158s (renumbered into the 159/1 series) and 11 two-coach versions. The decision to standardise on 158s and 159s allowed the nine Class 170Turbostar units to be transferred to other operators:[13] eight went toFirst TransPennine Express, with the remaining unit going toSouthern for integration intoClass 171Turbostars.
These trains serve the following routes:
.JPG)
South West Trains (SWT) began a refurbishment programme for its 22 Class 159/0s in 2000; the seats were retrimmed and interiors repainted and the units were repainted into SWT livery.[citation needed]
The units received another refurbishment in 2008 atWabtecDoncaster.CCTV andPassenger Information Systems (PIS) were installed,[22] new seating was installed in first class and a modified version of their express livery (with orange doors as opposed to the red doors onClass 444 units) for compliance with disabled access regulations.
Eight of TransPennine's surplus three-coach Class 158 units were refurbished to match SWT's existing Class 159 units at Wabtec Doncaster,[13] and renumbered into Class 159 subclass /1.[3] The first updated units were delivered to SWT in November 2006 and, by May 2007, all of the new subclass were in service.[13]
The refurbishment included making the first-class accommodation area larger and completely refitting it, with brighter interior lighting with new diffusers and the plating-over of the disused toilet in the MSO vehicle. The Class 159/1s have been fitted with retention toilets. Additional alterations include the installation of CCTV and PIS as is fitted on the 159/0s.[23]
The converted units retained their originalCummins NTA855-R1 engines, which produce 37 kW (50 hp) less power than the R3 variants fitted to the Class 159/0 fleet.[24][25]
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit nos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 159/0 | South Western Railway | 22 | 1992–1993 | 3 | 159001–159022 | Original fleet |
| 159/1 | 7 | 2006–2007 (converted) | 159101, 159103–159108 | Converted from Class 158 | ||
| Scrapped | 2 vehicles | 159102[note 1] |
Some units have received names:
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| Operating Company | Livery |
|---|---|
| South Western Railway |  |
| South West Trains |  |
| Network SouthEast |  |
