 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2008) |
| British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
|---|---|
 Chiltern Railways Class 168/1 at Dorridge in the newest livery | |
 Post 2024 refurbished Class 168/1 saloon | |
| In service | 20 May 1998 – present |
| Manufacturer | |
| Built at | Derby Litchurch Lane Works |
| Family name | Clubman / Turbostar |
| Constructed | 1998–2004 |
| Refurbished | 2007–2008[1] 2024–present[2] |
| Number built | 19 (plus 9 converted from Cl. 170/3) |
| Formation |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Owners | |
| Operators | Chiltern Railways |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Welded aluminium, with steel body ends[6] |
| Car length |
|
| Width | 2.69 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Doors | Double-leaf sliding plug (2 per side per car) |
| Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Prime mover(s) | |
| Engine type |
|
| Displacement |
|
| Power output | 315 kW (422 hp) per engine[10][9] |
| Transmission | |
| Acceleration | 0.5 m/s2 (1.1 mph/s)[4] |
| Bogies |
|
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI[14] |
| Multiple working | Within class, and with Class 165[15] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| Sourced from [10] except where otherwise noted | |
The Class 168 Clubman is a British diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger train used on Chiltern Line services between London Marylebone and the West Midlands. The trains were built by Adtranz at the Derby Litchurch Lane Works 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.
History
Network SouthEast 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 Networker Turbo DMU trains. In the event, privatisation intervened before Network SouthEast acquired any trains.[16]
In September 1996, Chiltern Railways ordered four trains from Adtranz at a cost of £34 million, first units ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK rail industry. These Clubman 168/0 trains were delivered as 3-car sets but later lengthened to 4-car sets.
In 2023, Chiltern announced the refurbishment of the entire class 168 fleet, costing £10.7 million. The units are receiving new carpets, reupholstered seats, 5G Wi-Fi & charging points, as well as a new revised livery.[17] The first unit to be refurbished was unveiled on 10 October 2024.[18]
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.[19] 168329 has been converted by Porterbrook into a diesel/battery hybrid. It was tested in 2021 on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway[20] and entered service as "HybridFlex" in February 2022.[21] it was reverted back to a regular diesel unit later that year after failed operations.[22]
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 168/0 | Chiltern Railways | 5 | 1998 | 4 | 168001–168005 |
| 168/1 | 2 | 2000 | 168106–168107 | ||
| 6 | 3 | 168108–168113 | |||
| 168/2 | 3 | 2004 | 168214, 168218–168219 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 168215–168217 | |||
| 168/3 [19] |
8 | 2000 | 2 | 168321–168328 | |
| 1 | 168329 ("HybridFlex" demonstrator) |
Named units
The following units been named:
- 168001 Adrian Shooter[23]
- 168215 Marylebone Station 125 Years[24]
References
- ^ "Chiltern Railways: About us - Our train fleet". Chiltern Railways. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ "Mk 5s could release '168s' for East West Rail". 22 March 2024.
- ^ Class 170 & 171 Diesel Multiple Unit (PDF) (1A ed.). Derby: Porterbrook Leasing Company. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Class 168". London: Eversholt Rail Group. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Sherratt, Philip, ed. (2023). "ROSCO Fleets". Modern Railways: Review 2023. Stamford: Key Publishing. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-80282-569-5.
- ^ "Turbostar – United Kingdom". Bombardier Transportation. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ MTU Rail Power for the UK & Ireland (PDF). MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH. September 2018. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "HybridFLEX Battery-Diesel Train, UK". Railway Technology. London: Verdict Media. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d MTU Hybrid Powerpack Series 1800 for Railcar Applications (PDF) (01/22 ed.). Friedrichshafen: Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. 26 August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b Class 168 Diesel Multiple Unit (PDF) (1A ed.). Derby: Porterbrook Leasing Company. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "Turbo Star" Class 168: Chiltern Railways Diesel Railcars with Voith T 211 rzze Turbo Transmission (07/2000 ed.). Heidenheim: Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG. G 1520 e.
- ^ "Cutting Emissions – cleaner, greener Turbostars". Rail Engineer. Coalville: Rail Media Group. 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Hybrid Powerpacks for Railcars". Rail Solution Guide (PDF) (01/22 ed.). Friedrichshafen: Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. 26 August 2022. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ System Data for Mechanical and Electrical Coupling of Rail Vehicles in support of GM/RT2190 (PDF). London: Rail Safety and Standards Board. 22 June 2011. p. 4. SD001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ Webster, Neil; Hall, Peter; Fox, Peter (2001). British Railways Locomotives & Coaching Stock 2001. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing. pp. 207–208. ISBN 1-902336-19-4.
- ^ Green, Chris; Vincent, Mike (2014). The Network SouthEast Story. OPC. ISBN 9780860936534.
- ^ "Capacity challenges on Chiltern Railways services | Chiltern Railways". www.chilternrailways.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Chiltern Railways unveils refurbished Class 168 train". RailAdvent. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b Broadbent, Steve (4 March 2014). "Chiltern plots further expansion". Rail Magazine. No. 769. Peterborough. pp. 46–53.
- ^ "Porterbrook on LinkedIn: #HybridFLEX #finalgreenmile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "First battery-diesel hybrid train runs between London and Aylesbury". BBC News. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "…but hybridflex class 168 set to be de-converted - 5 Sep 2023 - Railways Illustrated Magazine - Readly". gb.readly.com. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ "Chiltern pioneer Shooter recognised with statue". Modern Railways. No. 899. October 2022. p. 16.
- ^ Bendall, Simon; Coward, Andy (May 2024). "Naming Update". Fleet Review. Railways Illustrated. No. 255. p. 22.
Further reading
