The Class 165 "Network Turbo" was built for British Rail in the early 1990s to replace first generation diesel multiple units on Thames Valley and Chiltern route suburban services [1]. Seventy six 2-car and 3-car sets were built and all but one, which was destroyed in the Ladbroke Grove rail disaster, remain in service today with Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railway.
GWR 165 106 arrives at Reading West
Information
Number built:
144 (76 2- and 3-car sets)
Built:
1990-92
Builder:
BREL York
Engine:
Perkins 2006-TWH diesel (one per car)
Power:
700 / 1, 050 hp (520 / 780 kW)
Formations:
165/0: Driving Motor Standard Lavatory (DMSL)+ Motor Standard (MS)+Driving Motor Standard (DMS) or DMSL+DMS
165/1: Driving Motor Composite Lavatory (DMCL)+MS+DMS or DMCL+DMS
The Class 165 are two sub-classes. the 165/0 was originally built for Chiltern services on Network South East and remains on the same routes including services from London Marylebone to Birmingham, to Aylesbury and to Stratford-upon-Avon. Trip-cock equipment has been fitted to Chiltern units as they travel on London Underground track between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham.
The 165/1 was built for services out of London Paddington along the Great Western main line. They are still in service on Thames Valley services to destinations such as Oxford and Banbury. They have bogie modifications to allow for a higher top speed (90 mp/h as opposed to 75 mp/h on the 165/0).
GWR 116 at Basingstoke
Chiltern 165 035 at Little Kimble
GWR 165 018 at Reigate
GWR 165 117 and friend at Oxford
Chiltern 165 011 at Haddenham & Thame Parkway
[1] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recogition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 149
Six of these trams were ordered from Stadler to augment the existing fleet of Flexity Swift CR4000s on what was at the time called Croydon Tramlink (now called London Trams). These trams entered service in 2012. Four more trams were ordered in 2015 and the final two in 2016 [1]. The Variobahn trams are slightly longer than the CR4000s (with a slightly higher capacity) and have five sections instead of three.
2564 at Morden Road
Information
Number built:
12
Built:
2011-16
Builder:
Stadler
Motor:
8 Stadler traction motors
Power:
480 hp (360 kW)
Wheel arrangement:
Bo-2-Bo
Although the Variobahn trams can be seen through the London Tram network, the preference is to use them on the longer Line 2 route.
2562 departs Morden Road
2562 arrives at Mitcham
Both types of tram operated by London Trams meet at Morden Road
[1] Robert Prichard & Alan Yearsley, UK Metro & Light Rail Systems (Platform 5, 2019) p. 130
The High Speed Train (HST), powered by a Class 43 powercar at either end of the train, is arguably the most successful diesel powered high speed train in the world. The HST bought 125mp/h speeds to British Rail Inter City expresses in the late 1970s, helping to revitalise long-distance rail travel when it was at a low ebb. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say the HST changed the face of rail travel in the UK once and for all and helped stem a seemingly unstoppable decline. The futuristic streamlined shape of the power cars (which can surely be considered a British design classic) quickly became the face of BR publicity [1]. The HST was an instant hit with the public with passenger numbers on the HST services rising by fifteen percent within the first two months of operation. The HST still holds the official speed record for a diesel hauled passenger train of 148 mp/h.
43 185 in Intercity livery (operated by GWR) at London Paddington
Information
Number built:
197
Built:
1976-82
Builder:
BREL Crewe
Refurbished by Brush Traction (2006-9)
Engine:
(Original) Paxman Valenta 12RP200L diesel
(Refurbished) Paxman 12VP185 or MTU 16V4000 R41R diesels
Power:
(Valenta) 2, 250 hp (1, 678 kW)
(12VP185) 2, 100 hp (1, 565 kW)
(MTU) 2, 250 hp (1, 676 kW)
Wheel arrangement:
Bo-Bo
The Intercity 125 High Speed Train was introduced in October 1976 [2] following trials earlier in the decade with the prototype HST Class 41/252. Originally, the HST was designated a diesel electric multiple unit with units allocated to Western Region numbered Class 253 and those on Eastern Region Class 254.
However, in the 1980s the power cars were allocated the TOPS number Class 43 (the original Class 43 was the "Warship" diesel-hydraulic locomotive), they are after all proper locomotives capable of independent operation (though this is fairly rare in practice), the Mark 3 coaches they haul/propel differ from loco-hauled Mark 3s with different electric systems and a lack of buffers and can only work properly with Class 43s. The Class 43 only has a driving cab at the streamlined end, the prototype Class 41 also had auxiliary cab controls for shunting at the other end but this was not continued with the production power cars.
Ironically, the HST only came about because of a lack of funds for electrification of more main line routes after the completion of the West Coast Main Line [3]. The HST was devised as a stop-gap... that has so far lasted over forty years! Although they have been slowly replaced from some of their original routes they have been cascaded onto other routes and should continue to serve well into the 2020s. In the mid to late 2000s the fleet was heavily refurbished with the original Paxman engines replaced mostly by MTU units [4] though some have also been fitted with Paxman VP185 diesels since the early 1990s.
The Class 43 has also been exported to Australia where power cars heavily based on the Class 43s powered the XPT which is still in service [5]. In the late 1980s a small number of Class 43s were taken out of service, fitted with buffers, and formed driving van trailers for the new Class 91 which replaced the HST on the newly electrified East Coast Main Line. Once purpose built DVTs had been built the modified Class 43s were returned to service [6]. Withdrawn power cars have been exported to Mexico and Nigeria.
The Class 43 currently serves with ScotRail and has served with a number other companies in the privatised era including GWR and Cross Country. The ScotRail sets are shorter than older sets to enable improved acceleration. There are also a number of full-length HST sets in use for rail holidays and tours. Some cars are also in service with Network Rail in the New Measurement Train and other departmental uses.
Colas operated 43 272 hauls a test train through Chepstow
Cross Country 42 239 at Birmingham New Street
43 018 preserved in original BR livery at Crewe Heritage Centre
GWR 43 029 at Newport
The New Measurement Train at Sheffield
[1] Chris Heaps, BR Diary 1968-1977 (Ian Allan, 1988) p. 99 [2] Brian Haresnape, High Speed Trains (Ian Allan, 1983) p. 51 [3] Colin J. Marsden (ed.), "The Production HSTs", Modern Locomotives Illustrated No. 208 August-September 2014 (The HST Part 1: The BR Days) p. 28 [4] Colin J. Marsden, Traction Recognition (Second Edition) (Ian Allan, 2009) p. 34 [5] Marsden, MLI 208 p. 71 [6] Marsden, Traction p. 36
These diesel locomotives were built by English Electric for the Malaysian Railways (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad) in 1957. They were the first main line diesel locomotives to be introduced in Malaysia. They were used for the main passenger express services but also could be used on some freights. They had a bonnet nose like other English Electric diesel locomotives such as the Classes 37 and 40though had the same engine which was fitted to re-engined Class 31s! The locomotives were built for metre gauge.
A Class 20 on delivery (right), with it is another EE built loco, a class 15 shunter [1]
Information
Number built:
26
Built:
1957
Builder:
English Electric Vulcan Foundry
Motor:
English Electric 12SVT diesel
Power:
1, 500 hp (1, 119 kW)
Wheel arrangement:
Co-Co
The locomotives were withdrawn from services in the late 1980s. One has been preserved.
[1] "Export orders", Board of Trade Journal Vol. 199 Issue 3831 (19 August 1970) p. 416
The Class 323 is a fleet of high-density electric multiple units (EMUs) built in the early 1990s for British Rail. They were built to replace older EMUs coming to the ends of their lives and to supply the Birmingham Cross-City Line, which was finally being electrified with new rolling stock [1]. Forty three three-car units were built by Hunslet Transportation Projects during 1992-3 for the Cross City Line and for the North West for services to Manchester Airport.
West Midland Railway 323 204 at Bromsgrove
Information
Number built:
129 (43 3-car sets)
Built:
1992-93
Builder:
Hunslet TPL
Motor:
4 Holec DMKT 52/24 traction motors (25kV AC OHLE)
Power:
1, 566 hp (1, 168 kW)
Formation:
Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)+Pantograph Trailer
Standard Open Lavatory (PTSOL)+DMSO
The Class 323 proved unreliable when first delivered, the traction package causing a number of problems especially with cooling. It was a couple of years after delivery before they became fully operational. Later on however, Northern's fleet won awards for its reliability.
Twenty six sets currently serve with West Midlands Railway (previously London Midland) and seventeen with Northern Rail, operating on electrified commuter lines around Birmingham and Manchester. The EMUs have completed a retractioning programme replacing the original Gate Turn-Off thyristor equipment with a more advanced Integrated Gate Bipolar Transistor set-up [2].
West Midlands Railway's 323s are due for replacement from 2024 by the Class 730, part of the Bombardier Aventra family, some of the sets are moving to Northern to strengthen their fleet. The Northern fleet is meanwhile being refurbished with LED lighting, new passenger information screens and an accessibility compliant toilet [3].
Northern 323 239 arrives at Holmes Chapel
Back in London Midland days, 323 220 at Lichfield Trent Valley
WMR 323 205 at Chester Road
Aboard a WMR 323
Northern 323 234 at Sandbach
[1] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 262 [2] Ian Walmsley, "A traction heart transplant", Modern Railways (March 2017) p. 43 [3] "First refurbished 323 for Northern", Modern Railways (December 2019) p. 84
The Class 805 is part of the Intercity Express Programme family like theClass 802 and 810 and are bi-mode units for Avanti West Coast to replace the Class 221 on services between London Euston and north Wales. A big advantage of the 805 over the pure diesel 221 is that electric traction can be used while travelling under wires which a fair amount of the route is under.
805 001 on test at Stafford, it had yet to receive Avanti WC livery
Information
Number built:
65 (13 5-car sets)
Built:
2021-
Builder:
Hitachi
Motor:
Hitachi traction system (25kV AC OHLE) &
MTU 12V 1600 R80L diesel
Testing of the units began in 2022 ahead of an expected entry into service by the end of 2023 but that has now been pushed back until Summer 2024.
