The British Rail Class 156 "Super-Sprinter" is a diesel multiple unit. 114 of these units were built from 1987-89 by Metro-Cammell (now owned by Alstom) at their Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham. They were built to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs and locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 641 KB) This image was copied from en. ... The front of Cambridge station, showing the arms of several Cambridge Colleges Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. ... Metro-Cammell logo The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon (MCCW) was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in the suburb of Washwood Heath. ... Norwich will be at the eastern tip of the franchise area. ... First ScotRail is the brand under which FirstGroup PLC runs its railway franchise to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. ... ‘one’ is the brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd, which operates local, suburban and express services from London Liverpool Street in the City of London to East and North London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, otherwise known as the Greater Anglia network. ... Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. ... The dominant rail gauge in each country shown Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... This article is about the diesel engine manufacturer. ... The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) has been deployed across the entire UK passenger railway network. ... The Automatic Warning System (AWS) refers to the specific form of limited cab signalling introduced in 1948 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey warning signals, yellow or green. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200 km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages... Metro-Cammell logo The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon (MCCW) was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in the suburb of Washwood Heath. ... Alstom (formerly GEC-Alsthom) (Euronext: ALO) is a large French company whose businesses are power generation, railway signalling; and manufacturing trains (e. ... Washwood Heath is an area of Birmingham, England. ... This article is about the British city. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ...

Description

These units were all built as two-car sets, numbered 156401-514. Each unit was formed of two driving motors, one of which contained a toilet. Individual carriages numbered as follows:

• 52401-52514 - DMSL
• 57401-57514 - DMS

The vehicles are based on the Mark 3 bodyshell, and are powered by 6-cylinder Cummins NT855-R5 diesel engine through Voith automatic transmissions. Unlike the class 150s, the 156s have a single leaf sliding door at either end of each coach - this feature reflected the anticipated longer journeys (with fewer stops) that the Class 156 was supposed to operate. They have a top speed of 75mph, although in practice speeds of around 85mph have been observed on level track, though not in regular service. Mark 3 DVT at Norwich station British Rails third design of carriages was designated Mark 3. ...

The first 100 units were all ordered by the Provincial sector of British Rail, and therefore carried Provincial livery. Twenty units, nos. 156401-419/422, all based at Tyseley depot, were later repainted into Express Regional Railways livery. Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1981 that existed until 1996 a year before Privatisation. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... Tyseley is a district in the southern half of the city of Birmingham, England, near the Coventry Road and the districts of Small Heath and Yardley. ... Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1981 that existed until 1996 a year before Privatisation. ...

The last fourteen units, nos. 156501-514 were ordered by Strathclyde PTE, and carried a distinctive orange black livery. This was later replaced by an attractive carmine and cream livery, reminiscent of the 1950s livery carried by Mk.1 coaching stock. A Class 156 train in SPT livery at Glasgow Central Station The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport, and especially the public transport system, in the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. ... the first thing that was invented was the automatic DILDO. Education grew explosively because of a very strong demand for high school and college education. ... British Rails first design of carriages were given the designation Mark 1. ...

In the summer of 1989, in connection with celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the Dutch Railways, BR was invited to send a representative example of their most modern train to be exhibited at Utrecht for two weeks in the summer. Class 156 unit number 156 502 from Glasgow was finally selected - unusual as it was in the Strathclyde Passenger Executive (SPE) livery of orange and black. On 16th June 1989, the unit was driven under its own power from the Railway Technical Centre by a Derby train crew all the way to Holland. In those far off days the Channel Tunnel was just a dream so the SNCF train ferry was utilised to cross from Dover Western Docks to Dunkerque from where the unit was driven through France and Belgium to the Dutch border at Essen and on to Utrecht with help from SNCF, SNCB and NS train crews. The unit was exhibited along with various items of rolling stock from across Europe for around two weeks after which it returned to the UK.

Central Trains 156403 at Lincoln on the 23rd October 2007

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 596 pixelsFull resolution (2576 × 1920 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 596 pixelsFull resolution (2576 × 1920 pixels, file size: 1. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ...

Current operations

After privatisation, the Class 156 fleet was split between several franchises, which are described below.

East Midlands Trains

East Midlands Trains has a fleet 11 units, based across the network. These units were transferred from Central Trains. These units are used on slower medium-distance trains. The fleet is used on a services such as Nottingham to Skegness or Nottingham to Worksop. Norwich will be at the eastern tip of the franchise area. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... , Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... Worksop is a town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. ...

The fleet was recently refurbished by Central Trains at Doncaster Works. Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... For other places with the same name, see Doncaster (disambiguation). ...

First ScotRail

Class 156, no. 156457 at Oban on 25th June 2005. This unit is painted in ScotRail livery, but with First Group branding.

First ScotRail operates the largest fleet of Class 156 units. They operate on both short distance commuter routes and services of up to five hours (Glasgow to Mallaig). Their initial introduction was controversial as they replaced locomotive hauled stock (particularly Class 37 hauled) on these longer routes. Various issues such as limited toilet facilities were cited as criticism, but they proved to have much lower operating costs. They currently can be seen on many core routes including: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 666 KB)BR Class 156, no. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 666 KB)BR Class 156, no. ... Oban railway station is the railway station serving Oban in Scotland. ... ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail and following privatisation, National Express operated passenger rail services in Scotland and cross border services to Northern England and London. ... First Group PLC (LSE: FGP) is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... First ScotRail is the brand under which FirstGroup PLC runs its railway franchise to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. ... D6712 at Liverpool Street, 1963 in BR green with yellow warning panels. ...

• Glasgow to Stranraer / Carlisle via Kilmarnock
• Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig
• Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts, Cambuslang and Bellshill.

They are also used on Glasgow local services. These services are worked by units nos. 156500-514, which are operated by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and painted in their carmine and cream livery. These units in particular are often seen working through to Newcastle on two services per day (from Girvan and Stranraer) as these services are jointly operated by First ScotRail and Northern Rail. The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride The line south of Kilmarnock was built by the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and the Glasgow... The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - Iron Road to the Isles) is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast to Glasgow. ... The Shotts Line, is a suburban railway line linking Glasgow and Edinburgh via Shotts in Scotland. ... Shotts railway station is a railway station serving Shotts in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. ... Cambuslang railway station is a railway station serving the large town of Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, about six miles from Glasgow. ... Bellshill railway station is a railway station in the village of Bellshill, Scotland. ... A Class 156 train in SPT livery at Glasgow Central station The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport, and especially the public transport system, in the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. ...

• Glasgow to Paisley Canal
• Glasgow to Whifflet
• Glasgow to Anniesland via Maryhill
• Glasgow to East Kilbride

In reality, both fleets are entirely interchangeable (except only RETB fitted units can operate the West Highland Line) and both liveries can be seen on almost any 156 route.

'one'

'one' operated Class 156

In early 2005, 'one' started to receive several former Central Trains Class 156 units, which were exchanged for Class 150 units. The newer Class 156 units are more suitable for several of the longer-distance routes, and also provide extra passenger accommodation and to compliment class 153 units. The units will be used on Norwich-Cromer-Sheringham, Norwich-Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft, Ipswich-Lowestoft/Felixstowe, Marks Tey-Sudbury local services, as well as longer distance Norwich-Cambridge and Ipswich-Cambridge/Peterborough services. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 869 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see User:Thryduulf/Relicensing if you wish to use this image under a different license. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 869 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Please see User:Thryduulf/Relicensing if you wish to use this image under a different license. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ‘one’ is the brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd, which operates local, suburban and express services from London Liverpool Street in the City of London to East and North London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, otherwise known as the Greater Anglia network. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... The British Rail Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL from 1984-87. ... The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham in Norfolk. ... The Wherry Lines are the railway lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. ... The East Suffolk Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Lowestoft in Suffolk. ... The Sudbury Branch Line is the railway line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. ... Norwich (pronounced IPA: ) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ... This article is about the city in England. ... For other uses, see Ipswich (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in England. ... This article is about the city in the United Kingdom. ...

The first units to be transferred to 'one' had already been refurbished and were therefore painted in either Central Trains's green livery or white undercoat. However, the later units were repainted into the distinctive 'one' "rainbow" livery as they passed through works for refurbishment. One Railway now have a fleet of nine 156s, three are in Central Livery, five in One Livery and the unique 156402 currently in White with blue Chapelfield advertising livery. The first unit to be transferred to Norwich was white 156402 in return for 150235

Northern Rail

Class 156, no. 156451 at Lancaster on 1st April 2005. This unit carries the first version of Northern Rail livery, which was used for the launch of the franchise in December 2004.

Northern Rail, which in 2004 took over the franchises in the north of England from Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western, operates a large fleet of units. In the former Arriva Trains Northern area, the units are based at either Neville Hill depot in Leeds or Heaton depot in Newcastle upon Tyne and are used for longer-distance trains, such as Leeds to Carlisle, Middlesbrough and Newcastle to Hexham and Carlisle and the early weekday morning service from Saltburn to Newcastle, the afternoon journeys Newcastle to Whitehaven the Peak Only Service From Metrocentre to Chathill and on the Esk Valley Line between Whitby and Middlesbrough.some of the north western fleet remains on various routes including Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle and Buxton to Manchester. Initially, the First North Western and Arriva fleets were kept quite separate. However, now trains such as the early morning train from St-Annes-on-Sea to Greenbank arriving 9:14 and the 9:33 Northwich to Blackpool North trains now commonly consist of a former First North Western train attached to a former Arriva Trains Northern train. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 663 KB) BR Class 156, no. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 663 KB) BR Class 156, no. ... Lancaster railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Lancaster in Lancashire. ... Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. ... Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Northern England. ... First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. ... For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation). ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation). ... , Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ... Middlesborough redirects here. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... St. ... , Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ... Map sources for Saltburn-by-the-Sea at grid reference NZ6621 Saltburn-by-the-Sea pier and cliff lift Saltburn-By-The-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland, England. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about about the shopping centre in North East England. ... Chathill is a village in Northumberland, in England. ... The Esk Valley Line is the railway line from Middlesbrough to Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. ... , For other uses, see Whitby (disambiguation). ... Middlesborough redirects here. ... Barrow-in-Furness is a town in Cumbria, England. ... , Carlisle is a city in the far north-west of England, and is the largest urban area in Cumbria. ... This article is on the town in the county of Derbyshire, England. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England. ... Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Northern England. ...

Northern Rail has so far introduced three new liveries. The first, carried by no. 156451 is mainly purple (mauve), but with white bands. The second livery, as carried by nos. 156425/460/464 is the inverse of the first livery. The final livery, first applied to no. 156461, is similar to the second livery, but the white is replaced by blue. There is also at least two liveries showing images of the Northern region - one of Eskdale, Cumbria, showing the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and one of the Yorkshire Dales. For articles about other places named Eskdale, see Eskdale (disambiguation). ... The terminus of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway at Dalegarth Station near Boot. ... The Yorkshire Dales (also known as the Dales) is the name given to an upland area, in Northern England. ...

Former operations

Central Trains

156410 at Nottingham on 24th September 2003, with a service to Worcester. This unit had just been repainted into Central Trains livery after refurbishment at Doncaster works.

Central Trains had a fleet of 11 units, based across the network. Central Trains quickly repainted its fleet from the original Provincial livery, to its own green and yellow livery , these units are used on faster long-distance trains. The fleet was used on a wide variety of services including Birmingham to Nottingham via Derby or Leicester, Birmingham to Hereford, Birmingham to Shrewsbury and Nottingham to Skegness or Lincoln. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 655 KB)BR Class 156, no. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 655 KB)BR Class 156, no. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city of Worcester in England. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... For other places with the same name, see Doncaster (disambiguation). ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ... This article is about the British city. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... This article is about the British city. ... For other uses, see Hereford (disambiguation). ... This article is about the British city. ... For other places with the same name, see Shrewsbury (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... , Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. ... The now widespread name Lincoln originated in a city in eastern England, UK. Its name is a contraction of the Latin Lindum Colonia, which was the name of a colony for veteran Roman soldiers. ...

In 2003, Central Trains proposed to swap its Class 156 fleet with ScotRail Class 158 units, which would be better suited to longer distance trains. However, this deal fell through, although one unit, no. 156402, was repainted in ScotRail livery without brandings. Since then, Central Trains have refurbished their fleet at Doncaster Works. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail and following privatisation, National Express operated passenger rail services in Scotland and cross border services to Northern England and London. ... A British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit, built from 1989-92 by BREL at Derby Works. ... For other places with the same name, see Doncaster (disambiguation). ...

In early 2005, a number of Central Trains Class 156 units were transferred to 'one' Anglia, in exchange for Class 150 units. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ‘one’ is the brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd, which operates local, suburban and express services from London Liverpool Street in the City of London to East and North London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, otherwise known as the Greater Anglia network. ... The British Rail Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL from 1984-87. ...

All units were transferred to East Midlands Trains after the Central franchise ended. Norwich will be at the eastern tip of the franchise area. ...

Fleet details

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

British Rail Class 156

• Metro-Cammell class 156 Super-Sprinter - Information about current and past Class 156 operation, including technical details, livieries and accident reports.
• The story in pictures of 156502's visit to Holland