British Rail Class 156 "Super-Sprinter"
Class 156419 at Sudbury newly repainted into the National Express East Anglia livery with a service to Marks Tey
In service	1987 - present
Manufacturer	Metro-Cammell
Family name	Sprinter
Number built	1987 - 1989
Formation	2 car
Operator	East Midlands Trains First ScotRail National Express East Anglia Northern Rail
Specifications
Maximum speed	75mph
Engine	Cummins NT855-R5
Gauge	1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Safety systems	AWS, TPWS

National Express East Anglia (then 'one') 156409 at Norwich on the 15th December 2007

The British Rail Class 156 "Super-Sprinter" is a diesel multiple unit. National Express East Anglia is a Train operating company and brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd in the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon (MCCW was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of Railway carriages and Wagons based in The Sprinter is a family of Diesel multiple unit Trains in use on the UK Railway system East Midlands Trains ( EMT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. First ScotRail is the Brand under which FirstGroup runs its Railway franchise to operate all domestic Passenger services within National Express East Anglia is a Train operating company and brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd in the United Kingdom. Northern Rail (often referred to simply as Northern) is a Train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England Cummins Inc ( is a corporation of complementary business units that design manufacture distribute and service diesel and Natural gas Engines and related Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. The Automatic Warning System (AWS is a form of limited Cab signalling and Train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS is a Train protection system deployed across the entire UK passenger railway network, as well as in Victoria See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" The Sprinter is a family of Diesel multiple unit Trains in use on the UK Railway system A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board Diesel 114 of these units were built from 1987-89 by Metro-Cammell (now owned by Alstom) at their Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham. The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon (MCCW was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of Railway carriages and Wagons based in Alstom ( is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and Transport markets Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um They were built to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs and locomotive-hauled passenger trains. This article lists the wide variety of Locomotives and Multiple units that have operated on Great Britain 's railway network since Nationalisation in 1948

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. Copyrighted image says to use a freer equivalent wherever one is available Cummins Inc ( is a corporation of complementary business units that design manufacture distribute and service diesel and Natural gas Engines and related The Voith AG which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations 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.

The first 100 units were all ordered by the Provincial sector of British Rail, and therefore carried Provincial livery. Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, two years after privatisation See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" Twenty units, nos. 156401-419/422, all based at Tyseley depot, were later repainted into Express Regional Railways livery. 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 1982 that existed until 1996, two years after privatisation

The last fourteen units, nos. 156501-514 were ordered by Strathclyde PTE, and carried a distinctive orange black livery. 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 This was later replaced by an attractive carmine and cream livery, reminiscent of the 1950s livery carried by Mk.1 coaching stock. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive British Railways 's 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.

Current operations

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

East Midlands Trains

East Midlands Trains is now putting their livery on 156s, seen here on 15th April 2008

East Midlands Trains has a fleet 11 units, based across the network. East Midlands Trains ( EMT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. These units were transferred from Central Trains. Central Trains was a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. These units are used on slower medium-distance trains. The fleet is used on a services such as Nottingham to Skegness, Leicester to Lincoln, Nottingham to Worksop or Nottingham to Matlock(Sunday Service). Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Skegness is a seaside town and Civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Worksop is a town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest However, recently they have been seen working the 5 hour semi-fast journey between Liverpool and Norwich

The fleet is currently being refurbished by East Midlands Trains at Derby Works. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary History Roman The Romans had their regional capital at Venta Icenorum on the river to the south which is near modern-day Caistor St Edmund East Midlands Trains ( EMT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom. Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England.

First ScotRail

First ScotRail operates the largest fleet of Class 156 units. First ScotRail is the Brand under which FirstGroup runs its Railway franchise to operate all domestic Passenger services within They operate on both short distance commuter routes and services of up to five hours & 30 mins (Glasgow to Fort william & Mallaig). Their initial introduction was controversial as they replaced locomotive hauled stock (particularly Class 37 hauled) on these longer routes. The British Rail Class 37 is a Diesel locomotive. Also known as the English Electric Type 3, the Class was ordered as part of the British Rail modernisation 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:

• Glasgow to Stranraer / Carlisle via Kilmarnock
• Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig

Class 156, no. The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries 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 156457 at Oban on 25th June 2005. Oban railway station is a Railway station serving Oban in Scotland. This unit is painted in ScotRail livery, but with First Group branding. ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail during the Sectorisation era and following privatisation National Express operated passenger FirstGroup plc ( is a Scottish Transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Canada, USA Unit 156450 was the last Class 156 to carry the National Express Scotrail livery but in December 2006 it was repainted and refurbished and returned to service in full First Group "barbie" livery in early 2007. National Express Group plc ( is a UK -based Transport group with headquarters in London that operates Bus, coach, rail ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail during the Sectorisation era and following privatisation National Express operated passenger FirstGroup plc ( is a Scottish Transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Canada, USA

• Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts, Cambuslang and Bellshill. The Shotts Line is a suburban Railway line linking Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts in Scotland. Shotts railway station is a Railway station serving Shotts in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Cambuslang railway station is a side platformed suburban railway station serving the town of Cambuslang, in the Greater Glasgow area Bellshill railway station is a railway station in the town of Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

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. 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 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.

• 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 any 156 route.

Class 156s also operate out of Glasgow Queen Street to Stirling, Dunblane, Cumbernauld and Falkirk. Glasgow Queen Street ( Glaschu Sràid na Banrighinn in Gaelic) is a Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, and is one of the city's Stirling ( Gaelic: Sruighlea, Scots: Stirlin) is a city and former ancient Burgh in Scotland, and is at Dunblane ( Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small cathedral town and former Burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council Cumbernauld ( Gaelic: Comar nan Allt) is a New town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Falkirk is also the name of the Scottish council area centred on the town see Falkirk (council area. These services are worked by both First Scotrail and SPT liveried Units. First ScotRail is the Brand under which FirstGroup runs its Railway franchise to operate all domestic Passenger services within 156s are also often seen working out of Edinburgh Waverley to West Calder, Newcraighall, Bathgate, Dunblane, Perth, Kirkaldy and Fife Circle services, again both liveries can be seen. Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital West Calder is a Village in West Lothian, Scotland, located 4 miles west of Livingston. Newcraighall is a suburb of Edinburgh, located in the southeast of the Scottish capital Bathgate is a rapidly growing town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles (8 km west of Livingston. Dunblane ( Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small cathedral town and former Burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council Perth (Peairt is a town and former Royal burgh in central Scotland. Kirkcaldy (kɪrˈkɔːdi Cathair Chaladain) is a town and former Royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The Fife Circle is the local rail service north from Edinburgh.

156450, in Regional Railways Scotrail livery, was bought by Tickford and was refurbished with 4 different seating arrangements. Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, two years after privatisation

National Express East Anglia

'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. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. National Express East Anglia is a Train operating company and brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd in the United Kingdom. Central Trains was 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 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. Route The towns and villages served by the route are listed below The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The East Suffolk Line is a railway line from Ipswich to Lowestoft in Suffolk. History Opened throughout as the Stour Valley Railway on 9 August 1865 the line from Shelford to Sudbury closed on 6 March 1967 History Roman The Romans had their regional capital at Venta Icenorum on the river to the south which is near modern-day Caistor St Edmund The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England Ipswich ( ˈɪpswɪtʃ is a Non-metropolitan district and the County town of Suffolk, England on the Estuary of the River Orwell The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England History Early history Present-day Peterborough is the latest in a series of settlements which have at one time or other benefited from its situation where the Nene

The first units to be transferred to `one`/National Express East Anglia 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. National Express East Anglia now have a fleet of nine 156s, one train (156419) is in the new National Express East Anglia livery, two 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. Lancaster railway station (formerly known as Lancaster Castle railway station) is a Railway station that serves the city of Lancaster in This unit carries the first version of Northern Rail livery, which was used for the launch of the franchise in December 2004. Northern Rail (often referred to simply as Northern) is a Train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England

Northern Rail’s 156s have two different interiors: one is dark blue with seating common to 156s (former First North Western units), another is green with seating similar to that found on many 158s (former Arriva Trains Northern units. ) The former Arriva Trains Northern units appear to have more comfortable seating. However, the seating is unpopular with taller people as there is less leg room and the seats were designed to be comfortable, but can be very uncomfortable for people who are not of an average height. On the former First North Western units the seating is in good condition, although the carpets are in a very poor state. Since Northern Rail have taken over, former Arriva Trains Northern trains can be found on former First North Western routes and vice versa. A number of former Arriva Trains Northern 156s were transferred to the North West to replace some overcrowded 142s in the Merseyside area. However, this was only after 20+ extra 158s had been introduced in Yorkshire (former Arriva Trains Northern area. )

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 have also been several units with vinyls applied showing images of the Northern region - one of Eskdale, Cumbria, showing the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (156461); one of various destinations on the Settle and Carlisle Railway (156484); another advertising the Sheffield-Leeds FAST service (156469), which has now been removed; one marketing the Tyne Valley Line and Hadrian's Wall (156448) and another celebrating 40 years since the end of steam on British Railways and the National Railway Museum's "1968 and all that" event (156490). For articles about other places named Eskdale, see Eskdale (disambiguation. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a narrow gauge Heritage railway in Cumbria, England. History The S&C had its origins in railway politics the expansion-minded Midland Railway company was locked in dispute with the rival London and North Western Railway Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line, is a Railway line in northern England. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman The National Railway Museum (NRM is a Museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling

Former operations

Central Trains

156410 at Nottingham on 24th September 2003, with a service to Worcester. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Worcester (ˈwʊstə is a city and County town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. This unit had just been repainted into Central Trains livery after refurbishment at Doncaster works. Central Trains was a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster.

Central Trains had a fleet of 11 units, based across the network. Central Trains was a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. 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. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Hereford ( ˈhɛrɨfəd is a city, Civil parish and County town of Herefordshire, England. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Shrewsbury ( /ˈʃruːzbri/ or /ˈʃroʊzbri/ is the County town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Skegness is a seaside town and Civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England.

At one time Central Trains had a larger fleet of 156s, but some of these were replaced with newer trains and the 156s went to First North Western. These are now operated by Northern Rail, although some of the Central Trains’ passenger notices have still not been removed.

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. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail during the Sectorisation era and following privatisation National Express operated passenger A British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a Diesel multiple unit (DMU train built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by 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. Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster.

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. National Express East Anglia is a Train operating company and brand name of London Eastern Railway Ltd in the United Kingdom. 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. East Midlands Trains ( EMT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom.

Fleet details

External links

• Metro-Cammell class 156 Super-Sprinter - Information about current and past Class 156 operation, including technical details, livieries and accident reports. Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England First North Western was a train operating company in the United Kingdom serving North West England
• The story in pictures of 156502's visit to Holland
• British Photo Database - Class 156 Super-Sprinter