British Rail Class 168

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.

British Rail Class 168 Clubman
Chiltern Railways Class 168/0 at Birmingham Moor Street
Post 2008 refurbished Class 168/0 saloon
In service	20 May 1998 – present
Manufacturer	Adtranz Bombardier Transportation
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	4 cars per 168/0 unit: DMSL(W)-MSL-MS-DMSL 3 or 4 cars per 168/1 unit: DMSL(W)-MS-DMSL DMSL(W)-MSL-MS-DMSL 3 or 4 cars per 168/2 unit: DMSL(W)-MS-DMSL(W) DMSL(W)-MS-MS-DMSL(W) 2 cars per 168/3 unit: DMSL(W)-DMSL[3]
Fleet numbers	168/0: 168001–168005 168/1: 168106–168113 168/2: 168214–168219 168/3: 168321–168329
Capacity	3-car: 204 seats 4-car: 272 seats
Owners	Eversholt Rail Group[4] Porterbrook[5]
Operators	Chiltern Railways
Lines served	Chiltern Main Line London Marylebone – Aylesbury London Marylebone – Oxford Princes Risborough – Aylesbury
Specifications
Car body construction	Welded aluminium, with steel body ends[6]
Car length	168/0 DM vehicles: 24.10 m (79 ft 1 in) Other DM vehicles: 23.62 m (77 ft 6 in) Intermediate vehicles: 23.61 m (77 ft 6 in)
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)	All units except 168329: 2–4 × MTU 6R 183 TD 13H[7] Unit 168329: 2 × MTU 6H 1800 R76[8][9] (all one per car)
Engine type	6R 183: I6 4-stroke turbo-diesel 6H 1800: same, plus SCR[9]
Displacement	6R 183: 13 L (790 cu in)[citation needed] 6H 1800: 12.81 L (782 cu in)[9] (all per engine)
Power output	315 kW (422 hp) per engine[10][9]
Transmission	All units except 168329: Voith T 211 rzze (hydrokinetic)[11] Unit 168329: ZF EcoWorld 6 AP 2500R[12][13] (all one per car)
Acceleration	0.5 m/s2 (1.1 mph/s)[4]
Bogies	Adtranz/Bombardier Powered: P3-23 Unpowered: T3-23
Braking system(s)	Electro-pneumatic (disc)
Safety system(s)	AWS BR ATP (except 168/3s) TPWS Tripcock
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 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.

One unit has been converted to hybrid operation as of 2022, but is to be reverted to normal specifications following failed operations.^[17]

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.^[18] The first unit to be refurbished was unveiled on 10 October 2024.^[19]

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.^[20] 168329 has been converted by Porterbrook into a diesel/battery hybrid. It was tested in 2021 on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway^[21] and entered service as "HybridFlex" in February 2022.^[22]

Fleet details

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 [20]		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]