British Rail Class 150

British Rail Class 150 Sprinter
London Midland Class 150 No. 150107 at Bedford
The interior of a London Midland Class 150/1
In service	1984 – present
Manufacturer	BREL York
Order no.	30884 (DMSL, 150/0, 154) 30885 (DMS, 150/0, 154) 30986 (MS, 150/0) 31011 (DMSL, 150/1) 31012 (DMS, 150/1) 31017 (DMSL, 150/2) 31018 (DMS, 150/2)
Family name	Sprinter
Replaced	First generation DMUs
Constructed	1984–1987
Refurbishment	Various
Number built	137 trainsets
Formation	2 or 3 cars per trainset DMSL(+MS)+DMS
Diagram	DP230 (DMSL, 150/0) DP231 (DMS, 150/0) DR202 (MS, 150/0) DR203 (MS, 150/0) DP238 (DMSL, 150/1) DP239 (DMS, 150/1) DP242 (DMSL, 150/2) DP243 (DMS, 150/2) DP246 ((DMSL, 154) DP247 (DMS, 154)
Fleet numbers	150001-150002 (sets, 150/0) 55200-55201 (DMSL, 150/0) 55300-55301 (DMS, 150/0) 55400-55401 (MS, 150/0) 150101-150150 (sets, 150/1) 52101-52150 (DMSL, 150/1) 57101-57150 (DMS, 150/1) 150201-150285 (sets, 150/2) 52201-52285 (DMSL, 150/2) 57201-57285 (DMS, 150/2) 154001 (set, 154) 55201 (DMSL, 154) 55301 (DMS, 154) 55401 (MS, 154)
Capacity	Depends on refurbishment style Northern: 124, 131 or 149 seats per unit Great Western Railway: 147 seats per unit
Operator(s)	Arriva Trains Wales Great Western Railway London Midland Northern
Depot(s)	Derby Etches Park (former) Neville Hill Newton Heath Cardiff Canton Haymarket (former) St Philips Marsh Depot Tyseley
Line(s) served	Many
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel
Car length	20.06 m (65 ft 10 in)
Width	2.816 m (9 ft 2.9 in)
Height	3.774 m (12 ft 4.6 in)
Floor height	1.144 m (3 ft 9.0 in)
Doors	Bi-parting sliding (cab door slam, 150/1) (cab door sliding, 150/0 & 150/2)
Wheelbase	14.170 m (46 ft 5.9 in) (bogie centres)
Maximum speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Weight	35.8 tonnes (35.2 long tons; 39.5 short tons)
Prime mover(s)	Cummins NT855R5 Diesel 1 unit per car
Power output	213 kW (286 hp) (per engine) @ 2100 rpm
Transmission	Voith Hydraulic T211r 2 axles driven per car
Bogies	BX8P (150/0, powered) BX8T (150/0, trailer) BP38 (150/1 & 150/2, powered) BT38 (150/1 & 150/2, trailer)
Braking system(s)	Air/EP
Safety system(s)	AWS TPWS
Coupling system	BSI
Multiple working	Classes 14x, 15x and 170
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The British Rail Class 150 "Sprinter" diesel multiple-units (DMUs) were built by BREL York from 1984 to 1987. A total of 137 units were produced in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.

At the beginning of the 1980s, British Rail (BR) had a large fleet of ageing "Heritage" DMUs built to many different designs in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some of the more reliable types were retained and refurbished. BR decided to replace many of the non-standard or unreliable types with new second-generation units, built to modern standards. Two different types were developed; low-cost "Pacers", built using bus parts and intended for short-distance services; and "Sprinters", based on BR's Mark 3 bodyshell design, for use on longer-distance services.

In 1984, BREL built two prototype 3-car Class 150/0 units, numbered 150001 and 150002. 150001 was fitted with Cummins engines and Voith hydraulic transmission, and 150002 was fitted with Perkins (Rolls-Royce) engines and Self-Changing Gears mechanical transmission.

The design specifications of the prototypes were similar to the later production units, but they were to remain as the only Class 150s to be built as 3-car units. Additional three-car units were created later by re-marshalling a 150/2 car in the middle of a 150/1 set, but only the prototypes had purpose-built centre cars without driving cabs. Both cab doors are air-operated unlike the Class 150/1 production model, but as seen later on in the 150/2 variant.