British Rail Class 168
| British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
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Chiltern Railways Class 168/1 No. 168112 at Birmingham Moor Street.
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The interior of a refurbished Class 168/1
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| In service | 20 May 1998 - present |
| Manufacturer | ADtranz, Bombardier |
| Family name | Turbostar |
| Constructed | 1998 - 2004 |
| Refurbishment | 2007 - 2008 2013 - |
| Number built | 19 trainsets |
| Formation | 3 or 4 cars per trainset |
| Fleet numbers | 168001 - 168005 168106 - 168113 168214 - 168219 |
| Capacity | 204 seats (3-car unit) 272 seats (4-car unit) |
| Operator(s) | Chiltern Railways |
| Line(s) served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Welded aluminium. Steel ends. |
| Car length | 23.62 m (77 ft 6 in) |
| Width | 2.69 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 3.77 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Prime mover(s) | Diesel, one per car, MTU 6R 183TD |
| Power output | 422 hp (315 kW) per car |
| Transmission |
Voith Hydraulic T211rzze 2 axles driven per car |
| Safety system(s) |
ATP (168/3 excluded) AWS, TPWS, Tripcock system |
| Coupling system | BSI |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU) train used on services between London and the Midlands.
The units were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units 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, which are 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.
The first batch of Clubman carriages ordered by Chiltern Railways were the first units to be ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK industry in 1996. They were originally delivered as 3 car sets but were later lengthened to 4 car sets. The Midland Mainline Class 170/1 were the first production Class 170 Turbostars to be constructed and are based on the experience learnt from the Class 168.
A typical Class 168 consists of 2+2 standard class seating throughout, arranged either round tables or in airline style seating with pull-down tables. The majority of seats are facing seats. The Class 168 is carpeted throughout with luggage racks, air conditioning, and two or more toilets per set (one for disabled users, with baby changing facilities). Passenger information systems are in fitted every car and on the outside of class 168/2 cars.
Three different variants of the 168 have been produced - they are 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 will obtain from First TransPennine Express will be converted to operate with the Class 168 fleet, and redesignated as Class 168/3.
Network South East (NSE) originally planned the Class 168 for their 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 Network Turbo DMU trains.
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