#4884
British Rail Class 159
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail Engineering Limited· from 1993· Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Unit Train.
7 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. New SWR livery variation: Adam Bryant· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Exeter St Davids - SWT 159001 City of Exeter: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. 159006 at Waterloo: train_photos· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 4. Basingstoke and Deane 159004 at Exeter St Davids: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5. City of Exeter 159004: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6. City of Salisbury 159002: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7. 159003 to Brighton - 14683993838: train_photos· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 159 is a class of diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger trains of the Sprinter grouping, built in 1989–1992 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)'s Derby Litchurch Lane Works as Class 158. Before entering traffic, the original 22 units were modified at Rosyth Dockyard to Class 159 to operate services on the West of England Main Line, replacing various locomotive-hauled passenger trains. The units were originally branded by Network SouthEast as South Western Turbo.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 33 years ago, in 1993.
- Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- 895 kW is about 11 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 22.6 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Seats 169: 3 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Still in service after 33 years.
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1993
- in service from
- 1993
- status
- in service
- number built
- 22
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail Engineering Limited
- operators
- South Western Railway
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- 895 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2′B′+B′2′+B′2′
- formation
- 3 cars per unit: DMCL, Driver's cab, Motor car, Composite (first- and standard-class seating (open saloon), Lavatory-MS…
- length
- 22.6 m
- weight
- 38.5 t
- capacity
- 169 passengers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q729316, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 159 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.