British Rail Class 150

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 on 31st January 2004. This was the last Anglia unit to carry original Provincial livery, before it was repainted into Anglia Railways turquoise livery in March 2004.]]

The British Rail **Class 150** "Sprinter" diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by BREL from 1984-87. A total of 137 units were built in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation "Heritage" DMUs. Which were in need of replacement.

British Rail Class 150

The British Rail Class 150, also known as the Sprinter, is a class of diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train built for British Rail between 1984 and 1987. The trains were constructed by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) at its factory in York.

A total of 137 units were built in two main subclasses. They were introduced to replace older first-generation diesel units such as the British Rail Class 101 and British Rail Class 121, many of which dated from the 1950s and 1960s.

Class 150 trains were designed mainly for regional and local passenger services, and they became one of the most common DMUs operating across the United Kingdom rail network.

History

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, British Rail began a programme to modernise its regional train fleet. Many older diesel multiple units were becoming unreliable and expensive to maintain. As a result, British Rail developed a new family of trains known as the Sprinter family.

The Class 150 was the first Sprinter design to enter service, acting as a prototype for several later trains. Testing and development began in the early 1980s, and the first units were delivered in 1984.

One of the earliest demonstration runs took place during the summer of 1985, when unit 150001 was displayed at St Pancras railway station. The demonstration helped introduce the new train to railway staff and the public.

The trains quickly entered regular service across regional lines, particularly in England and Wales. Their reliability and modern design helped improve passenger services compared with the older DMUs they replaced.

Design

The Class 150 was designed as a two-car diesel multiple unit, although some formations could be coupled together to form longer trains.

Key design features include:

Car length: approximately 19.5 metres (64 ft)

Coupling system: BSI Compact coupling

Formation: usually two cars per unit

Power type: diesel hydraulic

Doors: wide passenger doors for quick boarding

The trains were built with steel bodyshells and large windows to improve passenger comfort. Their interior layout was designed for short and medium regional journeys, with both standard seating and standing space.

The Class 150 also introduced several improvements over older trains:

better acceleration for frequent stops

improved braking systems

modern driver controls

lower maintenance requirements

Subclasses

Two main subclasses of the Class 150 were built.

Class 150/0

The Class 150/0 units were the first production batch and were mainly used for testing and early operations. They were later rebuilt or modified to match the newer subclass.

Class 150/1

The Class 150/1 units formed the largest group of trains in the class. They had improved interiors and slightly updated design features compared with the earlier units.

Many Class 150/0 trains were eventually converted to match the 150/1 specification.

Operations

Class 150 trains are widely used on regional and local railway services. Over the years they have operated across large parts of England and Wales.

Today they are commonly used by operators such as:

Great Western Railway

Transport for Wales Rail

These trains usually run on short-distance routes, stopping frequently at smaller stations.

Photographs and examples

Several well-known photographs of Class 150 trains show their development and early testing.

A photograph of unit 150232 at Worle shows a typical Class 150 in service at a station platform. The train features the distinctive yellow front used on many British trains for improved visibility.

Another image shows unit 150001 during a demonstration run in 1985 at St Pancras railway station. This was one of the earliest public appearances of the new Sprinter trains.

A testing photograph from 1986 at Manton shows unit 154001 undergoing trials on the railway loop while engineers evaluated performance.

Later photographs show trains in modern liveries used by current operators.

These images illustrate the evolution of the trains from early testing through to regular passenger service.

Legacy

The Class 150 became an important part of the Sprinter train family, which also includes:

British Rail Class 153

British Rail Class 155

British Rail Class 156

British Rail Class 158

These trains helped modernise regional rail services across the UK and remained in service for decades after their introduction.

Even many years after their construction, Class 150 trains continue to operate, showing the durability of their design.

British Rail Class 150