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British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
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![]() Chiltern Railways Class 168/0 at Birmingham Moor Street | |
![]() Refurbished Class 168/0 saloon | |
In service | 20 May 1998 – present |
Manufacturer | |
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 |
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Fleet numbers |
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Capacity |
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Owners | |
Operators | Chiltern Railways |
Lines served | |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Welded aluminium, with steel body ends[6] |
Car length |
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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) | |
Engine type |
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Displacement |
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Power output | 315 kW (422 hp) per engine[10][9] |
Transmission | |
Acceleration | 0.5 m/s2 (1.1 mph/s)[4] |
Bogies |
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Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
Safety system(s) | |
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 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.
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.
The first batch of Clubman 168/0 carriages ordered by Chiltern Railways were the first units ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK industry in 1996. They 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.[16]
In 2023, Chiltern announced the refurbishment of the entire class 168 fleet, costing £10.7 million. The units, over the next few years, will receive new carpets, reupholstered seats, 5G Wi-Fi & charging points, as well as a new revised livery.[17] The first unit to receive the improvements will be 168003.