British Rail Class 168
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| British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
|---|---|
 Chiltern Railways Class 168/0 at Birmingham Moor Street | |
 Post 2008 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 2024–present |
| Number built | 19 (plus 9 converted from Cl. 170/3) |
| Formation |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Owners | |
| Operators | Chiltern Railways |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Welded aluminium, with steel body ends |
| Car length |
|
| 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 |
|
| Displacement |
|
| Power output | 315 kW (422 hp) per engine |
| Transmission |
|
| Acceleration | 0.5 m/s (1.1 mph/s) |
| Bogies |
|
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI |
| Multiple working | Within class, and with Class 165 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
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.
History
Network SouthEast originally planned the Class 168 for its 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 Networker Turbo DMU trains. In the event, privatisation intervened before Network SouthEast acquired any trains.
In September 1996, Chiltern Railways ordered four trains from Adtranz at a cost of £34 million, first units ordered by any train operating company since the privatisation of the UK rail industry. These Clubman 168/0 trains 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.
In 2023, Chiltern announced the refurbishment of the entire class 168 fleet, costing £10.7 million. The units are receiving new carpets, reupholstered seats, 5G Wi-Fi & charging points, as well as a new revised livery. The first unit to be refurbished was unveiled on 10 October 2024.
Variants
Three different variants of the 168 were produced - 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 obtained from First TransPennine Express were converted by Brush Traction to operate with the Class 168 fleet, and redesignated as Class 168/3. 168329 has been converted by Porterbrook into a diesel/battery hybrid. It was tested in 2021 on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and entered service as "HybridFlex" in February 2022.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | Qty. | Year built | Cars per unit | Unit numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 168/0 | Chiltern Railways | 5 | 1998 | 4 | 168001–168005 |
| 168/1 | 2 | 2000 | 168106–168107 | ||
| 6 | 3 | 168108–168113 | |||
| 168/2 | 3 | 2004 | 168214, 168218–168219 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 168215–168217 | |||
| 168/3 |
8 | 2000 | 2 | 168321–168328 | |
| 1 | 168329 ("HybridFlex" demonstrator) |
Named units
The following units been named:
- 168001 Adrian Shooter
- 168215 Marylebone Station 125 Years
| British Rail Class 168 Clubman | |
|---|---|
Chiltern Railways Class 168/0 at Birmingham Moor Street | |
Post 2008 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 2024–present |
| Number built | 19 (plus 9 converted from Cl. 170/3) |
| Formation |
|
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Capacity |
|
| Owners | |
| Operators | Chiltern Railways |
| Lines served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Welded aluminium, with steel body ends |
| Car length |
|
| 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 |
|
| Displacement |
|
| Power output | 315 kW (422 hp) per engine |
| Transmission |
|
| Acceleration | 0.5 m/s (1.1 mph/s) |
| Bogies |
|
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic (disc) |
| Safety system(s) | |
| Coupling system | BSI |
| Multiple working | Within class, and with Class 165 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Last updated 24 June 2025. All information and images sourced from the relevant Wikipedia article(s) unless stated otherwise. If any information is incorrect, please let us know by emailing us: [email protected]. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms apply.