British Rail Class 168
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| British Rail Class 168 "Clubman" | |
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 A Chiltern Railways "Clubman" at Kidderminster station. This unit is from the first batch. |
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| In service | 1998 - present |
| Manufacturer | ADtranz |
| Family name | 168/0,168/1,168/2:Turbostar 168/0:Networker Turbo |
| Refurbishment | Late 2007 |
| Number built | 19 trainsets |
| Formation | 3 or 4 cars per trainset |
| Operator | Chiltern Railways |
| Lines served | Chiltern Main Line, London to Aylesbury Line |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 100 mph |
| Engine | MTU 6R 183TD |
| Gauge | 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Safety systems | ATP, AWS, TPWS, Tripcock system |
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit train used by Chiltern Railways for InterCity services between London and the Midlands. They were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units was classified 168/0 under TOPS and bore a large resemblance, both visually and in terms of electrical design, to the Class 165 units previously built by BREL at York. This is because they were based on plans originally drawn up by Network SouthEast and thus can be considered to be Networker Turbos. Subsequent builds, classified 168/1 and 168/2, were given the newer style cab and a new design of wiring and thus are part of the Turbostar family of trains.
The first batch of Clubman carriages ordered by Chiltern 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 2 or 3 car sets but were later lengthened to 3 or 4 car sets.
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[edit] Network SouthEast heritage
Network SouthEast originally planned the class 168 for their expansion of service on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill/New Street. These units were planned to have a speed of 100mph and have better acceleration compared to the 165 and 166. Apart from the cab design, there are many similarities between the 168/0 and the Networkers from the lighting of the cars to the buttons opening/closing the unit doors. Original drawings show that the type of seating was to be based on the Networker style[1]. Privatisation intervened and thus there were some minor cosmetic modifications on the original plans by Chiltern Railways (former Chiltern Line managers) and 5 units were ordered in 1996.
[edit] Technical Details
The Clubman/Turbostar platform is a modular design, optimised for speedy manufacture and easy maintenance. It consists of an underframe, which is created by seam-welding a number of extrusions, upon which bodyside panels are mounted. A single piece roof, again made from extruded sections, is then bolted on. The car ends are made from GRP and steel, and are bolted on. Underframe components are collected in ‘rafts’, which are bolted into slots on the underframe extrusion.
[edit] Engine
The drive system consists of a MTU diesel railcar engine, close-coupled to a Voith T211r hydrodynamic transmission. This is the same gearbox as previously used on all Sprinter variations. It has two speeds, the first one being a torque converter drive and the second a fluid coupling. A cardan shaft links the output of the gearbox to ZF final drives on the inner bogie of each vehicle.
[edit] Safety
The most important differences between the Clubmans and Turbostars, as far as drivers are concerned, is the provision of Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment, manufactured by Alcatel, and the tripcock system for operation on tracks shared with London Underground. Additionally, the Class 168 can only be coupled to Class 165 and Class 166 DMUs, as these three DMU classes have a different pattern of electrical studs on their coupler faces, a result of British Rail’s desire to prevent the latter two DMU classes from being reused by the Regional Railways sector.[citation needed]
Reliability problems were rife at the outset, but considerable effort was made by the manufacturer ADTranz (now Bombardier Transportation) to improve their record. The Clubmans/Turbostars are now widely considered the most reliable of the third-generation short-haul DMU fleet in Britain.
[edit] Train Interior
A typical 4 car Class 168 consists of 2+2 and 2 chair seating throughout with all seats having tables. All seating in a Clubman train is standard class. Also a Class 168 is carpeted throughout; has luggage racks and coat hooks; has air conditioning; and has two toilets (one for disabled users, with baby changing facilities) in the two centre cars. It also has a designated wheelchair area and one designated car where there is no use of mobile phones and no loud talking. Passenger information boards are in every car and information boards are also displayed on the outside of some cars. The Clubman fleet has problems with its passenger information system, which is based on GPRS and GSM technology, but frequently fails to accurately find its position, resulting in misleading information being displayed to passengers. This problem is prevalent throughout the Clubman fleet.[citation needed]
The reception from passengers has been mainly positive, with the only major concern is to do with the faulty information boards. Currently the Class 168 units are being refurbished with new carpets and moquette, improved tables, and power points for phones and laptops.
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