Class 153

[Harlesden]

Obviously passengers on a longish journey expect a degree of comfort that a basic DMU could not offer. However do these units have a maximum range? Could one hypothetically cover a non-stop journey of 170-180 miles? For how long could the unit maintain its maximum speed of 75 mph assuming no line speed restrictions or danger/caution signals along the way?

 

[driver9000]

A full tank should give a range of around 1000 miles. Maintaining 75mph running on greens is no problem once it has reached that speed, they take a little while to get going though. They could have done with having uprated engines when they were converted from 155s.

 

[Harlesden]

So the following hypothetical journey would present no problems. (Intermediate stations shown only to indicate route)
London King's Cross - Peterborough - Spalding - Sleaford - Lincoln - Grimsby Town
then later in the day
Grimsby Town - Lincoln - Newark - Nottingham - Leicester - London St. Pancras

 

[MCR247]

What you thinking?

 

[driver9000]

So the following hypothetical journey would present no problems. (Intermediate stations shown only to indicate route)
London King's Cross - Peterborough - Spalding - Sleaford - Lincoln - Grimsby Town
then later in the day
Grimsby Town - Lincoln - Newark - Nottingham - Leicester - London St. Pancras

Forgetting about any route restrictions on the class I don't see any reason why such a journey would pose any problem for a 153. Their regular daily duties are often quite high in mileage terms.

 

[Eng274]

So the following hypothetical journey would present no problems. (Intermediate stations shown only to indicate route)
London King's Cross - Peterborough - Spalding - Sleaford - Lincoln - Grimsby Town
then later in the day
Grimsby Town - Lincoln - Newark - Nottingham - Leicester - London St. Pancras

Could this be the UK's most obscure Open-Access operator..?

I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the meeting where the owner of Grimsby Trains declares he/she believes Barnetby could use a direct link to London, using a sole class 153, to the investments manager at a city bank

 

[HSTEd]

Better yet... use a Class 142.... which I now have an image of tearing through Peterborough with the horn blaring......

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Better yet... use a Class 142.... which I now have an image of tearing through Peterborough with the horn blaring......

What about a class 139 lol

 

[2Dogbox]

They do some fairly long distances and intensive work around Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Fairly robust things arevthe old dogboxes!!

 

[mallard]

I've done 4 hours on a 153 over the HoWL before and it seemed reasonably comfortable. Obviously an actual Inter-City train would be better, or even just a 158.

Maybe a miniature Virgin-style "shop" could be installed in the fairly spacious luggage/parcels section that 153s contain...

 

[Schnellzug]

I've done 4 hours on a 153 over the HoWL before and it seemed reasonably comfortable. Obviously an actual Inter-City train would be better, or even just a 158.

Maybe a miniature Virgin-style "shop" could be installed in the fairly spacious luggage/parcels section that 153s contain...

I've often thought that, a small dedicated fleet of 153s, perhaps with a mini-buffet, more cycle space etc, would be a good idea for routes like the HoW, and perhaps other long cross-country routes as well. They could of coruse use them in multiple if more capacity was needed.

 

[driver9000]

Its all very well adding buffets and more cycle space but this eats into seating accomodation. There are only around 75 seats in a 153 and with the cycle space opposite the toilet there simply isn't room inside the body for adding yet more space consuming features, the added weight of a mini buffet would probably swamp the 153s 285hp engine with the weight and power drain.

 

[Schnellzug]

Its all very well adding buffets and more cycle space but this eats into seating accomodation. There are only around 75 seats in a 153 and with the cycle space opposite tge toilet there simply isn't room inside the body for adding yet more space consuming features, the added weight of a mini buffet would probably swamp the 153s engine with the weight and power drain.

i don't know, how much power would a mini-buffet (I'm just thinking something like the counter they squeezed into a corner of Mk 2 TSOs, no need for microwaves and the like, no need for a drain on power more than for a coffee machine, say). As for seating capacity, it needn't take up any more than say four seats, and not even that if they could fit it into the parcels space.

 

[driver9000]

i don't know, how much power would a mini-buffet (I'm just thinking something like the counter they squeezed into a corner of Mk 2 TSOs, no need for microwaves and the like, no need for a drain on power more than for a coffee machine, say). As for seating capacity, it needn't take up any more than say four seats, and not even that if they could fit it into the parcels space.

In that case you might as well retain the full seating and just have a trolley. Take a look at how narrow the parcels rack is, I doubt you could get a counter and room for someone to stand behind it along with any other shelves they would need without losing the toilet or having to move the exhaust pipe which is inside the luggage rack area. With such limited seating on a 153 I think it would be silly to reduce the capacity simply to add a buffet counter when a trolley could do the same job. The 153 would most likely suffer performance wise too, given how sluggish they became when the extra equipment (around 2t) was added on conversion, adding a say 1t buffet module would only worsen the performance

 

[ObservationCar]

Could this be the UK's most obscure Open-Access operator..?

I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the meeting where the owner of Grimsby Trains declares he/she believes Barnetby could use a direct link to London, using a sole class 153, to the investments manager at a city bank

Yes but to make it profitable the banker may ask to add two of these waggons to the back http://www.modelpowerdepot.co.uk/communities/3/004/008/692/333/images/4542534285.jpg

Reminds me of Daisy from Thomas the tank when she refused to pull the milk waggons

 

[Aictos]

Better yet... us

​

e a Class 142.... which I now have an image of tearing through Peterborough with the horn blaring......

Lord no, the closest they come to Peterborough is Lincoln and I prefer it to stay that way, now Sprinters on the other hand are more then welcome to blast though

 

[BestWestern]

The 155s, as the Claas 153s used to be prior to having "the chop", were the booked stock on Portsmouth - Cardiff workings prior to the introduction of the 158s. That is a journey of getting on for 3 1/2 hours, and contains a few chunks of non-stop running for periods of about 20 minutes. So there's no reason why the 153s couldn't do a similar journey if needed. In fact, if they weren't prohibited from Southampton - Portsmouth, they probably would!

 

[WelshBluebird]

The 155s, as the Claas 153s used to be prior to having "the chop", were the booked stock on Portsmouth - Cardiff workings prior to the introduction of the 158s. That is a journey of getting on for 3 1/2 hours, and contains a few chunks of non-stop running for periods of about 20 minutes. So there's no reason why the 153s couldn't do a similar journey if needed. In fact, if they weren't prohibited from Southampton - Portsmouth, they probably would!

How could a 155 (so essentially two 153's stuck together) do that line but a 153 can't? Seems a bit strange?
Or was something added / changed when they were converted to 153's that mean they no longer can do that route?

 

[Eng274]

i think i read elsewhere on this forum, that the snowploughs added to the non-cab ends fouled each other on curves less than a certain radius when joined in multiple..? Willing to be proven wrong though.

 

[driver9000]

i think i read elsewhere on this forum, that the snowploughs added to the non-cab ends fouled each other on curves less than a certain radius when joined in multiple..? Willing to be proven wrong though.

It's not a snowplough, its an obstacle deflector

There is no issue with them running in multiple with No.2 cabs together. The issue comes about when the MW jumper needs connecting, the deflector blocks the socket so needs removing before it can be used as seen when FGW created the hybrid 150/153.

 

[autotank]

The 153's seem to go very well between Swindon and Chippenham which must be 20 minutes or so of 75mph running. Much nicer to ride in than a 150, but not as good as a 156 or 158.

 

[Yew]

i think i read elsewhere on this forum, that the snowploughs added to the non-cab ends fouled each other on curves less than a certain radius when joined in multiple..? Willing to be proven wrong though.

I thought it was the ladder for the second cab that fouled some platforms?

 

[Drsatan]

I thought it was the ladder for the second cab that fouled some platforms?

Which is why they aren't allowed to operate into Portsmouth Harbour, although 155s could when they were used on Cardiff-Portsmouth trains.

 

[michael769]

Could this be the UK's most obscure Open-Access operator..?

I can see it now. "We are sorry for the late arrival of this train. This was due to some idiot in a Class 153 tootling along at 75mph in front of us".

 

[Yew]

I can see it now. "We are sorry for the late arrival of this train. This was due to some idiot in a Class 153 tootling along at 75mph in front of us".

Could we use the MTU engine that is coming out of EC's new EMT HST? and some of the IC70 seats could have a nice unit there. (albeit a very silly one)

 

[BestWestern]

I thought it was the ladder for the second cab that fouled some platforms?

Yep, I believe that's correct. It's the crew access steps which were added to the former non-cab end bogies. When we had one which, ahem, "accidentally" made it down as far as Fratton, I understand the offending steps had to be removed prior to it eventually returning back to its rightful territory!

 

[Kneedown]

In the bad old days of Central Trains i once worked a single 153 from Nott's to Norwich and back. That was a long, long day!

 

[deltic1989]

Could we use the MTU engine that is coming out of EC's new EMT HST? and some of the IC70 seats could have a nice unit there. (albeit a very silly one)

How about the Valenta engined 153 from 'Trainspotting' . Whilst the idea works in theory, I doubt it would fly commercially, I enjoy a ride on a 153 as much as the next guy (in fact i had a lovely ride on a pair from Lincoln to Nottingahm the other day) but i think Grimsby to London would take the mickey a little bit. If it was tried though maybe a few working in multipule would do the trick, but if you do that you might as well get a 159/ 3 car 158 (are these still about? were they ever? or did i imagine one? ).

 

[IanXC]

you might as well get a 159/ 3 car 158 (are these still about? were they ever? or did i imagine one? ).

Yep there are 17 original 3 car 158s, as well as a number of hybrid 3 car units operating with Northern and First Great Western. The 159s are all 3 car.

 

[WillPS]

In the bad old days of Central Trains i once worked a single 153 from Nott's to Norwich and back. That was a long, long day!

I've seen a single 153 take over from a Liverpool-Norwich 158 from Nottingham under EMT...