British Rail Class 153
In 1987 and 1988 Regional Railways took delivery of 35 two-coach Class 155 units built by Leyland Bus at its Workington factory to replace older DMUs. After the Class 155s entered service, there emerged a further requirement for the replacement of ageing railcars (mostly of Class 121 and 122) used on quieter lines. British Rail decided to meet this need by dividing each unit in the Regional Railways Class 155 fleet into two separate railcars that could then be converted for use independently, which would create a fleet of 70 vehicles. The seven further Class 155 units that had been delivered to the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) in 1989 were not included in this plan. In 1990, British Rail awarded a contract for the work to Hunslet-Barclay, and it was undertaken at the firm's Kilmarnock plant in 1991 and 1992. The Class 155 units had been numbered from 155301 to 155335 and consisted of DMSL(A) vehicles 52301 to 52335 and DMSL(B) vehicles 57301 to 57335. After separation, the DMSL(A) vehicles were given new 'unit' numbers from 153301 to 153335, while the DMSL(B) vehicles were renumbered 57351 to 57385 (incrementing each by 50) and given matching 'unit' numbers from 153351 to 153385. Because the vehicles were originally designed to have a driver's cab at one end only, it was necessary to retrofit one to the other end of each vehicle. This new cab is smaller than the original one but still encroaches into the vestibule area, as the original positions of the exterior doors were not changed during the conversion and the original space between the vestibule and the non-cab end of the vehicle was not sufficient for a cab. The difference in cab sizes is visible from the outside of the vehicle, which is distinctly unsymmetrical. The arrangement of headlights on the new cab end is also different to that on the original cab end. They are fitted with BSI automatic couplers and are able to work in tandem with other multiple units so fitted (Classes 142, 143, 144, 150, 155, 156, 158, 170, and 172). Gangway connections are provided at either end to allow passengers and staff to walk between units working in multiple. The maximum speed of was unchanged. Transport for Wales Rail has a fleet of 26 Class 153s. They are normally used on rural branch lines – such as the Heart of Wales Line from to and on local stopping services from to via – but are also used on some mainline services. One is used daily on the short Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay shuttle. Following a timetable change in December 2006, Arriva Trains Wales lost three of its then-11 Class 153 units, leaving it with eight. Two were transferred to East Midlands Trains with the other going to First Great Western. In October 2018 all eight passed with the franchise to Transport for Wales (KeolisAmey Wales), who acquired a further five from Great Western Railway in April 2019, five from Abellio Greater Anglia in December 2019, four from East Midlands Railway in January 2020 and another two from EMR in November 2020, bringing the total number now up to 24. As at February 2020, Transport for Wales was the only train operating company to have modified 153s to comply with the Equality Act 2010 which came into effect on 1 January 2020. In June 2021, the new state-owned Transport for Wales Rail purchased eight outright for continued use on the Heart of Wales line after plans to replace them with Class 170s were cancelled with the 170s to move to East Midlands Railway. The Northern Rail franchise started operations in December 2004. It inherited the fleets previously operated by Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) and First North Western (FNW), whose routes the new franchise incorporated. Northern Rail's successor Arriva Rail North at one point operated the largest fleet of Class 153 units. Northern Rail inherited a fleet of eight units from FNW, which were used on local services around Manchester and and on and to and to services. The fleet was repainted in the now obsolete North Western Trains blue and gold livery. Prior to becoming part of Northern Rail, four former FNW units were transferred to the Arriva Trains Wales franchise, since the lines operated by FNW in Wales were transferred to this new company. A larger fleet of 12 units was inherited from ATN. They are used on various local services around , and . One regular job is the to services, which see a unit stabled at Cleethorpes overnight and Sunday. Other jobs are the to via Retford and Sheffield, and the Saturday-only Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Retford. In December 2007, two units were taken off lease from Northern Rail and transferred to East Midlands Trains. In the first half of 2018, five units were transferred from Great Western Railway on a temporary basis to boost capacity until the new Class 195 units entered service; three of these then moved to Abellio ScotRail in 2019, with the remainder to follow in 2020. On 1 March 2020, Arriva Rail North's Class 153 units transferred to new operator Northern Trains. In 2019/2020, five former GWR 153s moved from Northern to Abellio ScotRail for use on the West Highland Line attached to s. The first refurbished carriage was unveiled in late 2020. The trains have also been refurbished inside providing free wifi, Plug and USB sockets and maps of the West Highland Line on the tables. The carriage also has ScotRail's Highland Explorer offer where a £10 upgrade is paid to sit in it. Due to a local agreement with driver union ASLEF, ScotRail's 153s can only be driven from the A cab and not the B cab due to the rather cramped space in the B Cab which would be unsutible for driving long distances. The 153s operate between Glasgow and Oban on the West Highland line. The first unit began service on 19 July 2021. In May 2021, Network Rail purchased three for use on infrastructure monitoring services. Regional Railways operated Class 153s on many branch lines throughout the Midlands, Wales and Northern England. They were initially allocated to Heaton (15), Cardiff Canton (9), Plymouth Laira (10), Crown Point (16) and Tyseley (20). Due to their multiple working ability, Class 153s were often seen with other classes of Sprinter units such as Class 150 and Class 156s. Class 153s were often found working services from;



The class was a common sight in Regional Railways areas. In the lead up to privatisation of British Rail, ownership of the fleet passed to Angel Trains (30) and Porterbrook (40) in April 1994. Upon privatisation, they were initially operated by Anglia Railways, Central Trains, First North Western, North Spirit and Wales & West. First Great Western took over the Wessex Trains fleet upon the merger of the two franchises. Wessex Trains had, in turn, inherited its fleet of 13 units from its predecessor, Wales & West. Units were used on local services in Cornwall, Devon, and around Bristol. They were also used on Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth, Southampton Central, and Worcester Foregate Street services, and the Swindon via Melksham to Southampton Central service. In mid-2004, Wessex Trains received a further two units from Central Trains to allow it to lengthen some services. Following the introduction of a new timetable in December 2006, four units were taken off lease and stored at Eastleigh Works. After a period in storage these four units were pressed into service with East Midlands Trains. In December 2007, First Great Western received an additional Class 153 from Arriva Trains Wales, bringing its total to 12. This unit arrived in the blue with gold star livery of former operator First North Western. For summer 2011, two London Midland Class 153s were allocated to the South West for strengthening purposes, based at Exeter TMD for the duration. This allocation was eventually made permanent as a result of London Midland keeping three Class 150 units after the new Class 172s entered service. This brought First Great Western's number of Class 153 units up to 14. Nine of those 14 units later left the fleet, with the remaining five moving to Transport for Wales in April 2019 after being displaced by internal cascading. Anglia Railways inherited a small fleet of seven units, for local services in Suffolk and Norfolk. Services operated by these units included Ipswich to Cambridge, Peterborough, Felixstowe and Lowestoft, and Norwich to Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Cromer. One set was also hired to First Great Eastern for use on the Gainsborough line. In 2004, Anglia Railways became part of the Greater Anglia franchise operated by One which was subsequently renamed National Express East Anglia. Two units left the franchise to East Midlands Trains. During 2012, Porterbrook began refurbishing the body and interiors and repainting them in base white with red doors and Greater Anglia logos. In 2014, a rolling refurbishment of Abellio Greater Anglia's Class 153s commenced, which included new interior panels, tables, carpets and lighting. All were replaced by Class 755s in late 2019. These then moved to Transport for Wales in December 2019 to cover for delays with its new rolling stock. West Midlands Trains used eight Class 153 DMUs on commuter lines in the West Midlands including the Leamington Spa to Nuneaton line and the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley. After from London Overground and s' deployment on those two lines, they were used with s and s on Birmingham-Hereford and Snow Hill Lines. All eight were inherited from Central Trains in their livery. All were repainted into London Midland city lines livery upon refurbishment at Eastleigh Works. The Class 153s that were used on the Stourbridge Town branch line have been replaced by new built lightweight railcars. This was due to take place in December 2008, but the delivery of the new units was delayed, and after several months of bustitution London Midland reintroduced diesel services from 15 March pending the completion of Class 139 testing. The Class 139 received passenger certification from Network Rail in March 2009 and the service finally began three months later. In December 2020 the final Class 153s were withdrawn from service and put into long-term storage. Before withdrawal, they mostly operated on the Birmingham-Hereford line. East Midlands Trains inherited many examples of Class 153 units, receiving six from Central Trains, three from National Express East Anglia and four former First Great Western units that had been stored at Eastleigh Works. In December 2007, East Midlands Trains received two from Arriva Trains Wales and two from Northern Rail. All passed with the East Midlands franchise to East Midlands Railway in August 2019. In January 2020, four were transferred to Transport for Wales. At one point in April 2020, only 3 EMR Class 153s were in service, following the implementation of an emergency timetable due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all others being stored out of use as surplus to requirement, with 5 going off-lease on the 1 July 2020, those being 153302, 318, 368, 372, 374 and 382. As of July 2020, 5 were in service. All of the East Midlands Trains Class 153 units were repainted into the local lines livery of the company. In July 2010, the first unit 153319 entered Neville Hill TMD for a C6 refresh programme. The work included corrosion repair, internal refresh and a cab refurbishment programme. East Midlands Railway's fleet of Class 153s were used on rural routes:




The last of the East Midlands Railway Class 153s were withdrawn in December 2021, as they were not compliant with PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) regulations, with Class 156s replacing them on the Barton-on-Humber route from 13 December. Some units have received names: When the units were first introduced, Hurst models produced a detailing kit to convert a Dapol model of a 155 into a 153.
The Class 153 has been produced in OO gauge by Hornby in Central Trains, First Northern Star, Abellio Greater Anglia, Northern Rail, Regional Railways, East Midlands Trains, London Midland City, Arriva Trains Wales and Great Scenic Railways of Devon and Cornwall (Wessex Trains) liveries. These models have been praised for their detail. Dapol have also released an N gauge version of the 153. Several 153s have also been produced for rail simulators. Making Tracks have a digital model available for the PC railway simulator Microsoft Train Simulator, whilst Just Trains had released the model for Railworks.
Operations
The class was intended for service on rural branch lines where passenger numbers do not justify longer trains, or to boost the capacity on trains with high passenger volume.