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Class 150 Sprinter
A two-car regional diesel of British Rail's Sprinter family. Northern runs most of them, about 74 units, across the North of England; GWR's and Transport for Wales's are Class 150/2s, TfW's on the Valley Lines around Cardiff, Cardiff to Cheltenham and west Wales until its new trains replace them; LNR has three Class 150/1s on the Marston Vale line between Bletchley and Bedford, in service since November 2023. Two three-car prototypes, the Class 150/0s, came first in 1984. They were followed by 50 two-car 150/1s (ordered in February 1984) with flat cab fronts, and 85 two-car 150/2s (ordered in January 1985) with a gangway in the front, so that coupled units could be walked through.
Shown
Scale
132 ft (40.12 m) over the outer ends
Class 150 Sprinter · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/150/ · CC BY 4.0
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Liveries 4
The same measured train in each livery, each drawn from a cited source. The drawing above shows the largest fleet’s.
Former liveries 13
BR blue and grey (prototypes)Ran as British RailFormer1984 to c1986Not drawn yet
ProvincialRan as BR Provincial ServicesFormer1986 to c1990Not drawn yet
Regional RailwaysRan as BR Regional RailwaysFormerc1990 to 1997-98Not drawn yet
Northern Spirit / Arriva Trains NorthernRan as Northern Spirit then Arriva Trains NorthernFormer1996-97 to 2004Not drawn yet
First North Western (blue and gold)Ran as First North Western / North Western TrainsFormer1997 to 2004Not drawn yet
Central Trains / CentroFormer1997 to 2007Not drawn yet
Silverlink (County / Metro)Ran as Silverlink; London Overground (150/1 on Gospel Oak-Barking, 2007-2010)Formerc2000 to c2010Not drawn yet
Wessex Trains / Wales & WestRan as Wessex Trains; Wales & WestFormer1996 to 2006Not drawn yet
Arriva Trains WalesFormer2003 to 2018Not drawn yet
Northern RailFormer2004 to 2016Not drawn yet
First Great Western lilac and blueFormer2007 to 2015Not drawn yet
London MidlandFormer2007 to 2017Not drawn yet
Arriva Rail NorthFormer2016 to 2020Not drawn yet
- Type
- Diesel multiple unit
- Builder
- BREL
- Family
- Sprinter, with Class 153 Super Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo
- Built
- 1984–1987
- In service
- since 1984
- Operators
- GWR, LNR, Transport for Wales, Northern
- Formation
- 2 or 3 cars
- Fleets
- Great Western Railway: 20; London Northwestern Railway: 3; Northern: 74; Transport for Wales: 19
- Top speed
- 75 mph (121 km/h)
- Power
- Diesel: a Cummins NT855-R5 engine under each car, Voith T211r hydraulic transmission · how it works
- Bogies
- Sprinter and Networker family bogies, outside-framed and air-sprung, drawn from the Class 150's BP38/BT38 · drawn with the same bogie component as Class 153 Super Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo, Class 466 Networker
- Train length
- 132 ft (40.12 m)
- Coupled
- 2 × 2 cars, about 263 ft (80 m) (the units’ lengths added)
- Car height
- 12 ft 5 in (3.774 m)
- Car width
- 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
- Profile
- main-line
- Seats per train
- 107, with four or six tip-up seats besides (Transport for Wales, 2026); 149 in a 150/2 as built (73 and 76, British Rail, 1986)
- Total capacity
- London Northwestern Railway: 173 passengers per unit (2023). Transport for Wales: two wheelchair spaces, one universal accessible toilet and four cycle spaces (2026)
- Status
- In service with Northern, Transport for Wales, GWR and London Northwestern Railway (2026). Northern plans to replace its 150s from 2031; Transport for Wales's are being replaced by its new trains, and its withdrawn units have been going for scrap at Newport since August 2024; GWR's Class 175s, in service in Devon and Cornwall since December 2025, are to take over the Cornish main line from its 150s and 158s, and some of its 150s could then be withdrawn (2025).
Car types
| Code | Car | Length | Doors per side |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMSL | Driving motor standard with lavatory | 64 ft 9 in19.74 m | 2 double |
| DMS | Driving motor standard | 64 ft 9 in19.74 m | 2 double |
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 43 sources from Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, London Northwestern Railway and 13 more
- Class 150 Angel TrainsAngel Trains' own fleet (2 three-car 150/0s, 50 two-car 150/1s and 20 two-car 150/2s, not one operator's); builder, car length 64 ft 9 in (19.74 m), width 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m), 75 mph (121 km/h), Voith T211r hydraulic transmission with a Gmeinder GM180 final drive (read 20 October 2026); the 150/0s three-car (summary)
- Great Western Railway (train operating company) WikipediaGWR's fleet
- Livery unveiled for Bedford – Bletchley replacement trains RailAdvent, 16 June 2023LNR's three units, 150137, 150139 and 150141
- Marston Vale Line: train services to resume on Monday 20 November London Northwestern Railway, 10 November 2023first LNR passenger service 20 November 2023; 173 passengers per unit
- Livery diagram, Class 150/2 DMSL and DMS (drawing CR-C0-2304221, issue A, 26 May 2020) Angel Trains / Porterbrook; released by Northern Trains under FOI (FOI103, 'Northern Trains livery plans'), 9 March 2021, p. 1 (views Z and Y)side elevation of the DMSL and DMS (measured); the BP38/BT38 bogies at 1:30 (traced)
- British Rail Class 150 Wikipedia, accessed 2 October 2026bogie centres 46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) and wheelbase 8 ft 6 in (2.60 m; scale checks for the drawing)
- Class 150/2, Great Western Railway, at Cam & Dursley (photograph of 150232, CC BY-SA 4.0) Superalbs, via Wikimedia CommonsGWR livery of the drawing: green doors, silver and green lines, yellow front, plough; the coupler and drawgear behind the plough
- GWR Class 802 photographs (802001, 802018, 802101, 802108) Wikimedia Commons (Alex Noble CC0; Foulger Rail Photos CC BY-SA 2.0; Geof Sheppard CC BY-SA 4.0), 2017-2025GWR green, orange and silver of the drawing (as sampled for the Class 802)
- Vehicle Diagram Book No. 220 for Diesel Multiple Unit Trains (Railcars), with the Class 150/2 (DP242, DP243; October 1986), Class 156 (DP244, DP245; March 1987) and Class 155 (DP248, DP249; September 1988) diagrams British Railways Board, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Department (PDF copy by J. D. Faulkner, 2010, from the book lent by L. Anton; copyright BRB Residuary Ltd), 1982, revised to March 1989, pp. DP242, DP243 (PDF pp. 78-80), DP248 (pp. 90-91)the bogies: BP38 and BT38, bogie centres 46 ft 6 in (14,170 mm), 8 ft 6 in (2,580 mm) from each headstock (205.5 mm inside the body end), as DP242 and DP243 print them; the wheelbase, 8 ft 6 in (2,600 mm), as DP248 prints it for the Class 155's BT38; the cab-end coupler: BSI automatic, its heights (end view, measured); 64 ft 9 in (19,740.5 mm) over the body, 63 ft 5 in (19,330 mm) over the headstocks, 65 ft 10 in (20,060 mm) overall, so a two-car unit is 132 ft (40.12 m) over its outer ends; the height, 12 ft 5 in (3,774 mm; DP242, DP243); seats as built, 73 with a toilet (DP242, DMS(A)) and 76 (DP243, DMS(B)), 149 a unit; the engine, a Cummins NT855-R5, and the transmission, Voith/Gmeinder (DP242's data page, PDF p. 79)
- Vehicle Diagram Book No. 220 for Diesel Multiple Unit Trains (Railcars), with the Class 150/2 (DP242, DP243; October 1986), Class 156 (DP244, DP245; March 1987) and Class 155 (DP248, DP249; September 1988) diagrams British Railways Board, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Department (PDF copy by J. D. Faulkner, 2010, from the book lent by L. Anton; copyright BRB Residuary Ltd), 1982, revised to March 1989, pp. DP238, DP242the 150/1's flat cab front without a gangway (DP238) and the 150/2's gangwayed front (DP242) (summary)
- The Class 150 Sprinter: 40 years on (Pip Dunn) RAIL magazine, 2024-08-23Prototype 150001 handed over by BREL on 8 June 1984 and in passenger use on the Matlock branch from 19 November 1984; the sub-classes: the two three-car 150/0 prototypes, 50 two-car 150/1s ordered on 10 February 1984 and 85 two-car gangwayed 150/2s ordered on 15 January 1985 (summary)
- Our fleet: now and into the future (Stakeholder Conference presentation) Northern (Northern Trains Limited), November 2025Classes 150/0, 150/1 and 150/2 in Northern's fleet, November 2025
- Passenger benefits key to Northern's lease of Class 350s Rail, 13 July 2026Northern to replace its 150s, 155s and 156s from 2031
- GWR confirms Class 175s will enter service this year (Pip Dunn) RAIL magazine, 2025-03-11GWR's Class 175s to replace its HST sets and its 150s and 158s on the Cornish main line, the whole fleet operational by the end of 2026; some 150s could be withdrawn
- Porterbrook owed £750,000 by failed scrapyard owners RAIL, 7 January 2026Transport for Wales's withdrawn 150s sent for scrap at Newport from August 2024 (status)
- 175 problems lead to GWR temporarily reducing Devon and Cornwall timetable RAIL, 7 September 2026GWR's Class 175s in service since December 2025 (status)
- DfT OLR Holdings Limited and Northern Trains Limited 2022: services contract (public register copy, version 1.1x) Department for Transport, 24 February 2022, pp. 145-146Northern's 2020 fleet: 67 and 11 two-car Class 150s
- A guide to our fleet of trains: fleet accessibility specifications (V3, updated June 2026) Transport for Wales, June 2026, pp. 8-11TfW's 19 two-car Class 150s and their routes (June 2026); 107 seats and four or six tip-up seats, two wheelchair spaces, one universal accessible toilet, four cycle spaces
- Table 2B: Rolling Stock Minimum Requirements and Specifications, Sprinter / Rural Service Type (Wales and Borders contract, schedule 1.6; redacted) Transport for WalesTfW's Class 150/2s
- 'GWR 150248 (52248) bogie detail.JPG' (photograph: the leading bogie of car 52248, a BP38 or BT38; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard)a cross-check of the traced bogie (layout only); the crew-step ladder under the cab door: its width, bars and place (set T11, 28 October 2026, T113; layout only)
- London Northwestern Railway honours Bedford's bell-ringing heritage with train name London Northwestern Railway (press release, West Midlands Trains newsroom), 27 July 2026LNR's 150s in service on the Marston Vale line in 2026 (150139 named, 27 July 2026)
- Dawlish Warren - GWR 150244+150247 departing for Paignton.JPG (photograph, Geof Sheppard, 4 May 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 4 May 2024the cab coupler: its kind, heads and heights (set BC4, 20 October 2026; layout only for photographs); the crew-step ladder under the cab door, seen (set T11, 28 October 2026, T113)
- Arriva Trains Wales Class 150(229) and 153(303).jpg: 150229 arriving at Wellington, Shropshire (photograph, CC BY-SA 3.0) Wikimedia Commons (Kylelol123), 12 June 2011the cab coupler: its kind, heads and heights (set BC4, 20 October 2026; layout only for photographs)
- 'Class 150 Sprinter DMU - Transport for Wales 150256.jpg' (photograph: 150256 in Transport for Wales colours in the Valleys, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Samson Ng, CC BY-SA 4.0), 26 May 2025, p. photographthe cab side window's place, rectified on doors 1-2: within about 25-50 mm of the drawing (set T11)
- 'Cyffordd Twnnel Hafren - TfW 150278 trên i Cheltenham.JPG' (photograph: 150278 in Transport for Wales colours at Severn Tunnel Junction; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0), 25 April 2025the layout on both cars of a second unit
- 'Class 158 Express Sprinter DMU (158829) - 54647698159.jpg' (photograph: 158829 in Transport for Wales colours on the North Wales coast, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Samson Ng, CC BY-SA 4.0), 29 May 2025TfW's colours, as sampled for the Class 158
- Class 150 Transport for Wales Livery Concept C, Option 1, DG8-SK-92444 Issue B Transport for Wales Rail Ltd (released under FOI: 'Livery designs for current rolling stock'), 21 November 2018 (released 11 August 2021), p. 1the grey's paint reference, NCS S 3000-N (TfW's red and grey scheme)
- 'Compare and contrast Pontypridd, south Wales (53899790340).jpg' (photograph: 231009 and 150280 in Transport for Wales colours at Pontypridd; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Jeremy Segrott, CC BY 2.0), 29 July 2024150280 beside 231009 in one frame: the Sprinter's grey reads as the FLIRT's (colour only)
- '158838+153972 at Grangetown, Cardiff (51877980750).jpg' (photograph: 158838 at Grangetown, 150253 across the platform; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Jeremy Segrott, CC BY 2.0), 12 February 2022150253 and 158838 in one frame: the same grey (colour only)
- 'HAL 150210.jpg' (photograph: 150210 in Northern colours at Hale, three-quarter from the cab end; CC0) Wikimedia Commons (UK bus Image, CC0), 7 July 2026the livery's layout (the blue's edge, the doors, the plough), colours checked; the blue's edge re-read rectified on its two passenger doors (set T11, 28 October 2026, T112)
- 'Class 150 at Leeds Station platform 2b.jpg' (photograph: 150201 in Northern colours, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (EmmanuelK314159, CC BY-SA 4.0), 22 February 2026the layout on a second unit
- 'Class 158 Express Sprinter DMU - Northern 158758.jpg' (photograph: a three-car Northern 158 near Leeds, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Samson Ng, CC BY-SA 4.0), 22 July 2025Northern's colours, as for the Class 158
- Livery for Class 150 (London Northwestern Railway's side elevation of a Class 150/1 for the Marston Vale line, both cars) London Northwestern Railway (credited 'LNWR'), published by RailAdvent with 'Livery unveiled for Bedford - Bletchley replacement trains', 16 June 2023the 150/1's side as LNR drew it: the front's place, the cab side window, the crew door, the toilet window; the livery's layout (scaled on its bogie centres; layout only); the large W's strokes, read off its pixels (set T11, 28 October 2026, T115)
- '150139 at Bletchley.jpg' (photograph: 150139 in LNR colours at Bletchley, three-quarter from the cab end; CC0) Wikimedia Commons (Myaj47, CC0), 30 July 2024the livery in service: the dark green cab end and its slanted edge, the doors, the orange line, the yellow front and its green band, the plough (layout and colour)
- 'LNWR Class 150 at Bedford.jpg' (photograph: 150139 in LNR colours at Bedford, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Vanmanyo, CC BY 4.0), 25 March 2024colours in overcast light: the dark green (front, head-on), the roof, the grey (in shade)
- 'Class 150 Sprinter DMU - London Northwestern Railway 150141 (55110710227).jpg' (photograph: 150141, both cars, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Samson Ng, CC BY-SA 4.0), 13 April 2025the livery on both cars of a second unit: the inner ends' mint band, pale wedge and dark green block; the large W across the two middle windows of each car (set T11, 28 October 2026, T115)
- British Rail Class 150 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- Regional Railways Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- British Rail Class 153 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- Arriva Trains Wales Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- British Rail Class 156 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- British Rail Class 158 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
- Northern Trains Wikipedia, accessed 7 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
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unverified
- GWR's count of 20 two-car units (Wikipedia only; Angel Trains' 20 Class 150/2s are Angel's own fleet, not GWR's)
- The drawing shows a Class 150/2, and LNR's livery a 150/1: its flat front's place (180 mm) is BR's and LNR's drawings within 25 mm, the roof end's overhang (60 mm) and the cab side window (3 ft 4 in to 4 ft 11 in (1,005-1,492 mm)) LNR's drawing's, a layout only; the rest of the body is the 150/2's (BR's 150/1 and 150/2 diagrams agree behind the cab)
- Which car shows the blank toilet panel on which side: the source's key is ambiguous; drawn as the DMSL (blank) and DMS (window) that both drawings show on one side of a unit
- The drawing's wheels: 2 ft 11 in (900 mm) across, as the 1:30 drawing draws them (probably over the flanges); BR's diagram DP242 prints no diameter and draws them about 3 ft 0 in to 3 ft 2 in (920-960 mm)
- The drawing's bogies: the BP38 and BT38 drawn alike, as the 1:30 drawing draws all four of the unit's bogies; neither it nor BR's diagrams show which is the powered one, and the BP38's final drive isn't drawn
- The wheelbase: 8 ft 6 in (2,600 mm), which BR's DP242 doesn't print; BR prints it for the BT38 under the Class 155 (DP248), Wikipedia gives 8 ft 6 in (2.60 m), and the 1:30 drawing measures 2,600
- The cab end's body line: BR's 64 ft 9 in (19,740.5 mm) over the body is 30-40 mm more than the drawing's 19,700-19,710 from the cab corner to the inner end; with the bogies placed from the inner end, BR's cab-end body end falls about 40 mm ahead of the cab corner (the drawing's roof dome overhangs it by 60 mm), so the coupler face, placed 160 mm ahead of the cab corner, may be up to 40 mm too far back
- The silver line's height and the yellow front's edge are placed from photographs (about ±60 mm)
- Colours: sampled from photographs; no paint reference has been published
- The cab-end coupler and drawgear: the 1:30 drawing's side view leaves them out; drawn at the heights BR's 1986 end view of the 150/2 gives, with the coupling plane from its overall length and the rest estimated
- Entry into service, 1984: the prototype 150001 carrying passengers on the Matlock branch (one source, RAIL); the production units followed from 1985
- Northern's fleet of about 74 (66 two-car and 8 three-car) is Wikipedia's
- Transport for Wales: the window panels' ends (about 150 mm) and heights (about 50 mm) are measured on one rectified photograph; colours as the 158's, except the grey, which is TfW's paint reference (NCS S 3000-N), checked against a Class 231 and a 158 in the same frames
- Transport for Wales: TfW's 150s are being replaced by new trains (the fleet entry); 19 were listed in 2026
- Northern: the blue's edge is read on one photograph (150210), rectified on its two passenger doors, +/-100 mm; above about 9 ft 2 in (2.8 m) the bodyside's tumblehome may add about 100 mm
- Northern: Northern runs 150/1s (no front gangway) and three-car sets too; the drawing is a two-car 150/2
- London Northwestern: the 150/1's front (180 mm), roof-end overhang (60 mm) and cab side window: BR's diagrams and LNR's drawing agree to about 25 mm on the front, less well on the overhang (30-100 mm) and the window's front edge (about 80 mm); no near side-on photograph of a 150/1's cab end was found
- London Northwestern: the livery's edges are laid out from LNR's drawing (about 17 mm a pixel) and checked by eye on three-quarter photographs, not measured on them; the yellow steps at the passenger doors' feet are left out, as on the other 150 liveries
- London Northwestern: the DMSL's toilet window on this side: LNR's drawing and BR's DP238 show it; the 150/2 drawing (Angel Trains) shows a blank panel there; its heights are LNR's drawing's
- London Northwestern: colours: the dark green and roof from photographs, the grey, mint and pale green from LNR's drawing (no paint reference has been published)
- The years of the former liveries come from Wikipedia's class article and the other sources listed, and haven't been checked against a second source.
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