Rolling stock › In serviceData updated
Class 153 Super Sprinter
A single-car regional diesel. ScotRail's five were converted by Brodie Engineering in Kilmarnock to carry up to 20 bikes, skis and large luggage on the West Highland line, running attached to another train. Transport for Wales runs its 153s in pairs on the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury, some of them 153/5 "Active Travel" cars with extra room for bikes.
Shown
Scale
76 ft 2 in (23.21 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
Class 153 Super Sprinter · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/153/ · CC BY 4.0
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Drawing: GB Trains, gbtrains.uk, CC BY 4.0Online, link the words to this page. The downloaded file already carries the credit; please leave it on. What the licence covers
Liveries 2
The same measured train in each livery, each drawn from a cited source. The drawing above shows the largest fleet’s.
Former liveries 10
Regional RailwaysRan as BR Regional RailwaysFormer1991 to 2008Not drawn yet
Central TrainsFormer1997 to 2007Not drawn yet
Anglia RailwaysFormer1997 to 2004Not drawn yet
Wessex Trains / Great Scenic Railways of Devon and CornwallFormer1996 to 2006Not drawn yet
First North Western blue and goldRan as First North Western / North Western TrainsFormerc2004 to 2007Not drawn yet
Arriva Trains Northern / Arriva Trains WalesFormerc2000 to 2018Not drawn yet
Greater Anglia base white with red doorsRan as National Express East Anglia / Greater AngliaFormer2012 to 2020Not drawn yet
London Midland city linesFormerc2008 to 2017Not drawn yet
East Midlands Trains / East Midlands RailwayRan as EMT/EMRFormer2007 to 2021Not drawn yet
Northern RailFormer2004 to 2018Not drawn yet
- Type
- Diesel multiple unit (single car)
- Builder
- Leyland Bus
- Family
- Sprinter, with Class 150 Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo
- Built
- 1991–1992 (converted from Class 155s built 1987–1988)
- In service
- since 1991
- Operators
- ScotRail, Transport for Wales
- Formation
- 1 car, 76 ft 2 in (23.21 m) long, run attached to another unit
- Fleets
- ScotRail: 5; Transport for Wales: 30
- Top speed
- 75 mph (121 km/h)
- Power
- Diesel · 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 150 Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo, Class 466 Networker
- Train length
- 76 ft 2 in (23.21 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
- Coupled
- 2 × 1 cars, about 152 ft (46 m) (the units’ lengths added)
- Car width
- 8 ft 10 in (2.70 m)
- Profile
- main-line
- Status
- In service with ScotRail (five cycle carriages) and Transport for Wales (Heart of Wales line).
Car types
| Code | Car | Length | Doors per side |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMSL | Driving motor standard with lavatory (DMSL) | 76 ft 2 in23.208 m | 2 single |
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 22 sources from Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, Angel Trains and 9 more
- Class 153 Angel TrainsLeyland Bus; length 76 ft 2 in (23.21 m; over the couplers, as BR's 76 ft 2 in (23,208 mm)); width 8 ft 10 in (2.70 m); 75 mph (121 km/h); single car attached to another unit; five in ScotRail operation converted for bikes and luggage
- Cycle carriages for Scotland's scenic railway (archived) ScotRail, 23 October 2019five converted by Brodie Engineering, Kilmarnock, for up to 20 bikes on the West Highland line; first due in 2020
- Identity Guidelines for Scotland's Railway, version 1.1: Rolling stock (pp. 14-36), with ScotRail's train outlines (livery sheets) and decals Transport Scotland, 2023, pp. 29-32the drawing: the Class 153 Highland Explorer outline (both sides and ends), measured; the livery, the wrap's published colours and the 150 mm margins round the doorways
- ScotRail Saltire photographs, side-on or nearly ('Abellio ScotRail class 380 "Electrostar" EMU 380014 at Largs', 2021-06-21; 'Largs - ScotRail 380020 Glasgow service', 2025-06-08; 'Eastfield - ScotRail 385014 and 385111', 2025-06-09; 'Scotrail Train at Falkirk Grahamston (47738786752)', 2019; 'British Rail Class 385s - Abellio ScotRail 385123 (3)', 2020-01-31; 'Motherwell - ScotRail 320316 Dalmuir service', 2025-06-07; 'Glasgow Queen Street - ScotRail 153377 West Highland Explorer', 2025-06-09; 'ScotRail Class 156 DMU in 2022', 2022-10-06; '318261 in saltire livery at Gourock', 2019-10-29) Wikimedia Commons (Matt Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0; Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0; Daniel from Glasgow, CC BY 2.0; Kevin.B, CC BY-SA 4.0; Coopydood, CC BY-SA 4.0; dave souza, CC BY-SA 4.0), 2019-2025the Saltire's dots: where the arrows and vignettes sit, and the dots a row and rows a field (layout and count only)
- British Rail Class 153 Wikipedia, accessed 5 October 2026check of the drawing: bogie centres 52 ft 6 in (16.0 m), height 12 ft 3 in (3.746 m); the No. 2 end's cab added in the conversion, shorter than the No. 1 end's; the layout of the underframe equipment, from its side diagram
- 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. DP248 (PDF pp. 90-91)the car's length: 74 ft 3 in (22,640 mm) over the body (the drawing scaled along the car to it), 76 ft 2 in (23,208 mm) coupled; the bogies: BT38 and P3-10, wheelbase 8 ft 6 in (2,600 mm), bogie centres 52 ft 6 in (16,000 mm; 10 ft 9 in (3,285 mm) from each end); 8 ft 10 in (2,700 mm) wide and 12 ft 3 in (3,746 mm) high over the body; the wheels as drawn (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 0 in (870-905 mm))
- 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 (view Z)the bogies' shape: the Class 150/2's BP38/BT38 drawn at 1:30 (the BT38 is common to both classes)
- The Class 150 Sprinter: 40 years on (Pip Dunn) RAIL magazine, 2024-08-23Conversion decided in 1990 and carried out by Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock in 1991–92: first vehicle, 153354, outshopped June 1991, last, 153383, November 1992
- Reality Check: Class 153 DMU (Evan Green-Hughes, Hornby Magazine HM221) Key Publishing / Hornby Magazine, 2025-11-0135 Class 155 two-car units built by Leyland Bus at Workington, later split into single-car 153s (only the free preview was readable)
- Class 153 single car railcars Railways in Worcestershire (miac.org.uk, enthusiast)Class 155s built 1987/88
- A guide to our fleet of trains: fleet accessibility specifications (V3, updated June 2026) Transport for Wales, June 2026TfW's Class 153 pairings and the Heart of Wales line (June 2026)
- '153 385 at Eastleigh Yards (4).jpg' (photograph: 153385 from the side, its No. 2-end bogie and underframe; CC BY 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Three76Five43Nine72), 4 October 2026the bogies' layout and the dark mass behind them (layout only)
- ScotRail 153 and 156 Bridge of Orchy - Rannoch.jpg (photograph: a ScotRail Class 153 leading four Class 156 cars over a viaduct, broadside) Wikimedia Commons, 11 April 2025the drawing: the cab-end arrow's dots, counted and placed on one lattice, and their relative sizes (layout only)
- '153333 parked at Chester 220324 (53604600304).jpg' (photograph: 153333 in Transport for Wales colours, side-on; CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Foulger Rail Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0), 22 March 2024the step frame under door 1 at the No. 1 end: its place and size, scaled on the door (set T11, 28 October 2026, T113; layout only)
- '155346 Hull Paragon 121024.jpg' (photograph: 155346 in Northern livery from the side, DMSL leading, cab at the left; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 12 October 2024the step frame under the cab-end passenger door on the 155 the 153 was converted from (set T11, 28 October 2026, T113; layout only)
- '153362 at Cardiff Central (side view) 2024-06-23.jpg' (photograph: 153362's No. 1 end, square-on; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Suntooooth, CC BY-SA 4.0), 23 June 2024the No. 1 end square-on: the band's heights and start, the red-edged box, the door-step edge
- '153 323 BHM.jpg' (photograph: 153323 in Transport for Wales colours at Birmingham New Street; CC0) Wikimedia Commons (Dremsbury, CC0), 18 July 2026the livery in service, 2026
- '153323+153333 at Penybont 20250302 180920.jpg' (photograph: a pair on the Heart of Wales line; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Railwayfan2005, CC BY-SA 4.0), 2 March 2025the livery in service, 2025
- '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)
- '05.10.23 Cardiff Queen Street 231011 and 153913 (53255071269).jpg' (photograph: 231011 and 153913 in Transport for Wales colours at Cardiff Queen Street; CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Phil Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0), 5 October 2023153913 beside 231011 in one frame: the Sprinter's grey reads as the FLIRT's (colour only)
- British Rail Class 153 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
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unverified
- The drawing: measured off raster images about 23 mm to the pixel, so its figures are good to about 25 mm
- The drawing's windows: the bays fitted to one pitch; the window behind the cycle symbol drawn as one long window, as the outline draws it on both sides (it may be two under the vinyl); the outline draws two window positions near the No. 2 door under the wrap on this side, and the other side differs (a window under the artwork and one under the wrap)
- The drawing's livery: the wrap's artwork simplified to its main colour masses; outlines smoothed from a raster image, and six of the colours sampled from it rather than published
- The drawing's underframe: the outline draws no equipment between the bogies, so it is laid out from the Commons diagram on Wikipedia's article (not to scale; it agrees with this drawing within about 150 mm), as boxes; the dark greys are chosen to match the other Sprinter drawings
- The drawing's wheels: 2 ft 11 in (900 mm) across, as BR's diagram of the Class 155 (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 0 in (870-905 mm), measured) and the 1:30 drawing of the Class 150/2's bogies (900) draw them, probably over the flanges; no printed wheel diameter was found
- The drawing's bogies: their shape traced from the Class 150/2's BP38/BT38 (the BT38 is common to both classes); the P3-10 powered bogie may differ in detail, and its final drive isn't drawn
- The drawing's length: the outline image is about 2.5% longer than BR's figures for its height (scaled to its width and height, which agree with BR's, its body comes out 76 ft 2 in (23,210 mm) against BR's 22,640), so it is drawn at 22.80 mm per pixel along the car and 23.37 up; BR's diagram DP248 doesn't close (3,285 + 16,000 + 3,285 mm = 22,570, against 22,640 over the body), and the bogies are drawn 52 ft 6 in (16,000 mm) apart, centred, 35 mm further from each end than the 3,285 printed
- Entry into service, 1991: when the first conversion, 153354, left Hunslet-Barclay's works (June 1991); no source records the first passenger run as a single car, which may have been early 1992
- Transport for Wales's count: its guide gives 6 (153/3 with 153/5) and 17 (153/3 with 153/9) without saying whether cars or pairs
- The bogies' drawing: the P3-10 motor bogie is drawn as the BT38 (the shared Sprinter style, traced from the Class 150's 1:30 drawing); no drawing of the P3-10 was found, and a photograph of 153385 (layout only) shows the same arrangement
- The front cab-end arrow's dots (salt3) are read from one broadside photograph at about 4 px a dot, so the dots' sizes are relative only: they fall as photographed, scaled so the largest is 120 mm, about the pitch, as on every other Saltire arrow measured (1.0-1.15 pitches); the front column at the point is partly round the cab's corner in the photograph
- Transport for Wales: the plated panels in place of the long window are from photographs: no TfW drawing of a 153 was found
- Transport for Wales: the band's ends: 153362 puts the first window and the band's start about 2 ft 7 in (0.8 m) nearer the No. 1 door than the drawing's windows are; the band is drawn round the drawing's windows
- Transport for Wales: the side-on photograph is from 2024; 153323 shows the livery unchanged in 2025 and 2026
- Transport for Wales: TfW's fleet (30 in March 2025) is larger than ScotRail's five, but this livery is partly assumed (drawn on Transport Scotland's outline), so ScotRail's stays the default
- Transport for Wales: colours: the grey is TfW's paint reference (NCS S 3000-N, the key of its Class 150 livery drawing), checked against a Class 231 in the same frame; the rest as the 158's
- 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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