Rolling stock › In serviceData updated
Class 156 Super Sprinter
Metro-Cammell's two-car regional diesel of the late 1980s. Northern runs about 67 across the North of England, and ScotRail 42, on routes such as the West Highland lines, where the Class 153 cycle carriages run attached to them.
Shown
Scale
151 ft (46.06 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
Class 156 Super Sprinter · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/156/ · CC BY 4.0
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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 13
ProvincialRan as BR Provincial ServicesFormer1988 to c1990Not drawn yet
Regional Railways Express / AlphalineRan as BR Regional Railways (Tyseley 156401-419, 156422)Formerc1990 to 1997Not drawn yet
Strathclyde PTE orange and blackRan as Strathclyde PTE (156500-514)Former1988 to 1997Not drawn yet
SPT carmine and creamRan as SPT / ScotRailFormer1997 to 2009-11Not drawn yet
First North Western (ex-RR)Former1997 to 2004Not drawn yet
Arriva Trains Northern 'Northern Spirit'Former1997 to 2004Not drawn yet
Central TrainsFormer2003 to 2007Not drawn yet
One (National Express East Anglia)Ran as One / NXEAFormer2005 to 2012Not drawn yet
Abellio Greater Anglia base whiteFormer2012 to c2015Not drawn yet
Northern Rail (2004 angular)Former2004 to 2016Not drawn yet
Arriva Rail NorthFormer2016 to 2020Not drawn yet
East Midlands TrainsFormer2008 to 2019Not drawn yet
East Midlands RailwayEast Midlands Railway purpleFormer2019 to c2022Not drawn yet
- Type
- Diesel multiple unit
- Builder
- Metro-Cammell
- Family
- Sprinter, with Class 150 Sprinter, Class 153 Super Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo
- In service
- since 1987
- Operators
- ScotRail, Northern
- Formation
- 2 cars (DMSL-DMS), each 75 ft 7 in (23.03 m) long
- Fleets
- Northern: 67; ScotRail: 42
- Top speed
- 75 mph (121 km/h)
- Power
- Diesel: a Cummins NT855-R5 engine in each car, with Voith T211r hydraulic transmission and a Gmeinder GM190 final drive · 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 153 Super Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 159 South Western Turbo, Class 466 Networker
- Train length
- 151 ft (46.06 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
- Coupled
- 2 × 2 cars, about 302 ft (92 m) (the units’ lengths added)
- Car height
- 12 ft 6 in (3.805 m)
- Car width
- 8 ft 11 in (2.73 m)
- Profile
- main-line
- Total capacity
- As built (BR, March 1987): 163 seats, tip-up seats included (79 in the car with the toilet, 84 in the other), and one toilet. Now one universal access toilet per unit (Angel Trains).
- Status
- In service with Northern and ScotRail (2026). Northern plans to replace its 156s, with its 150s and 155s, with new trains from late 2031.
Car types
| Code | Car | Length | Weight (tare) | Doors per side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMSL | Driving motor standard with lavatory | 75 ft 7 in23.03 m | 38.6 t | 2 single |
| DMS | Driving motor standard | 75 ft 7 in23.03 m | 37.9 t | 2 single |
Weights (tare): BR's estimates for the cars as built (diagrams DP244 and DP245, March 1987).
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 23 sources from Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, Transport Scotland and 6 more
- Class 156 Angel TrainsMetro-Cammell; 75 two-car units in Angel Trains' fleet; 75 ft 7 in (23.03 m); 8 ft 11 in (2.73 m); 75 mph (121 km/h); DMSL-DMS with a universal access toilet in one vehicle; Voith T211r and Gmeinder GM190 (read 25 October 2026)
- ScotRail Wikipedia, accessed 5 October 202642 units; introduced 1987 (unverified)
- 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. 15-17, 19, 22the drawing: ScotRail's Class 156 livery sheet (a two-car unit and both end views), measured; the livery colours; the accessible and cycle decals (p. 22: Pantone 637C and 360C), their layout
- 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)
- 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. DP244, DP245 (PDF pp. 81-84)the bogies: BT38 and P3-10 (one of each), wheelbase 8 ft 6 in (2,600 mm), bogie centres 52 ft 6 in (16,000 mm; 10 ft 6 in (3,192.5 mm) from each body end); 75 ft 6 in (23,025 mm) over the couplers, 8 ft 11 in (2,730 mm) over the bodyside panels, 12 ft 6 in (3,805 mm) high; the engine (Cummins NT 855-R5) and transmission (Voith/Gmeinder); seats as built (79 and 84, tip-up seats included) and the one toilet; tare 38.6 and 37.9 t (estimated); the gangway faceplate 1 ft 1 in (320 mm) beyond each body end, so 2 ft 1 in (640 mm) between coupled bodies (set T7R); the door leaves (2 ft 8 in to 2 ft 9 in (819-845 mm) on DP244's side view, re-measured)
- 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)
- Our fleet: now and into the future (Stakeholder Conference presentation) Northern (Northern Trains Limited), November 2025, pp. 3, 6156s in Northern's fleet, November 2025; 'Train build programme(s) to replace 150/155/156/769', the first new train in service late 2031 (current plan)
- 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: 29 and 22 two-car Class 156s
- Class 156 in Northern Trains Livery (side view of a two-car unit, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (CaptureTheFrog), 21 January 2023check of the underframe's layout (tanks, engine and silencer within about 150 mm of the livery sheet's), and the silencer and exhaust pipe drawn rust-brown
- '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)
- Trains in Glasgow Queen Street station 03 and 08 (photographs: a ScotRail Class 156's cab end, near side on, and at three-quarters) Wikimedia Commons (Tbatb, CC BY-SA 4.0), 25 August 2019the drawing: the cab-end arrows' dots, counted and placed on one lattice, and their sizes (layout only); the window frames' and the door-window rubber's pale tone, sampled beside the white dots and the door (set T7R)
- 156432 Kilmarnock 260724.jpg (photograph: a ScotRail 156's DMSL at three-quarters) Wikimedia Commons, 26 July 2024the drawing: the orange line's height against the passenger door (layout only)
- Rail Recharged: Scotland's fleet transition strategy - delivering a modern fleet for a connected Scotland, chapter 1: why are we doing this? Transport Scotland, p. chapter 1the 156s on the Glasgow South Western, Maryhill, Shotts and West Highland lines, working 'in conjunction with the upgraded Class 153s'
- Passenger benefits key to Northern's lease of Class 350s Rail, 13 July 2026Northern's replacement fleet for its Class 150s, 155s and 156s, in 2031
- ScotRail 153 and 156 Bridge of Orchy - Rannoch.jpg: a Highland Explorer 153 leading a 156 over a viaduct (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Kabelleger), 11 April 2025, p. photographthe drawing (set T7R): eight door leaves (2 ft 7 in to 2 ft 11 in (782-896 mm)), two inner gaps (2 ft 1 in and 2 ft 3 in (645 and 692 mm)), the accessible and cycle decals' places, the frames' tone in sun (layout only)
- Class 156 ScotRail unit heading for Oban alongside Loch Bhe - 55288224708.jpg (photograph: a ScotRail Class 156 broadside, from far off and slightly above; CC BY 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr), 12 May 2026, p. photographthe drawing (set T7R): four door leaves (2 ft 8 in to 2 ft 10 in (808-875 mm)), the inner gap (2 ft 4 in (720 mm)), the decals' places, the whole-car check of both cars (layout only)
- 'ALT 156413.jpg' (photograph: 156413 in Northern colours at Altrincham, three-quarter from the cab end; CC0) Wikimedia Commons (UK bus Image, CC0), 6 July 2026the cab coupler: its kind, heads and heights (set BC4, 20 October 2026; layout only for photographs)
- Hugh llewelyn 156 504 (6302144963).jpg, with 156 500 (6302683208) and 156 467 (6302678616): Class 156s at Glasgow Central (photographs, CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Hugh Llewelyn, from Flickr), uploaded 9 October 2007the cab coupler: its kind, heads and heights (set BC4, 20 October 2026; layout only for photographs)
- Class 156 ScotRail unit heading for Oban alongside Loch Bhe - 55288224708.jpg (photograph: a ScotRail Class 156 broadside, from far off and slightly above; CC BY 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr), 12 May 2026the window and door-leaf window corners (set R156, 4 November 2026)
- '156487 at Hexham 020725 (54628728236).jpg' (photograph: 156487 in Northern colours at Hexham, three-quarter from the cab end; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Foulger Rail Photos, CC BY-SA 4.0), 2 July 2025the livery's layout (the blue's edge, the doors), colours checked
- '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
- British Rail Class 156 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)
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unverified
- ScotRail's fleet of 42 and the year of introduction (Wikipedia)
- The drawing: measured off a livery sheet, not an engineering drawing; scaled to Angel Trains' 75 ft 7 in (23.03 m) over the gangways (BR: 75 ft 6 in (23,025 mm) over the couplers; the width then agrees to 0.1%), its roof (12 ft 5 in (3,774 mm)) comes out 0.8% under BR's 3,805, and its bogie centres (52 ft 0 in (15,862 mm)) 0.9% short of BR's 16,000, so the bogies are drawn at BR's positions instead, 60 and 198 mm further from the cab than the sheet's
- The drawing's wheels: 2 ft 11 in (900 mm) across, as the 1:30 drawing of the Class 150/2's bogies draws them, and as on the Class 153; 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 the Classes 150/2, 155/153 and 156); the P3-10 powered bogie may differ in detail, and its final drive isn't drawn
- The drawing's DMS: drawn as the DMSL turned round, as the sheet draws both cars; the toilet's window isn't distinguished, and the underframe equipment (traced from one car) is the same on both
- The drawing's underframe colours: dark greys chosen to match the other Sprinter drawings; the sheet draws the underframe in flat grey and no paint reference was found
- The drawing's sheet dates from ScotRail's 2010 guidelines (as the placed page says); later refurbishments aren't shown
- Northern's count of about 67 is Wikipedia's (its 2020 fleet was 51; more came from East Midlands Railway in 2022-23)
- The drawing's underframe backing: the dark mass between the boxes (solebar to 2 ft 1 in (640 mm)) is drawn from photographs and the Commons diagram, not traced; the silencer's brown is chosen to match the Class 153's
- 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 cab-end arrows' dots are read from one near side-on photograph (2019); against the cab window and the cab end the drawn passenger door sits about 200 mm further forward than photographed, so the arrow is placed by the window
- Northern: the blue's edge is read on photographs at an angle (about 250 mm) and simplified
- 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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