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Class 159 South Western Turbo

Class 158s finished for Network SouthEast with first class, for the West of England line from Waterloo to Salisbury and Exeter. They run as three, six or nine cars, sometimes with SWR's 158s. The 22 Class 159/0s were finished at Rosyth before entering service; the 159/1s were converted from 158s later, and seven are in service (159102 was withdrawn after the 2021 Salisbury collision).

Class 159 South Western Turbo, indicative only

Class 159 South Western Turbo · indicative drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/159/ · CC BY 4.0

indicative drawing: some dimensions are estimated, from photographs and published figures. The 159s were built as Class 158s, so this is the Class 158's measured body (from Northern's livery artwork, at Angel Trains' 74 ft 1 in (22.57 m) car; Porterbrook gives the 159 as 72 ft 8 in (22.16 m), perhaps measured differently), in SWR's navy and silver from a photograph of 159004. The middle car is worked out from the driving car, with its doors and windows centred; the door edges are simplified. Branding left out: South Western Railway's SW/R monogram and wordmark, the bicycle symbols and the numbers. Drawn on the 158's 74 ft 1 in (22.57 m) cars, the unit comes out about 226 ft (69 m) long, where Porterbrook's 72 ft 8 in (22.16 m) cars add up to 218 ft (66.5 m). The livery's lines, the first-class door and the DMSL's navy edge from photographs of 159010, 159011, 159002 and 159012. Drawn at 10 px per metre. Download SVG · Use this drawing

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Liveries 1

South Western RailwaySWR navy and silverShown above

Former liveries 3

Network SouthEast (South Western Turbo)Former1993-06-10 to 2000-2001Not drawn yet
South West Trains express liveryFormer2000 to 2008Not drawn yet
South West Trains modified (orange doors)Former2008 to 2017Not drawn yet

Compare with other trains →

Type
Diesel multiple unit
Builder
BREL, Derby; finished as Class 159s at Rosyth Dockyard
Family
Sprinter, with Class 150 Sprinter, Class 153 Super Sprinter, Class 155 Super Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter
Built
1989–1992
In service
since 1993
Operators
South Western Railway
Formation
3 cars
Trains in fleet
29
Fleets
South Western Railway: 29
Top speed
90 mph (145 km/h)
Power
Diesel-hydraulic: a Cummins NTA855R3 engine (400 hp) with Voith transmission under each car · 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 156 Super Sprinter, Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 466 Networker
Coupled
2 × 3 cars, about 455 ft (139 m) (the units’ lengths added)
Car height
12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Car width
8 ft 10 in (2.70 m)
Seats per train
169
Total capacity
SWR: 146 standard and 23 first-class seats, 2 wheelchair spaces and 2 cycles
Status
In service: 29 units, based at Salisbury, with South Western Railway, in public ownership since 25 May 2025. A £16 million overhaul and refurbishment of SWR's 158s and 159s is under way: the first two trains had their first improvements by October 2026. SWR plans to replace the fleet 'in the longer term' (RAIL: in the mid-2030s).

Car types

CodeCarLengthDoors per side
DMCLDriving motor composite with lavatory (DMCL)72 ft 8 in22.16 m2 double
MSLMotor standard with lavatory (MSL)72 ft 8 in22.16 m2 double
DMSLDriving motor standard with lavatory (DMSL)72 ft 8 in22.16 m2 double

Sources

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Show the 21 sources from Wikimedia Commons, South Western Railway, Porterbrook Leasing and 6 more
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