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Class 168 Clubman
Chiltern's Turbostars, branded Clubman, were the first new trains ordered after privatisation and entered service in 1998. The first five have longer driving cars than the later units, and nine two-car units were converted from TransPennine Express Class 170s.
Scale
Class 168 Clubman · indicative drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/168/ · CC BY 4.0
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Liveries 2
Chiltern RailwaysChiltern Railways (refurbished, 2024)Shown aboveChiltern silver (the 'Mainline' scheme)on the units not yet through the refurbishment that began in October 2024Being replaced: the refurbished livery (white, slate window panels, navy and pale blue bands), as each unit is refurbishedBeing replacedNot drawn yet
- Type
- Diesel multiple unit
- Builder
- Adtranz, later Bombardier Transportation
- Family
- Turbostar, with Class 170 Turbostar, Class 171 Turbostar, Class 172 Turbostar
- Built
- 1997–2006
- In service
- since 1998
- Operators
- Chiltern Railways
- Formation
- 2, 3 or 4 cars: four-car 168/0s (DMSL(W)-MSL-MS-DMSL), three- or four-car 168/1s and 168/2s, two-car 168/3s
- Trains in fleet
- 28
- Fleets
- Chiltern Railways: 28
- Top speed
- 99 mph (160 km/h)
- Power
- Diesel-hydraulic: an MTU 6R 183 TD13H engine (315 kW) with Voith transmission under each car · how it works
- Bogies
- Adtranz P3-23 and T3-23 bogies (Turbostar) · drawn with the same bogie component as Class 170 Turbostar, Class 171 Turbostar
- Car height
- 12 ft 4 in (3.77 m)
- Car width
- 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
- Profile
- main-line
- Air-conditioned
- Yes
- Total capacity
- Porterbrook (2013) gives per car: DMSL(W) 57, MSL 73, MS 77 (168/0) or 76, DMSL 68 (168/0) or 69, which adds up to 275 for a four-car 168/0 and 202 for a three-car 168/1 or 168/2. Eversholt gives 199 seats and 5 tip-up for its three three-car units. Figures after the 2024-26 refurbishment haven't been published
- Status
- In service: 28 units, 85 carriages, refurbished from October 2024 at Arriva TrainCare, Crewe. As the Chiltern Explorers take over the Birmingham trains in 2026, the 168s are moving to Chiltern's other routes, which get longer trains.
unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓
Car types
| Code | Car | Length | Doors per side |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMSLW | Driving motor standard with lavatory and wheelchair space (DMSL(W)) | 77 ft 6 in23.62 m | 2 double |
| MSL | Motor standard with lavatory (MSL), in four-car units | 77 ft 6 in23.61 m | 2 double |
| MS | Motor standard (MS) | 77 ft 6 in23.61 m | 2 double |
| DMSL | Driving motor standard with lavatory (DMSL) | 77 ft 6 in23.62 m | 2 double |
| DMSLW0 | DMSL(W) of a 168/0 (168001-005), a longer driving car | 79 ft 1 in24.10 m | 2 double |
| DMSL0 | DMSL of a 168/0 (168001-005), a longer driving car | 79 ft 1 in24.10 m | 2 double |
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 20 sources from Wikimedia Commons, Porterbrook Leasing, Chiltern Railways and 5 more
- Class 168 Diesel Multiple Unit (Issue 01 Revision A) Porterbrook Leasing, September 2013, pp. PDF pp. 5, 9, 13-21Clubman branding; vehicles introduced in batches 1997-2006; 75 ft (23 m) cars with bi-parting swing-plug doors at 1/3 and 2/3; car lengths (79 ft 1 in (24.1 m) for 168/0 driving cars, 77 ft 6 in and 77 ft 6 in (23.62 and 23.61 m) for the others), width 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m), height 12 ft 4 in (3.77 m), 100 mph (161 km/h), MTU 6R183TD13H 315 kW per car, Voith transmission, BSI couplers, seats per car, unit list and dates from 26 May 1998; layout diagrams of 168/0, 168/1 and 168/2
- Class 168 Eversholt Rail, Nonethree three-car DMSL-MS-DMSL units leased to Chiltern; 199 seats and 5 tip-up; car lengths 77 ft 6 in and 77 ft 6 in (23.62 and 23.61 m); 100 mph (161 km/h)
- TURBOSTAR - United Kingdom (project page: overview, technical data, technical drawing) Bombardier Transportation (archived copy), archived 18 February 2016Chiltern's Turbostars: 75 ft (23 m) cars, 8 ft 10 in (2,690 mm) wide, 160 km/h (99 mph)
- Chiltern Railways unveils refurbished train and reaffirms commitment to future generations of customers Chiltern Railways, 9 October 2024the first trains ordered by Chiltern as a standalone company in 1996, in service from 1998; £12m refurbishment of 85 carriages from 9 October 2024 at Arriva TrainCare, Crewe
- New trains: your new Chiltern Explorer trains have arrived Chiltern Railways, accessed 6 October 2026the Explorers free the 168s and 165s for Chiltern's other routes, with longer trains
- Class 170 & 171 Diesel Multiple Unit (edition 1A) Porterbrook Leasing, September 2013, p. 170/3 data sheetsTPE's two-car 170301-309, built in 2000
- British Rail Class 168 Wikipedia, accessed 6 October 2026today's unit list and formations; 168/3 conversion; 168329's engines
- 168216, Bicester North, May 11th 2026 Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), 2026-05-11Chiltern's silver livery on a Class 168
- Class 170 & 171 Diesel Multiple Unit (edition 1A) Porterbrook Leasing, September 2013, p. PDF pp. 6 and 26 (brochure pp. 9 and 51)the Turbostar bogies: based on British Rail series 3 designs; P3-23 (powered) and T3-23 (trailer) on the 171/8 data sheet
- Turbostar bogies in photographs: 'Hugh llewelyn 170 116 (6340231846)' (170116, 2008; CC BY-SA 2.0, Hugh Llewelyn), 'East Midlands Railway 170501' (2026; CC BY 4.0, dunsphotos) and 'Tyseley Locomotive Works Open Day 04' (170636, 2013; CC BY-SA 2.0, The Basingstoker) Wikimedia Commons, 2008-2026layout of the drawing's bogies, and of the cab-door steps under each cab door (170501's; photographs, layout only)
- Turbostar cab ends in photographs: 'Arriva CrossCountry Class 170 170523 (28081491057).jpg' (2018; CC BY 2.0, Kat's Transport Photography), 'Southern Railway 171 723 at Ham Street - July 2010.jpg' (2010; CC BY 2.0, Boxley) and 'Class 168 168002 Chiltern Railways Warwick Parkway 26-06-2024.jpg' (2024; CC BY-SA 2.0, cvtperson) Wikimedia Commons, 2010-2024the cab-door steps: silver upper tread under a dark recess, carried by the cab fairing (photographs, layout only; cross-check)
- 168112 parked up at Aylesbury 1-4 Sidings 25 10 25 (54884396785).jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Foulger Rail Photos), 25 October 2025the same scheme on a Turbostar-bodied 168/1 (overcast colours)
- 168002, Bicester North, May 11th 2026.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Southsea_Matt), 11 May 2026the same, a second photograph (heights)
- Class 168 168002 Chiltern Railways Warwick Parkway 26-06-2024.jpg (photograph, CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (cvtperson), 26 June 2024the window band's grey, the teal and navy stripes and the orange cantrail line: colours and heights
- Class 170 Turbostar side diagrams found online (Bachmann Branchline's ScotRail three-car artwork; Northern three-car, Greater Anglia two-car and EMR Regional three-car side diagrams) various (found online by Kyle, 13 October 2026; kept as design/reviews/2026-10-13/kyle-CA170-2 to -5), 2026the cab front's shape from the nose to the roof dome (set CA170R; layout only)
- 168112 Passes West Hampstead.jpg (photograph: a three-car 168/1, three-quarter from the front; CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (TheJRB, via Flickr), 18 September 2013the dark bellows between the cars (layout only); the cab door's window bar (set T10, Kyle, 27 October 2026)
- Lincoln - EMR 170505 Crewe service.JPG (photograph: a two-car 170/5 across the tracks, underframe in view) Wikimedia Commons, 4 September 2026layout of the underframe equipment (the cases, tanks and their tones; layout only): as the Class 170's, shared
- 'Caerdydd Canolog - CrossCountry 170113+170117.JPG' (photograph: two CrossCountry 170s at Cardiff Central, side-on, cab to cab: 170113 in the new red livery, 170117 in the plum and silver; CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0), 29 December 2025the cab's BSI coupler: its face about 215 mm ahead of the nose, two units' noses about 1 ft 5 in (430 mm) apart (set BC5, 20 October 2026; layout only)
- Two Class 168/1-3s side on in Chiltern's silver livery (photograph supplied by Kyle for set C168F, 27 October 2026; Alamy) Alamy (supplied by Kyle), supplied 27 October 2026the cab door's window, read on both cab doors (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- 168112 Passes West Hampstead.jpg (photograph: a three-car 168/1, three-quarter from the front; CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (TheJRB, via Flickr), 18 September 2013the cab door's window bar, about 54% down the window (set T12, 28 October 2026)
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unverified
- The fleet of 28 units is Wikipedia's: five four-car 168/0s (168001-005), eight 168/1s (168106-113; 106 and 107 have four cars, the rest three), six 168/2s (168214-219; 215-217 have four cars) and nine two-car 168/3s (168321-329). Porterbrook's 2013 list and Eversholt's three three-car units agree for the 168/0 to 168/2, and the total matches Chiltern's 85 carriages (2024)
- The 168/3s: converted for Chiltern in 2015-16 from TransPennine Express Class 170/3s (Wikipedia). Porterbrook lists TPE's 170301-309, built in 2000. 168329 has MTU 6H 1800 R76 engines since its HybridFlex trial in 2022 (Wikipedia)
- 168/3 car length: taken as the Class 170's 77 ft 6 in (23.62 m), not checked for these units
- Unit formations after the 2024-26 refurbishment have not been checked against a Chiltern source
- Bogie types: P3-23 and T3-23 are Wikipedia's; Porterbrook's 2013 Class 170 & 171 brochure names them for the 171/8 and calls the Turbostar's bogies British Rail series 3 designs. The 168/0's (built 1997-98) weren't checked separately
- Car lengths (set W13JF, 13 October 2026): the bodies are Bombardier's 75 ft 6 in (23,000 mm; a rounded figure) and its drawing's proportions, read to about 1%; the Carnfleet photograph and Bachmann's artwork read 1-2% shorter still (74 ft 6 in to 74 ft 10 in (22.7-22.8 m)). Porterbrook's 77 ft 6 in (23.62 m) is taken to be over couplers
- The underframe's layout: the Class 170's, not checked on a 168
- 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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