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Class 171 Turbostar
Southern's only diesel trains: Turbostars that run from London Bridge to Uckfield and on the Marshlink line between Eastbourne, Hastings and Ashford International. They were built as Class 170s. They became 171s when they were given Dellner couplers, the type the Electrostars use, so that the two kinds of train can be coupled in an emergency.
Scale
232 ft (70.85 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
Class 171 Turbostar · schematic drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/171/ · CC BY 4.0
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Liveries 1
SouthernSouthernShown aboveFormer liveries 1
East Midlands RailwayEMR (leased 171s)Ran as East Midlands RailwayFormer2022 to unknownNot drawn yet
- Type
- Diesel multiple unit
- Builder
- Adtranz / Bombardier Transportation, Derby
- Family
- Turbostar, with Class 168 Clubman, Class 170 Turbostar, Class 172 Turbostar
- Built
- 2003–2005 (171201: earlier, as a ScotRail 170/4)
- In service
- since 2003
- Operators
- Southern
- Formation
- 3 cars (171/8 and 171/2) or 2 cars (171/7)
- Trains in fleet
- 17
- Fleets
- Southern: 47 diesel vehicles: Class 171 Turbostars in two- and three-car units, between London Bridge and Uckfield and between Eastbourne and Ashford International
- Top speed
- 100 mph (161 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 168 Clubman, Class 170 Turbostar
- Train length
- 232 ft (70.85 m) (the cars’ lengths added)
- Car height
- 12 ft 4 in (3.77 m)
- Car width
- 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
- Profile
- main-line
- Walk-through
- Yes
- Air-conditioned
- Yes
- Total capacity
- Porterbrook (2013) gives per car: DMCL 9 first and 43 standard, DMSL 64, MS 74; seat totals for today's units haven't been published outside Wikipedia
- Status
- In service: 47 vehicles at 31 March 2025.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMCL | Driving motor composite with lavatory (DMCL) | 77 ft 6 in23.62 m | 2 double |
| MS | Motor standard (MS) | 77 ft 6 in23.61 m | 2 double |
| DMSL | Driving motor standard with lavatory (DMSL), in two-car 171/7s | 77 ft 6 in23.62 m | 2 double |
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 24 sources from Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, Porterbrook Leasing and 8 more
- Class 170 & 171 Diesel Multiple Unit (edition 1A) Porterbrook Leasing, September 2013, pp. PDF pp. 23-27 (brochure pp. 44-53)171/7 (10 two-car) and 171/8 (6 four-car) data sheets: car lengths, width 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m), height 12 ft 4 in (3.77 m), MTU 6R183TD13H 315 kW per car, 100 mph (161 km/h), Dellner outer couplers, two bi-parting plug doorways a side at 1/3 and 2/3, seats per car, P3-23 and T3-23 bogies, build dates; layout diagrams (plans) of each car
- Class 170 and 171 Eversholt RailClass 171 at GTR, three-car DMCL-MS-DMCL; DMCL 77 ft 5 in (23.6 m), MS 77 ft 6 in (23.61 m); 100 mph (161 km/h)
- Table 6314: rolling stock vehicles by traction type and operator Office of Rail and Road, 20 November 2025GTR's 47 diesel vehicles at 31 March 2024 and 2025
- Audio description guide: Southern 171 Turbostar trains (archived) Govia Thameslink Railwayroutes; Southern's only diesels; two sets of doors a side; first class at the ends; accessible toilet in an end car
- Classes 170 and 171 Southern Electric Group (sremg.org.uk)built as 170/7s for Govia's South Central, delivered to Selhurst from August 2003; first passengers 8 December 2003; converted to Dellner couplers and renumbered 171; 171730 was 170392
- More DMUs for Southern Rail, 29 October 2014four three-car ex-ScotRail 170s to Southern in 2015 for the Uckfield line
- TURBOSTAR - United Kingdom (project page: overview, technical data, technical drawing) Bombardier Transportation (archived copy), archived 18 February 2016Voith transmission and ZF final drives; aluminium body with bolted steel ends; sliding-plug doors
- British Rail Class 171 Wikipedia, accessed 6 October 2026today's unit numbers and the 2022 reforming
- Abellio ScotRail branding guidelines: ScotRail rolling stock exteriors Transport Scotland, 27 January 2016, p. 8the Class 170 outline the drawing uses
- Class 171 photographs (171721 at Pevensey & Westham, 171724 at Cheesemans Green, 171727 at London Bridge) Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0 and CC BY-SA 4.0; Southsea_Matt), 2014-2025Southern's colours (171 721, 171 724, 171 727)
- 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)
- Southern Class 171 811 at Rye Platform 2.jpg (photograph, 28 August 2023, CC BY-SA 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (David Wheatley), 28 August 2023the green sweep behind the first door, a cross-check
- Eastbourne - Southern 171721.jpg (photograph, 1 May 2010, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 1 May 2010the green sweep behind the first door, measured near side on
- 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)
- EMR Class 170 crossing the Carnfleet Canal 290224.jpg (photograph: EMR's two-car 170515 near side on, crossing the canal bridge by East Midlands Parkway; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke, via Flickr), 29 February 2024the join between cars, measured on a Class 170 (the same body)
- At London Bridge - 41844409541.jpg (photograph: two Southern Class 171s coupled cab to cab, side on from across the platforms; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Elsie esq., via Flickr), 1 May 2018the Dellner coupler at the cab, measured on two 171s coupled cab to cab; 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
- At London Bridge - 41844409541.jpg (photograph: two Southern Class 171s coupled cab to cab, side on from across the platforms; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Elsie esq., via Flickr), 1 May 2018the cab door's window and bar, within about 45 mm of the Class 170's (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- At London Bridge - 41844409541.jpg (photograph: two Southern Class 171s coupled cab to cab, side on from across the platforms; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Elsie esq., via Flickr), 1 May 2018the lower front fairing in the cab green, on both units (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- At London Bridge - 41844409541.jpg (photograph: two Southern Class 171s coupled cab to cab, side on from across the platforms; CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (Elsie esq., via Flickr), 1 May 2018Southern's dark green D and the band across the cab door, and the first-class band's depth, measured (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- Eastbourne - Southern 171721.jpg (photograph, 1 May 2010, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 1 May 2010the layout of the D, the first-class band and the door panels (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- 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, 2010-2024171723 at Ham Street (2010): the door panels' width and the meeting-edge gap (set T12, 28 October 2026)
- British Rail Class 171 Wikipedia, read 13 October 2026the livery's name, who ran it and its years (no colours taken)
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unverified
- Today's fleet of 17 units is from Wikipedia: four two-car 171/7s (171727-730), twelve three-car 171/8s (171801-812) and one three-car 171/2 (171201). It matches ORR's count of 47 GTR diesel vehicles, and Eversholt lists its Class 171 at GTR as three-car DMCL-MS-DMCL
- The 2022 reforming is from Wikipedia. One middle car from each four-car 171/8 (171801-806) went into a two-car 171/7 (171721-726), and those units became 171807-812; 171202, 171401 and 171402 went to EMR in September 2022 (as 170422-424), and 171201 stayed at Southern on sub-lease. GTR's guide still says 'three or four carriages'
- Build dates: Porterbrook's 2013 list dates the 171/7s from July 2003 to April 2005 and the 171/8s from May to September 2004; the Southern Electric Group says the 171/8s came in 2006
- 171201 was built earlier, as a ScotRail Class 170/4, and joined Southern in 2015 (Rail, 2014; its build date isn't in the sources read)
- The drawing: the Class 170's measured body (no 171 drawing has been published), in Southern's colours from photographs
- 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 171
- 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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