British Rail Class 165
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The British Rail Class 165 "Network Turbo" diesel multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1990-92. These units are suburban trains, with an express version appearing later in the form of Class 166 "Network Express Turbo" units.
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[edit] Description
Two batches of units were built for different subdivisions of Network SouthEast (NSE). These are described below.
[edit] Class 165/0
Thirty-nine Class 165/0 units were built from 1990-91 for the Chiltern subdivisions of NSE, numbered 165001-039. Both 2-car and 3-car variants were built. Units 165001-028 were delivered as 2-car units, and were followed by eleven 3-car units numbered 165029-039. These vehicles have a top speed of 75mph.
Each unit was formed of two outer driving motors, with an additional intermediate motor in the 3-car units. The technical description of the formation is DMSL+MS+DMS. Individual carriages are numbered as follows:
- 58801-58833 and 58873-58878 - DMSL
- 55404-55414 - MS
- 58834-58866 and 58867-58872 - DMS
These units were built to replace elderly Class 115 "Heritage" DMUs, which previously operated services on the Chiltern route. Routes operated by the "Network Turbo" units included fast services from London Marylebone to Princes Risborough, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Solihull and Birmingham Snow Hill, and local services from Aylesbury to London and Princes Risbough.
Chiltern's new Turbo fleet was maintained at a new depot built at Aylesbury.
[edit] Class 165/1
Thirty-seven Class 165/1 units were built in 1992 for the Thames Line subdivision of NSE, numbered 165101-137. Like the Chiltern units, both 2-car and 3-car variants were built. Units 165101-117 were delivered as 3-car units, followed by the 2-car units 165118-137. They are re-geared for a top speed of 90mph, more suitable for mainline use.
Each unit was formed of two outer driving motors, with an additional intermediate motor in the 3-car units. The technical description of the formation is DMCL+MS+DMS. Individual carriages are numbered as follows:
- 58953-58969 and 58879-58898 - DMCL
- 55415-55431 - MS
- 58916-58932 and 58933-58952 - DMS
These units were built to replace elderly Class 101, 104, 108, 117, 119 and 121 "Heritage" DMUs, and locomotive-hauled trains on services from London Paddington along the Great Western Main Line. Their main destinations included local trains to Reading, Newbury, Bedwyn, Oxford, Banbury and Bicester, and services along the branch lines to Windsor and Eton, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow and Greenford.
[edit] Current operations
Following privatisation, the Class 165 fleet was operated by two franchises. Chiltern Railways operated the former Chiltern division, whilst Thames Trains operated the former Thames division. As the fleet are wide-bodied to take advantage of the GWR gauge, they are restricted to these lines.
[edit] Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways inherited 34 Class 165/0 units from Network South East, and the other five were transferred from Thames Trains in 2004. The subsequent arrival of new Class 168 'Clubman' units has pushed the 165s down the pecking order, and nowadays they are seldom found on expresses to Birmingham, generally working on shorter routes, such as stopping services to Aylesbury and High Wycombe.
All Chiltern units were refurbished between 2003 and 2005. Air cooling was added and the opening hopper windows replaced with sealed units. A new passenger information system similar to that on the Class 168 units was added, and the first-class section was removed; Chiltern having become a standard-class only railway in 2003.
[edit] Thames Trains / First Great Western Link / First Great Western
Thames Trains inherited the first five Class 165/0 and all the Class 165/1 units. The franchise was won by the Go-Ahead Group, who introduced a new blue, white and green livery. There were two variants of this livery; the Express livery carried by Class 166 units had full-height green swish over the doors, whereas the Class 165 units had smaller green circles over the doors.
In April 2004, operation of the Thames Trains franchise passed to the First Group, who operated the company as First Great Western Link. The livery remained the same, but FGW Link branding was applied over the obsolete Thames Trains logo.
In 2004, due to deliveries of new Class 180 "Adelante" units on sister company First Great Western, the five Class 165/0 units became redundant and were transferred to Chiltern Railways. These units have since been refurbished and are only distinguishable from the other 165/0 units by minor detail differences.
One unit, no. 165115, was withdrawn in 1999 after being destroyed in the Ladbroke Grove rail crash. One driving motor remains as a spare vehicle, the rest having been scrapped.
[edit] Fleet Details
| Class | Year Built | Cars per Unit | No. Units | Number Range | Operator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 165/0 | 1990-91 | 2 | 28 | 165001-028 | Chiltern | Units 165001-005 ex. Thames Trains. |
| 3 | 11 | 165029-039 | Chiltern | - | ||
| Class 165/1 | 1992 | 3 | 17 | 165101-117 | First Great Western | Unit 165115 withdrawn after accident. |
| 2 | 20 | 165118-137 | First Great Western | - |
