Class 159

The Class 159 South Western Turbo are a fleet of 30 3 car Diesel Mutiple Units in service with South Western Railway on the Romsey Rocket and West of England Main Line.

South Western Railway Class 159013 at Wokingham

History

The fleet was ordered by Regional Railways as 3 car Class 158 Express Sprinters for use by the West Yorkshire PTE however the Gulf War Econmonic Crash saw 19 sets become surplus to requirements, however Network South East needed 22 units, so Network South East and Regional Railways ahreed that the Oxford to Worcester Foregate Street secton of the North Cotsworld Line would tranfer to Network South East, with Network South East ordering an additional 6 Class 166 for thoses services. This allowed the 22 units become reduant and so Network South East took them over and sent them to Roside in Scotland for First Class fitting, retion toliets. They departed BREL for one trip as a Class 158 before they arrvied and were converted into 159s.

South West Trains swaped there fleet of 8 Class 170s with 8 3 car class 158s from Tramspennine Express and converted these to class 159/1s with the orignal units becoming 159/0s.

Fleet Details

159/0 159001-159022

159/1 159101-159008