Transport for WalesClass 150 fleet150208 52208 57208 150 242 (Peter Dickinson) 150 256 (Ken Robinson) 150 229 (Eddie Knorn) |
150 241 at Betws-y-Coed (Garry Stroud)Technical Specification | Operations | Livery | Historical NotesA 2-car Class 150 diesel railcar set comprises two steel-bodied driving motor cars, each 19.74 metres long, built in 1986-87 by the York works of BREL to a design based on the Mk3 hauled coach bodyshell. One vehicle of each pair, the 52xxx vehicle, has a toilet compartment at its inner end. The oldest series, Class 150/1, have no gangway connections in the cab ends, and hand-operated crew doors, whereas the later 150/2 series have corridor connections and powered doors for the crew. All TfW units are 150/2s. Each car has one Cummins NT855R5 diesel engine of 213 kW (285 HP) driving both axles of the bogie at the non-driving end through a Voith hydraulic transmission and Gmeinder final drives, identical to the drive equipment of Class 153 and 156. Maximum speed is 75 mph. Air suspension units are provided for each bogie, the three-step air-operated brakes have a variable load feature, and public address equipment is fitted. Class 150 units have BSI (Bergische Stahl Industrie) outer couplers, and can work in multiple with Classes 142, 150, 153 and 158. There were 85 two-car 150/2 units built; three coaches have been withdrawn due to accident damage. Other users still using the type in 2021 are Northern - whose trains can be seen at Chester - and Great Western. OperationsArriva Trains Wales started life in 2003 with just five units of the 150/2 type which came from the Cardiff Railway Company, which had refurbished them with 2 + 2 seating in place of the original cramped 3 + 2 type. From 2005, many more 150/2s arrived at Cardiff depot, transferred from other companies. These had old-style 3+2 seats when they arrived, but were refurbished to the same standard as the others and repainted in Arriva standard livery. These units enabled the Wrexham - Bidston service, and the Conwy Valley service in summer, to be worked by 2-car 150s instead of the single-car 153s previously used. The majority of Class 150 workings are in the South Wales area, the Shrewsbury - Lllaneli route, and the Crewe - Shrewsbury stopping service, but from time to time they can often be seen substituting for unavailable Class 158 or 175 on longer-distance expresses such as Manchester - Cardiff and Holyhead - Cardiff, despite having a lower maximum speed that those types. They cannot be used on the Cambrian lines to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli as they are not fitted for the ERTMS signalling used there. For a while, from 2008, six sets, in full Arriva Trains Wales livery, were 'temporarily' in use by First Great Western in the West of England, although officially part of the ATW fleet, and there have been loans to other companies from time to time. All the Arriva Class 150s passed to Transport for Wales in 2018, and the remains unaltered in 2021, although they are destined for replacement by new stock. LiveryArriva Trains Wales, following their takeover of the franchise, repainted all their Class 150 units in the standard Arriva branding (above, picture by Tim Rogers) based on the Arriva group bus livery. Later, overhauled units received the 'Welsh Government' blue scheme based on the livery chosen for the loco-hauled express coaches. At the time of writing (2021) a number of Class 150s have seen application of the red and grey Transport for Wales livery. Historical notes
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