Replacement Of South Western Railway’s Class 158/159 Trains
South Western Railway use Class 158 and Class 159 trains on the following routes.
- London Waterloo and Salisbury (and Yeovil Pen Mill)
- London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids
- Romsey and Salisbury
- Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads
The two types of train are very similar, with the Class 159 trains being converted from Class 158 trains.
- There are ten two-car Class 158 trains in service with South Western Railway. which have a capacity of around 140 seats
- There are thirty three-car Class 159 trains in service with South Western Railway, which have a capacity of 196 seats
- Each car has a diesel engine driving two axles through a hydraulic transmission.
- Both trains have an operating speed of 90 mph.
- The trains are all around thirty years old.
I took these pictures on my trip to Basingstoke station on Friday, when I rode in nine-car formation of three Class 159 trains both ways.
Note.
- For much of the route between Clapham Junction and Basingstoke, the trains were doing just a few mph short of ninety on the 100 mph route.
- The interiors are fairly spacious and I got a table seat both ways.
As diesel multiple units go, there are worse ones in service in the UK. And I don’t mean Pacers.
Replacement Possibilities
Ideally, these trains should be replaced with zero-carbon trains.
As most of the routes, on which the trains run are not-electrified, there must either be a lot of new third-rail electrification or battery electric trains must be used.
These are my thoughts for the various trains.
Two-Car Class 158 Train
These trains have the following specification.
- Length – 46 metres
- Seats – 140
- Operating Speed – 90 mph
In Converting Class 456 Trains Into Two-Car Battery Electric Trains, I stated that these Class 456 battery electric trains would have the following specification.
- Seats – 113
- Range on Battery Power – 30-40 miles
- Operating Speed – 75 mph
I also felt that as the trains would receive a new AC traction system, that the operating speed could be increased to perhaps 90 mph.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that a professional conversion capitalising on Alstom’s work to create the Class 600 hydrogen train, could turn a Class 456 train into a battery electric replacement for a two-car Class 158 train.
Three-Car Class 159 Train
These trains have the following specification.
- Length – 69 metres
- Seats – 196
- Operating Speed – 90 mph
Could these be replaced with a three-car Class 456 battery electric train, lengthened by the addition of a Trailer Car from a Class 321 train, that has been converted to a Class 600 hydrogen train?
As most Class 159 trains probably work in longer formations, this could be a possibility, to replace units working alone.
Two Three-Car Class 159 Trains Working As A Six-Car Formation
These trains have the following specification.
- Length – 138 metres
- Seats – 392
- Operating Speed – 90 mph
This formation would be impossible for Class 456 battery electric trains, so it must be a case for calling up the heavy brigade, in the shape of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
A five-car version of this train could have the following specification.
- Length – 130 metres
- Seats – 326
- Range on battery power – 56 miles
- Operating Speed – 100 mph
- It would probably be able to work with both 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
Note.
- More seats could probably be fitted if needed.
- Platforms where the trains would work can already accept nine-car Class 159 trains, which are 207 metres long.
- The trains would charge the batteries using the electrification between London Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- Fast Charge facilities would also be needed at some intermediate and terminal stations like Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St. Davids, Salisbury, Westbury and Yeovil Junction.
- These trains would be ten mph faster than the Class 159 trains and this may enable the saving of a few minutes between London Waterloo and Basingstoke stations.
A six-car version would be possible, if more capacity is needed.
Three Three-Car Class 159 Trains Working As A Nine-Car Formation
These trains have the following specification.
- Length – 207 metres
- Seats – 588
- Operating Speed – 90 mph
An eight-car version of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train could have the following specification.
- Length – 208 metres
- Seats – 522
- Range on battery power – 56 miles
- Operating Speed – 100 mph
- It would probably be able to work with both 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
Note.
- More seats could probably be fitted if needed.
- Platforms where the trains would work can already accept nine-car Class 159 trains, which are 207 metres long.
- The trains would charge the batteries using the electrification between London Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- Fast Charge facilities would also be needed at some intermediate and terminal stations like Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St. Davids, Salisbury, Westbury and Yeovil Junction.
- These trains would be ten mph faster than the Class 159 trains and this may enable the saving of a few minutes between London Waterloo and Basingstoke stations.
A nine-car version would be possible, if more capacity is needed.
More Capacity Between London Waterloo And Basingstoke
London Waterloo and Basingstoke was very busy before COVID-19 and it needed more capacity.
- All the express passenger trains are capable of 100 mph, with the exception of the diesel Class 158 and Class 159 trains, which can only do 90 mph.
- If these diesel trains were to be replaced by Hitachi’s Regional Battery Trains, these trains will be able to do 100 mph on battery power.
This speed increase will enable faster journey times and increase capacity.
- But between London Waterloo and Basingstoke, they will be using the third-rail electrification.
- Class 800 and Class 801 trains, which are cousins of the Regional Battery Train are currently able to do 125 mph between London Paddington and Swindon and London Kings Cross and Doncaster.
- London and Doncaster is being upgraded to 140 mph running.
So will we see 125 mph running between London Waterloo and Basingstoke? I will be very surprised if we didn’t, before 2030.
Charging The Batteries
Much of the charging of batteries will be performed whilst running on electrified lines.
But as I indicated there will need to be Fast Charge facilities at intermediate and terminal stations.
The Need For A Universal Fast Charge Facility For All Battery Electric Trains
If you look at Salisbury for example, the facility would need to be able handle all types of battery electric trains. So the Government, Network Rail and the Office of Road and Rail must come up with a universal design of charging facility that can be used by all battery electric trains.
Standard UK electrification, which can be either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail, can obviously be used, as all battery electric trains will be designed to be able to charge the batteries, whilst running on electrified lines.
But a Universal Fast Charge system is surely needed, that can charge every battery electric train running on the UK rail network.
Splash-and-Dash At Yeovil Junction Station
But I believe that trains like Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train, when working long routes like Salisbury and Exeter will need the equivalent of Formula One’s Splash-and-Dash, where a fast pit-stop enabled cars to complete the race in the most economic manner.
If you look at timings between Salisbury and Exeter on Real Time Trains, you find the following.
- Salisbury and Exeter is 88.5 miles
- Salisbury and Yeovil Junction is 39 miles
- Yeovil Junction and Exeter St. Davids is 50 miles
- Trains seem to be timed to wait between 8-14 minutes at Yeovil Junction station.
- At several times during the day the Westbound and Eastbound services pass at Yeovil Junction station.
I would assume the wait and the passing, are so that trains can safely navigate the sections of single-track line, that are a legacy of British Rail’s policy of saving money, that affectively ruined the efficiency of sections of the network.
It would appear that a well-designed Universal Fast Charge facility at Yeovil Junction station could enable battery electric trains to run between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids stations, without any adjustment to the existing timetable.
This Google Map shows Yeovil Junction station.
Note.
- Yeovil Junction station is in the South West corner of the map.
- The West of England Main Line passes East-West through the station.
- The station has two platforms.
- The two lines running North to Yeovil Pen Mill and Westbury stations.
- The line running between the North side and the South-East corner of the map is the Heart of Wessex Line, between Yeovil Pen Mill in the North and Weymouth in the South.
- Most links between the West of England Main Line and the Heart of Wessex Line have been removed.
The station doesn’t appear short of space.
Great Western Railway’s Gloucester And Weymouth Service
If a link between Yeovil Junction station and the Heart of Wessex Line towards Weymouth, this would enable Great Western Railway’s Gloucester and Weymouth service to call at both Yeovil stations, with a reverse at Yeovil Junction.
It would surely, improve the train service for the town of Yeovil.
If in the future, it was desired to run the Gloucester and Weymouth service using a battery electric train, Yeovil Junction station could be used to charge the train’s batteries.
Vivarail’s Fast Charge System
Vivarail’s Fast Charge system has been patented and demonstrated and this could be used with both the battery electric Class 456 train and Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train.
So it could be used as an initial design for a Universal Fast Charge system.
Conclusion
A mix of these battery electric trains could probably replace the Class 158 and 159 trains.
- Two-car Class 456 train
- Three-car Class 456 train
- Five-car Hitachi Regional Battery Train
- Eight-car Hitachi Regional Battery Train
Note.
- Universal Fast Charge facilities would also be needed at some intermediate and terminal stations like Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St. Davids, Romsey, Salisbury, Westbury and Yeovil Junction.
- Services between London Waterloo and Basingstoke could be faster.
These rebuilt and new trains would fully decarbonise South Western Railway.
The Anonymous Widower 