British Rail Class 185
Encyclopedia
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit
passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens
in Germany
for the British
train operating company First TransPennine Express.
51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 350
, 360
, 380
, 444
and 450
.
(North and South Transpennine Express routes), Class 175s
(Manchester Airport to Blackpool/Cumbria routes) and Class 220
/221
Voyager trains (operated by Virgin Trains
on Manchester to Scotland routes).
The trains are members of the Desiro family, of which electric variants were already serving in Britain as Classes 350
, 360
, 444
, and 450
at the time of their introduction.
Depots : The first train started operating on 14 March 2006 and the full roll-out of all 51 was completed by December 2006. Two depots have been built in Manchester
and York
to maintain the trains, along with a new fuelling facility in Cleethorpes
.
QSK19-R engines through a Voith 3 speed hydrodynamic transmission powering both axles on one bogie per car with the other bogie unpowered. Mechanically the trains are very similar to Alstom's
Class 180 Coradia DMUs
although the 185s have a lower top speed of 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h).
The Class 185 trains are designed to be quick accelerators and faster at climbing hills; First TransPennine Express expect these trains to be able to make up time more easily than the 158s should they be delayed due to the higher acceleration afforded by the 2250 hp provided by a 185's engines (as compared with a Class 158
with 1050 hp provided by a 3 car set).
However, they have higher axle weight and lower route availability
(RA 5 compared to the RA 2 of a Class 158) which means they are too heavy to run at the faster speed limits designed for sprinter class trains that are in place on some parts of the First TransPennine Express network. Therefore they can only run at the lower standard speed limits. Due to the higher acceleration of the Class 185 they are still able to run to the Class 158 timings on these routes.
The first units were delivered from Siemens in the old First livery, these were converted to the new First 'Dynamic lines' livery using vinyl wrap
s upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Later arrivals were delivered blank and given vinyls at Ardwick Depot, Manchester.
Each of the three carriages in the unit has an engine and all three are used when accelerating out of stations. However, when travelling downhill or running at line speed, only two are needed. Additionally, the train uses only one engine in empty stock moves to depots, and automatically turns off all idling engines when the train is stationary. The result is that the units require 7% less fuel. For the entire fleet of 51 units, carbon emissions are reduced by 12 tonnes (11.8 LT) each day; over 12 months, 1800000 litres (395,944.6 imp gal) of fuel is saved. Furthermore, as the engines are idling less and thus operating less (engine hours reduced by two hours a day per train), their service life
may be extended by 15%.
The loss of seats relative to an equivalent three-coach 158 means that more passengers have to stand at peak times. An increase in passenger numbers since the trains were brought in to operation has meant that some passengers are unable to board 185s at peak times due to them being seriously overcrowded.
The air conditioning
on board these trains has, in the past, attracted many complaints from passengers as it was set too cold. A software modification has now been completed and the temperature is somewhat improved: complaints from passengers regarding the temperature have decreased. In the recent cold weather this was a much more serious problem.
Like on 175s, the amount of leg room is good because the backs of the seats are thinner and firmer than on trains such as the 158 and the 170. Additionally there are dedicated wheelchair areas and disabled toilets, additional capacity for bicycles as well as on board CCTV and emergency call points.
The new trains have proved popular with commuters who regularly use the 185s on short journeys. However, they have proved unpopular with long distance travellers who find the standard class seating too firm to sit on for up to four hours, and find the engines to be noisy.
There are reclining seats in First Class, in 2+1 layout, an improvement on the 2+2 layout on the Transpennine Class 158s which they replaced.
and Hull
. Class 170's also operate a few of the services between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes via Doncaster and on some Sunday only services between Manchester and York but this has met with criticism as this has resulted in further overcrowding on an already congested route.
To free up stock for Manchester Airport to Scotland
services, First TransPennine Express dramatically decreased the frequency of the Manchester Airport to Windermere
route from 9 December 2007. This means that 185s are now used on the relatively short journeys of Preston to Windermere, approximately one hour in length, and the shorter journey of Oxenholme
to Windermere of twenty minutes.
However, the 185s are seen as too small for TransPennine Express services, and it is likely eight-carriage units will be needed by 2014 which will need to have a top speed of at least 100 mph (160.9 km/h) to meet targets for reducing journey times.
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
train operating company First TransPennine Express.
51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million.
The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
, 360
British Rail Class 360
The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450....
, 380
British Rail Class 380
Class 380 is the designation given to a class of electric multiple unit trains which operate on the national railway network in Scotland.- Description :...
, 444
British Rail Class 444
The British Rail Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains....
and 450
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
.
Background and history
Fifty-one of these three-carriage 185s, together with nine two-carriage 170s, have replaced the Class 158sBritish Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
(North and South Transpennine Express routes), Class 175s
British Rail Class 175
The Class 175 Coradia is a type of diesel multiple unit passenger train used in the United Kingdom. The fleet of 27 sets were built from 1999 to 2001 by Alstom at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. They are part of the Coradia family of trains along with the Class 180.The entire fleet is owned by the...
(Manchester Airport to Blackpool/Cumbria routes) and Class 220
British Rail Class 220
The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001....
/221
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of British diesel-electric multiple-unit express trains built by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, entering service on 12 April 2002....
Voyager trains (operated by Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
on Manchester to Scotland routes).
The trains are members of the Desiro family, of which electric variants were already serving in Britain as Classes 350
British Rail Class 350
The British Rail Class 350 "Desiro" is class of electrical multiple unit built by Siemens AG from 2004–05 and 2008–09. Thirty of these units, designated Class 350/1, were built for use by Central Trains and Silverlink on regional express services and services on the southern section of the West...
, 360
British Rail Class 360
The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450....
, 444
British Rail Class 444
The British Rail Class 444 Desiro electrical multiple units were built in Germany by Siemens AG from 2003-04. Forty-five of these units were built for express services for South West Trains....
, and 450
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 third-rail DC EMU began service during 2003. They are a part of the Siemens Desiro modular train family and are more commonly known as the 'Blue Desiro'...
at the time of their introduction.
Depots : The first train started operating on 14 March 2006 and the full roll-out of all 51 was completed by December 2006. Two depots have been built in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to maintain the trains, along with a new fuelling facility in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
.
Design
These trains are powered by CumminsCummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
QSK19-R engines through a Voith 3 speed hydrodynamic transmission powering both axles on one bogie per car with the other bogie unpowered. Mechanically the trains are very similar to Alstom's
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
Class 180 Coradia DMUs
British Rail Class 180
The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit train built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western . They were built at Washwood Heath in Birmingham and are part of the Coradia 1000 family along with the Class 175. FGW stopped using the...
although the 185s have a lower top speed of 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h).
The Class 185 trains are designed to be quick accelerators and faster at climbing hills; First TransPennine Express expect these trains to be able to make up time more easily than the 158s should they be delayed due to the higher acceleration afforded by the 2250 hp provided by a 185's engines (as compared with a Class 158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
with 1050 hp provided by a 3 car set).
However, they have higher axle weight and lower route availability
Route availability
Route Availability is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works of the National Rail network of Great Britain are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10....
(RA 5 compared to the RA 2 of a Class 158) which means they are too heavy to run at the faster speed limits designed for sprinter class trains that are in place on some parts of the First TransPennine Express network. Therefore they can only run at the lower standard speed limits. Due to the higher acceleration of the Class 185 they are still able to run to the Class 158 timings on these routes.
The first units were delivered from Siemens in the old First livery, these were converted to the new First 'Dynamic lines' livery using vinyl wrap
Wrap advertising
Wrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals...
s upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Later arrivals were delivered blank and given vinyls at Ardwick Depot, Manchester.
Eco-Mode
Class 185 units can be operated in 'Eco-Mode', which allows one or more of the units' engines to be shut down when not needed to save fuel, without affecting journey times or passenger comfort.Each of the three carriages in the unit has an engine and all three are used when accelerating out of stations. However, when travelling downhill or running at line speed, only two are needed. Additionally, the train uses only one engine in empty stock moves to depots, and automatically turns off all idling engines when the train is stationary. The result is that the units require 7% less fuel. For the entire fleet of 51 units, carbon emissions are reduced by 12 tonnes (11.8 LT) each day; over 12 months, 1800000 litres (395,944.6 imp gal) of fuel is saved. Furthermore, as the engines are idling less and thus operating less (engine hours reduced by two hours a day per train), their service life
Service life
A product's service life is its expected lifetime, or the acceptable period of use in service. It is the time that any manufactured item can be expected to be 'serviceable' or supported by its manufacturer....
may be extended by 15%.
Passenger comfort
The general ambience of the trains is rather more commuter-like than the 158s, with wide double doors at 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down the carriages, rather than the usual long-distance train narrow doors at the carriage ends. There is increased standing room, and around half of all seats are arranged around tables of four.The loss of seats relative to an equivalent three-coach 158 means that more passengers have to stand at peak times. An increase in passenger numbers since the trains were brought in to operation has meant that some passengers are unable to board 185s at peak times due to them being seriously overcrowded.
The air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
on board these trains has, in the past, attracted many complaints from passengers as it was set too cold. A software modification has now been completed and the temperature is somewhat improved: complaints from passengers regarding the temperature have decreased. In the recent cold weather this was a much more serious problem.
Like on 175s, the amount of leg room is good because the backs of the seats are thinner and firmer than on trains such as the 158 and the 170. Additionally there are dedicated wheelchair areas and disabled toilets, additional capacity for bicycles as well as on board CCTV and emergency call points.
The new trains have proved popular with commuters who regularly use the 185s on short journeys. However, they have proved unpopular with long distance travellers who find the standard class seating too firm to sit on for up to four hours, and find the engines to be noisy.
There are reclining seats in First Class, in 2+1 layout, an improvement on the 2+2 layout on the Transpennine Class 158s which they replaced.
Operations
Almost all First Transpennine Express Services are operated by 185s, except for the Manchester Piccadilly – Hull service which are mostly run by a Class 170 Turbostar train. This is due to the speed and weight problems between SelbySelby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Class 170's also operate a few of the services between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes via Doncaster and on some Sunday only services between Manchester and York but this has met with criticism as this has resulted in further overcrowding on an already congested route.
To free up stock for Manchester Airport to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
services, First TransPennine Express dramatically decreased the frequency of the Manchester Airport to Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
route from 9 December 2007. This means that 185s are now used on the relatively short journeys of Preston to Windermere, approximately one hour in length, and the shorter journey of Oxenholme
Oxenholme
Oxenholme is a village in England just south of the town of Kendal, with which it has begun to merge. It is best known for Oxenholme Lake District railway station on the West Coast Main Line. Because Oxenholme does not have its own church it is technically a hamlet.-History:Oxenholme station opened...
to Windermere of twenty minutes.
However, the 185s are seen as too small for TransPennine Express services, and it is likely eight-carriage units will be needed by 2014 which will need to have a top speed of at least 100 mph (160.9 km/h) to meet targets for reducing journey times.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | No. Built | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 185 | First TransPennine Express | 51 | 2005–2006 | 3 | 185101 - 185151 |
 |
|||||
External links
- Photo Gallery at paul-zimmer.de Includes images of Class 185 in Germany before delivery.