Misformed Sets - 156 Super-Sprinter
156 »   Class Origins • British Rail Years • Depot Allocations • Misformed Sets • Naming Details • Accidents • Time-Line

156.412, formed of Express liveried 57412 and CT Green 57410, ready to depart Peterborough with the 16:20 to Nottingham via Lincoln on March 24, 2004. Neither of these vehicles had a toilet, causing much inconvenience to passengers. The set number on 57410 had been altered to 156412.

Misformed Sets

The planned formation of class 156 units is DMS(A)+DMS(B) 2-car sets with the last 3 digits of each vehicle matching the set number. This ensures that both vehicles receive scheduled maintenance at the same time.

However if one vehicle in a set needs to be stopped for unplanned repairs, and there is a shortage of serviceable units, temporary formations may need to be created.

In the early years an number of planned three-car formations were also created for use on specific routes.

The first odd formation occured while first built 156.401 was undergoing type testing. On 26 January 1988, DMS(A) 52401 and class 150 car 57212 were paired for a run from Derby to Norwich - the only known class 150/156 hybrid.

The next odd pairing of vehicles occured when 156.425 and 427 returned to Metro-Cammell for rectification work in September 1988. The non-toilet DMS(B) cars 57425+57427 were paired and returned to Norwich depot. It is not known if this set was used in passenger traffic, but 52425+52427 returned to Norwich in November allowing the set to be correctly reformed. The next misformed set was 52414+57440, noted in mid January 1989.

Misformed Norwich sets continued to occur during 1989 and 1990. Some 3-car formations were also noted, 156.419 plus 57428 in early August 1989, and 156.486 plus 52407 later in the same month.

Other temporary 3-car formations known to have occured are 156.471 of Neville Hill with 52481 in the centre, seen in March 1990, and 156.436 of Haymarket seen with 57456 in August 1991.

156.458 in 3-car formation departs Elgin for Inverness. Spring 1990. Photo: John Law

From May 1989 until May 1990, the Inverness to Aberdeen line was operated by three-car sets based at Inverness.

Units 156.495 and 156.496 were split and the cars added on to sets 485, 492 - 494 to make four 3-car sets. 2-car 156.458 was kept as maintenance spare.

However, formations were not always kept, and on 24 June 1989, the 1310 Aberdeen-Inverness was formed 57496+52493+57458+52458 with the first 3 vehicles all facing inverness!

At the end of February 1989, 156.494 was exchanged for Corkerhill's 156.436.

In May 1990 the sets returned to 2-car formation and were transferred to Haymarket depot to stand in for class 158s on Edinburgh - Glasgow - Aberdeen routes.

After introduction of Sprinters to the West Highland line in 1989, the timetable had Oban and Fort William trains combined south of Crianlarich. Most of the Fort William trains also started/terminated at Mallaig.

During the Summers of 1989 and 1992 trains were operated as two pairs of 3-car units splitting and joining at Crianlarich.

When units 156.499 and 156.500 were delivered to Haymarket depot in May 1989 they were split and added as centre car in four of the six sets used on the West Highland line. An additional unit, 156.435 was brought in from Corkerhill at the end of July and this too was split enabling all six sets to be 3-car formation.

In September all the vehicles were reformed into their original 2-car sets.

A shortage of trains due to late delivery of class 158 units precluded this being repeated in 1990 and 1991.

In May 1992 the West Highland fleet was transferred to Corkerhill depot in Glasgow.
From July to September of that year 3-car sets were formed once more, by splitting units 156.436/492/496.

In later years the more heavily loaded Oban service has run as a separate 4-car train during the summer peak.

When Neville Hill based class 156s took over from loco-hauled trains on the Leeds - Settle - Carlisle route in October 1990, a 3-car train was the maximum size the smaller stations on the route could accommodate.

A Department of Transport directive states that all doors on sliding-door rolling stock must be capable of giving access to the flat platform surface.

By the start of the Summer 1991 timetable, the necessary platforms extensions had been completed to allow units to operate as pairs of 2-car units. It was also decided that demand during the winter period could be met with two-car sets.

* This set was formed in February 1991.

Hybrid set 158653 on a Manchester - Cleethorpes service, calls at Doncaster on 15 October 1992. The 'new' set number is stuck to the secondman's cab window. Photo: '308108'

During the leaf-fall season new class 158s were failing to operate track circuits, and disappearing from the signalling system, despite being fitted with TCA. This was caused by a build up of leaf mulch on the wheels of the disc braked 158s.

For the 1991 season, class 156 units (which have tread brakes) were run in multiple with 158's, but in October 1992 at Neville Hill depot, individual class 156 vehicles were paired with class 158 vehicles in hybrid formation. This was only a short term fix, and the Trans-pennine class 158's have since been fitted with scrubbing blocks to clean the wheels.

All units returned to their original formation in December 1992.

Temporary Hybrids

Subsequent 156/158 combinations and vehicles paired with single car class 153 units have been as a result of vehicles out of service for repairs.

Class 153 vehicle 57351 paired with 57489 from 156.489 departs York on a crew training run to Hull on March 3, 2004.