British Rail Class 157 facts for kids
The Class 157 was the name given to a type of Diesel multiple unit train that was planned but never built. These trains were designed to be part of the "Sprinter" family, which were modern trains used for regional journeys. The Class 157s were specifically intended for use by the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive in Scotland.
What Was the Class 157 Train?
The Class 157 was meant to be a new kind of train for regional travel. A "diesel multiple unit" (DMU) is a train that carries its own engine and doesn't need a separate locomotive to pull it. This makes them flexible and efficient for many routes. The Class 157s were part of the successful "Sprinter" family of trains, known for being quick and reliable.
Why Was the Class 157 Project Cancelled?
The plans for the Class 157 trains were stopped because of a big change happening at British Rail, the main railway company in the UK at the time. This change was called "privatisation."
The Impact of Privatisation
"Privatisation" means that a company or service that was owned by the government is sold off to private companies. When British Rail started to be privatised, the focus shifted away from ordering new trains. Instead, resources were used to manage this big change. This led to a period where very few new trains were ordered, sometimes called the "1064-day drought" of new train orders.
By the time new train orders started again, the plans had changed. Instead of the Class 157s, Strathclyde ended up receiving a different type of train, the Class 170 units, which are also part of the Sprinter family. So, the Class 157 trains remained just a plan and were never actually built.
