British Rail Class 185 Pennine Desiro

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The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a 3-car diesel-hydraulic multiple unit operated by First TransPennine Express. Fifty-one sets have been built by Siemens to replace the Class 158 on the TransPennie routes and have been in service since 2006. Although the combined output of the Class 185 is more than twice the output of a 3-car Class 158 (2,250 hp versus 1,050 hp) and with the Class 185 is much heavier than the 158 (62 tons versus 42 tons per car), the 185 uses less fuel than the 158 due to an automatic engine shutoff system. The Pennie Desiro only uses all her 3 engines when launching out of stations or climbing up heavy grades. There is also an engine stop start system which shut engines off when trains are idling at stations. My experience with the Class 185 had been great. The cabin is modern and clean and the DMU is quiet. This was the train that took me between Leeds and Scarborough and from Sheffield to Stockport.

A Class 185 at Scarborough Station, eastern terminus of the northern TransPennine route
Class 185 at York Station
Second Class cabin

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