Hampshire’s Watercress Line has taken a Class 150 Sprinter Unit into its running fleet, making it the first UK heritage railway to do so.

Class 150 Sprinters are a second-generation Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU). The Watercress Line’s newest addition is numbered 150231 and was built in 1987.

Once built, the unit was delivered new to Newton Heath depot in Manchester in February 1987. From there, it operated across several regions, including journeys on Regional Railways Central, BR Anglia, Silverlink Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.

The Class 150 is part of the Sprinter family, which was a new generation of trains that British Rail introduced to replace its first-generation DMUs. The train’s engines and passenger accommodation are contained within a single structure.

In September 1994, unit 150231 was named King Edmund at Bury St Edmunds station.

Number 150231 ran its final journey in passenger service on Wednesday 9 July 2025, when it operated the 18:35 Shrewsbury to Swansea service. It then moved to Derby to take part in The Greatest Gathering celebrations.

It is now the first unit of its class to enter preservation. Class 150s are still in use with Transport for Wales, Northern and First Great Western, but are being withdrawn as replacements enter service. While at The Greatest Gathering, the locomotive was restored to its original livery ahead of its move to Hampshire.

Rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook donated the unit to the heritage railway. The Watercress Lines sees its acquisition of Class 150 150231 as filling a long-standing operational gap, particularly for visitors who travel from Alton and the London end of the line. Watercress Line staff and volunteers will receive training and an operational induction and staff training before the 150231 enters public service.

The Watercress Line Heritage Railway Trust is launching a new supporters’ scheme in celebration of the arrival of 150231.

The 150 Club will help to fund the unit’s ongoing restoration, maintenance and long-term care, which will ensure that 150231 remains part of the working heritage fleet into the future.

“We are delighted to welcome this iconic unit to our fleet. Since our previous multiple unit, the Class 205 Hampshire Unit, came out of service in 2004, we have been looking for an opportunity to fill in the service for our visitors from the Alton and London end of The Watercress Line. We hope to start restoration of the 1959 Hampshire Unit to be our mainstay for the Alton service, with this Class 150 in support.

“With the Class 150 joining our fleet, and the restoration of the Hampshire Unit planned, we can once again provide a service that connects perfectly with our steam-hauled trains.”

Rebecca Dalley, Chief Executive Officer of The Watercress Line