High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Sprinter is a family of diesel multiple unit trains in use on the UK railway system. They were built in the 1980s and early 1990s by BREL, Metro Cammell and Leyland. Most are based around a Cummins engine with Voith hydraulic transmission, although some class 158s have a Perkins engine. Sprinters can be seen operating in almost every part of the UK, from rural branch lines to commuter expresses into major cities.