Pacer popularity in preservation

[alexl92]

Pacers were great between Barnsley and Meadowhall when it had jointed track, they bounced around all over the place at line speed. It's just not the same anymore!

Huddersfield to Bradford was always fun, and bad for the back!

They are, though I'd suggest there's rather fewer of those who like Pacers than like Marmite! Further, I'd say the vast majority partaking of the Pacer love-in are the usual end of life "doom bashers" who will chase anything that's going. They'll move on to the next thing soon enough. That there's no long-term Pacer society says plenty; the majority of enthusiasts have a preference for locomotives.

The current position is totally unsustainable with such huge numbers "saved" (or, at least, scrapping deferred) - a lack of support (those "doom bashers" won't be around long term) and lack of funds will see most parked up. Added to that, at some point the railways they are at will at some point work out just how bad they are:
- appalling ride quality, especially on jointed track.
- an interior not really fit for the days out market with (on most of the 142s) bus seating and few bays of 4.
- those "panoramic" windows that are spoken about, that rapidly become misted and damp and can't be seen out of.
- the toxic "Pacer" brand. They were widely - and rightly - derided before withdrawal, and that message isn't going to help when a preserved line tries to sell trips on them to Joe Public. They simply aren't a great "day out" proposition when railways are charging fares for them, even off-season.

My prediction is that most will be laid up within a short timeframe, littering the usual preserved line junkyards. And a message for the railways that have taken leave of their senses and acquired one: if you really have a genuine need for a 2nd generation DMU, you'd be far better off waiting until 156s become available.

I agree, with one caveat - right now, the Pacers are cheaper to operate than anything else available. So for some younger, or less established railways (or those such as Wensleydale needing to offer a regular service to rebuild custom, in order to justify operating steam), they make sense right now. If they run them into the ground for 5 years, but are able to build up to a point where their resources allow them to operate genuine regular heritage services with diesels or steam, it won't matter if the pacers are then turned into tin cans -they'll have fulfilled their purpose.

Most notable was coming off the end of Crimple viaduct and round the tight curve - they really screeched there.



Could say the same about Mk1 DMUs.

Once they are all gone from the mainline they become 'heritage' pretty rapidly.



Could be quite a wait!

Crimple Valley curve is awful!

MK1 DMUs have more character tho, comfier seats and the forward view through the cab. Plus a far more nostalgic feel to them, even if that's purely psychological. Massive difference to pacer.

Maybe 142078 142018 142087 have also gone to wensleydale railway. Could it be that there could be reqular daily timetabled Pacers services on this line. Or could it be that possibly wensleydale railway might become pacer more less operated with only a very few selected locomotive hauled services.

142087 appears to be up for sale. Anyone know why? Is it the one that was bought by a couple hoping to turn it into an eco home in a few years?

 

[fgwrich]

Yes, I've seen that and it looks excellent.

I do feel it’ll probably be something of an exception though - I can’t see anyone fancying ATN or ATW on any of the 142s though. That said, Northern Spirit and Valley Lines would be nice!

 

[Mack91]

Valley Lines would be nice!

The group that look after 142006 aim to do that:

Paint 142006 into Valley Lines & name "Tom Clift"

To repaint our Class 142 DMU back into the distinctive Valley Lines livery carried in the early 2000s and to name the unit after Tom Clift.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk

 

[SteveyBee131]

I do feel it’ll probably be something of an exception though - I can’t see anyone fancying ATN or ATW on any of the 142s though. That said, Northern Spirit and Valley Lines would be nice!

100% agree, it was one of my favourite liveries! Not sure if any of the ones that actually carried it survive, but there's no wrong in artistic license

 

[fgwrich]

100% agree, it was one of my favourite liveries! Not sure if any of the ones that actually carried it survive, but there's no wrong in artistic license

Only one unit I'm afraid - 142019, currently based at Whitrope (Waverley Heritage Centre) has a Northern Spirit refurbished interior, but I'm not sure it ever carried that livery. It seems to really only have been applied to 025 (scrapped at Kingsbury), 050 (scrapped at Newport Docks), 065 (scrapped at Newport Docks), 066 (scrapped at Newport Docks) and half of 074 - Stored at Landore maybe?

 

[paul1609]

I was walking alongside the Aln Valley railway on Friday when a class 144 passed me, on driver training at a guess

 

[pdeaves]

I was walking alongside the Aln Valley railway on Friday when a class 144 passed me, on driver training at a guess

Out of interest, what livery does that carry? A sort of inverted blue/grey?

 

[Iskra]

Out of interest, what livery does that carry? A sort of inverted blue/grey?

It looks like it’s half way to being painted into regional railways provincial blue.

 

[paul1609]

Out of interest, what livery does that carry? A sort of inverted blue/grey?

Sorry not really a "paint" enthusiast maybe you can see it better on this phot on the viaduct

 

[fgwrich]

Sorry not really a "paint" enthusiast maybe you can see it better on this phot on the viaduct

Cheers, it appears to be going into Regional Railways blue / white.

 

[sprinterguy]

Only one unit I'm afraid - 142019, currently based at Whitrope (Waverley Heritage Centre) has a Northern Spirit refurbished interior, but I'm not sure it ever carried that livery. It seems to really only have been applied to 025 (scrapped at Kingsbury), 050 (scrapped at Newport Docks), 065 (scrapped at Newport Docks), 066 (scrapped at Newport Docks) and half of 074 - Stored at Landore maybe?

142025/026, 050, 065 and 066 were the complete set of Northern Spirit liveried units - All cut up as you state. The "half of 074" that carried Northern Spirit livery was in fact one vehicle from 142066, in a temporary mis-formation during 1999.

Several of the units with Northern Spirit-refurb interiors are still extant, however: 142020 is also at the Waverley Heritage Centre, 142017 at the East Kent Railway, 142084 and 091 at Rushden Transport Museum, 142090 at the Wensleydale Railway and 142094 at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway. Unless any of these units have begun to have their high-backed seating replaced: I'm aware that 142018 at the Wensleydale Railway is currently having its interior returned to as close to original condition as possible.

142078 and 087 are also in store at the Wensleydale Railway with Northern Spirit-refurb interiors, though I'm not sure that they're preserved, per se.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Cheers, it appears to be going into Regional Railways blue / white.

I don't think that unit ever carried RR colours in service (only a handful of 144s did, one of which was 012 now with Network Rail). Certainly none of them carried the earlier blue version that many of the 142s and 143s had from new.

 

[northernbelle]

It looks like it’s half way to being painted into regional railways provincial blue.

If it is, it doesn't look like a particularly authentic job from that photo. I'd be more inclined to think it's a fictitious livery for filming purposes or similar - but that's just me speculating.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If it is, it doesn't look like a particularly authentic job from that photo. I'd be more inclined to think it's a fictitious livery for filming purposes or similar - but that's just me speculating.

I'm inclined to agree. That isn't RR livery - the window band is too narrow and the stripe should be light blue (sort of a cyan colour), not dark blue. It looks like a generic livery not representing anything.

 

[Graiser]

That's 142045 at Kirk Merrington Primary School in County Durham:

Network Rail teams help County Durham school with project to transform old train carriages into new library

Network Rail teams in the North East have volunteered their skills to help a primary school in County Durham acquire two disused railway carriages and convert them into a school library.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Of the bus-seated examples:

142001 is preserved by the NRM at Locomotion at Shildon, and may be used on the demonstration line at some point.
142011 and 013 are at The Midland Railway, Butterley.
142023 was earmarked for the Plym Valley Railway, not sure what's happened with that arrangement.
142028, 035 and 060 are at the Wensleydale Railway (I think one unit is for spares?)
142029 and 030 are at The Chasewater Railway.
142036 is at the East Kent Railway.
142038 and 061 are at the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

There isn't a mountain railway as such that runs from Porthmadog, however there are two narrow gauge heritage lines, of which, as Peter suggests above, the Welsh Highland Railway operates closest to Snowdon.

14023 has been at the Plym Valley Railway for nearly a year