Pace Yourself - photos of the final(?) Pacer countdown

[TravisM]

1 hour ago, newbryford said:

 

Agreed.

A rare event for a 144 was Skipton-Hellifield-Blackburn - Copy Pit - Leeds. This was because of flooding in the Aire Valley to get the units back to Leeds for servicing.

I think the move was 1x142 and 2x144

Only when they reached Blackburn, did someone in control say that 14X were banned on the Clitheroe-Blackburn section.

"Too late" was the reply................................... to many red faces.

 

Nobody seems to know the reason why, as 142s were allowed on the line as they started to appear in 2014-ish. Absolutely nothing to to with track circuits, curves or gradients. The line was used for testing 142s when they were new! It was simply in the sectional appendix not to use them beyond Blackburn.

So much so, that if one was diagrammed from Manchester, it would be turned back at Blackburn and exchange passengers with the 150 coming in from Clitheroe. The 150, would, in turn, head back towards Clitheroe.

The most plausible story seems to be that the local line user association had a deal in place to ban them for use when the Clitheroe service was restored in 1994. The ban was relaxed about 2014 when I guess that the original agreement "to ban them" would have already seen them scrapped.

 

 I am still trying to find out the reason for the ban - even Man Vic drivers don't know why.

 

Similar thing with the Class 142’s with FGW.  They were banned from working between Westbury and Warminster yet the Class 143’s had no problems.

[Northmoor]

8 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

From memory the 143's went to Bathgate for the opening week.

 

I can confirm seeing (and Dad has a photo somewhere) of one on the Bathgate shuttle in the East end bays at Waverley in April '86, which must have been not long after opening.

[boxbrownie]

10 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

 

Nobody seems to know the reason why, as 142s were allowed on the line as they started to appear in 2014-ish. Absolutely nothing to to with track circuits, curves or gradients.

 

 I am still trying to find out the reason for the ban - even Man Vic drivers don't know why.

 

Maybe it was just a very naughty engine......

[waggy]

On 24/02/2020 at 21:20, 4630 said:

Apparently, once withdrawn from service with Northern, 144011 has been acquired by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. 

 

K&WVR News Item

 

2 car + 3 car passed through Selby a few minutes ago on a Hull to K&WVR working

[4630]

1 hour ago, waggy said:

 

2 car + 3 car passed through Selby a few minutes ago on a Hull to K&WVR working

 

Reported on Twitter;

 

"Eight class 144s have moved to the K&WVR for warm storage due to the reduced need for rolling stock."

 

 

I've just checked and the following moves have taken place today

5G14 09.55 Neville Hill T&RSMD to K&WVR

5G44 10.40 Holbeck Loco Sidings to K&WVR

5G23 14.05 Hull to K&WVR - as reported by @waggy above

 

I'll add to this post if/when I'm able to establish the unit numbers.

 

Update at 16.37

=============

 

144001/012/014/017/020 were on 5G14/5G44.

144003/016 were on 5G23

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by 4630
Typo. To add update.

[4630]

A handful from York way back on the 29th August 2004.

 

Wearing the livery and branding for the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, with the addition of a small 'Arriva' as they were the franchisee at that time, 144007 stabled at platform 2.

 

 

Looks like some fettling of the track had recently taken place in platforms 3/4 and 5, while 144014 stands at platform 8...

 

...and subsequently departs heading north with what I surmise to be a local service to Leeds/Harrogate via Knaresborough...

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by 4630
To correct unit number after additional info.

[Market65]

Hi, 4630. In the second photo’, which is a classic shot of the glorious York station, I enlarged the photo’, and saw that the three car 144 is in fact 144014. I hope that is of some help.

 

Best regards,

 

 Rob.

[4630]

4 minutes ago, Market65 said:

Hi, 4630. In the second photo’, which is a classic shot of the glorious York station, I enlarged the photo’, and saw that the three car 144 is in fact 144014. I hope that is of some help.

 

Best regards,

 

 Rob.

 

Cheers Rob.  Thanks very much.  I've been staring at the screen too much this last week and I really couldn't focus properly when I looked at it !

[Market65]

No problem, I’m just glad to be of help.

 

Best regards,

 

 Rob.

[4630]

Another three class 144s have moved to the K&WVR for warm storage today.

 

The working was, 5G11 16.35 Heaton T&RSMD to Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

 

The units were 144007/011/013.

[SHMD]

What is "warm storage"?

 

 

Kev.

 

[4630]

It means that the units have not been withdrawn from service, or also in this case not taken off lease.  They can be reactivated at short notice if required.

[darren chpamn]

Quick question 

Does anyone know what pacers have now been preserved  and where

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by darren chpamn
Added extra

[Tim Hall]

Not a massive Pacer fan, but thought this photo of four different liveried units on ECS into Darlington on 9th June 1991 might be of interest. 

[Tim Hall]

Hexham. 21st December 1991

[Luke Piewalker]

10 hours ago, Tim Hall said:

Not a massive Pacer fan, but thought this photo of four different liveried units on ECS into Darlington on 9th June 1991 might be of interest. 

There's your farewell railtour!

[black and decker boy]

On 02/04/2020 at 19:01, SHMD said:

What is "warm storage"?

 

 

Kev.

 

Usually means they are run up and sometimes given a run every so often.

 

there are class 315s in warm

store at Northampton that get run out in the WCML every month or so

 

the suspicion is all of the 144s at KWVR are one trip away from oblivion/ new owner operator as lockdown looks set to extend into May and few expect unrestricted movement for most of the summer 

[caradoc]

On 31/03/2020 at 23:17, newbryford said:

 

Only when they reached Blackburn, did someone in control say that 14X were banned on the Clitheroe-Blackburn section.

"Too late" was the reply................................... to many red faces.

 

Nobody seems to know the reason why, as 142s were allowed on the line as they started to appear in 2014-ish. Absolutely nothing to to with track circuits, curves or gradients. The line was used for testing 142s when they were new! It was simply in the sectional appendix not to use them beyond Blackburn.

So much so, that if one was diagrammed from Manchester, it would be turned back at Blackburn and exchange passengers with the 150 coming in from Clitheroe. The 150, would, in turn, head back towards Clitheroe.

The most plausible story seems to be that the local line user association had a deal in place to ban them for use when the Clitheroe service was restored in 1994. The ban was relaxed about 2014 when I guess that the original agreement "to ban them" would have already seen them scrapped.

 

 I am still trying to find out the reason for the ban - even Man Vic drivers don't know why.

 

 

Similar restrictions applied in Scotland too; For example, Class 158 was banned from the Hamilton Circle, although that did not prevent at least one being diverted that way; And from the Shotts route, the explanation I heard for the latter was that at one or two stations, in one direction, if the suspension air bags were deflated the outward-opening doors might scrape the platform. This issue was later resolved as 158s were regular on the route until it was electrified.

 

 

[GordonC]

36 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Similar restrictions applied in Scotland too; For example, Class 158 was banned from the Hamilton Circle, although that did not prevent at least one being diverted that way; And from the Shotts route, the explanation I heard for the latter was that at one or two stations, in one direction, if the suspension air bags were deflated the outward-opening doors might scrape the platform. This issue was later resolved as 158s were regular on the route until it was electrified.

 

 

 

Thats interesting about Class 158s on the Hamilton Circle - what prevented them from being used there because the line must be cleared for Mk3s and Pendolinos since they have been diverted round that way

[caradoc]

6 hours ago, GordonC said:

 

Thats interesting about Class 158s on the Hamilton Circle - what prevented them from being used there because the line must be cleared for Mk3s and Pendolinos since they have been diverted round that way

 

Not sure TBH GordonC, it might just have been that the route had never been checked for 158 clearance as no company wished to run them that way. Anyway, the set that did go there emerged unscathed !

 

[Aire Head]

So perhaps someone can shed light in what I witness yesterday.

 

Where I live i can see Shipley station clearly.

 

At least 2 batches of 3/4 144s travlled towards Leeds yesterday, initially I presumed this was a movement from the KWVR to a scrapyard however later on in the day I witnessed one of the consists travelling back in the direction of Keighley.

 

I presume that Pacers aren't like dogs and therefore need to have their legs stretched. Can anyone explain what to me seems like a bizarre thing to do?

[Welly]

It is a run out and back to keep them functional (just in case they are needed again(!) )

[eastwestdivide]

According to realtimetrains, they were workings from KWVR to Skipton/Ilkley/Kirkstall Loop and back.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/18988/2020-05-09/detailed

Maybe they do need some exercise - or at least keeping them usable. That's what's reported over on the wnxx forum.

 

Edit - overlapped with Welly

Edited May 10, 2020 by eastwestdivide

[Aire Head]

Thank you

[eastwestdivide]

Just saw a 143+150 combo on the Dawlish webcam. They're not dead yet!