Class 142

[Owd Bob]

Never thought anybody would ever be interested in these things but here's a few badly scanned pics' (cheapo scanner) i found recently, from back when film was expensive and not to be wasted on such things.   I have much better ones yet to scan, and will admit now that i quite liked these units but don't tell anyone!

Passing Springs Branch. Late 1980's? 

Near Dog Hill Oldham. 1987.

 

[tamperman36]

Yes that logo was for the short lived network North West, which saw many units given the NW logo and some a complete relivery with grey main body colour and red and white bodyside stripe. This livery appeared on class 142s, 150s and 323s and the NW logo was replaced by the words Regional Railways.

Edited January 24, 2018 by tamperman36

[The Black Hat]

I think there were some 142s in choc and cream sent to Leeds, but I think three or more went to Newcastle. These then later became most of the ones that went into Tyne and Wear Regional Railways livery. The odd one out here was 142026 which remained at Newcastle and stayed in Choc and Cream with yellow doors right up till it was repainted into Northern Spirit. 142025, 50 and 142065 all remained in provincial blue until Northern Spirit too, with the latter being done first and getting the silver lower side, whereas the rest went black. 

 

Growing up in the north east, saw me quickly develop a liking for these units overall, just thankfully none of them here were orange! 

[HillsideDepot]

Yes, there were some "Skippers" sent to Tyneside, I remember them from my student days. We nicknamed them "chocolate camels".
 
This one, 142519, had an unusual livery mod

142519 by Jim, on Flickr

[Roy Langridge]

Yes, there were some "Skippers" sent to Tyneside, I remember them from my student days. We nicknamed them "chocolate camels".

 

This one, 142519, had an unusual livery mod

142519 by Jim, on Flickr

 

What was the reason behind the renumbering into the 142/5 series. I don't think I was ever aware that they did that.

 

Roy

[Norm81]

What was the reason behind the renumbering into the 142/5 series. I don't think I was ever aware that they did that.

 

Roy

The 142/5's were numbered to show they had the alternative gearbox, rather than the original problematic one. Once they were all converted they were numbered back.

[Jim76]

Yes that logo was for the short lived network North West, which saw many units given the NW logo and some a complete relivery with grey main body colour and red and white bodyside stripe. This livery appeared on class 142s, 150s and 323s and the NW logo was replaced by the words Regional Railways.

Only Class 150 had NNW livery, the Class 142 had the logo on the original Provincial livery. The Class 323 never carried it. The first Class 323 units I saw in the north west were in the original Centro and later on in the second GMPTE livery.

[Glorious NSE]

Yes that logo was for the short lived network North West, which saw many units given the NW logo and some a complete relivery with grey main body colour and red and white bodyside stripe. This livery appeared on class 142s, 150s and 323s and the NW logo was replaced by the words Regional Railways.

This one?

 

[w124bob]

As I drove the Clithroe route almost from day 1 I got to know a couple of people from the Friends of the Line, one gent who I think was called Peter seemed to be well connected and assured me it was a contractual issue regarding the use of 142's. I seem to recall the booking office staff were employed by Larcashire CC. As the line reopened to passengers in 1994 I wonder if there was a 20 year contract in place, anyone know when the 142 ban was recinded?

[royaloak]

Yes, there were some "Skippers" sent to Tyneside, I remember them from my student days. We nicknamed them "chocolate camels".

 

This one, 142519, had an unusual livery mod

142519 by Jim, on Flickr

I never realised the 142s were renumbered when they had the gearboxes changed, they do say you learn something new every day.

 

It was to do with either changing the engines from Leyland TL11 engines to Cummins or the Self Changing gearboxes to Voith T211R, I cant remember which one it was and most of my info books are still packed.

 

Edit-

Norm81 has confirmed it was the gearboxes.

Edited January 24, 2018 by royaloak

[adb968008]

It has.

 

The rumour elsewhere was incompatible track circuits from Blackburn to Clitheroe, but I never found out. It never heard the LCC contract stipulation, but it seems plausible. Even the signallers at Horrocksford Junction didn't know the reason.

There are photos of them on test (when new in GM orange/brown) through Clitheroe before the passenger service was reinstated in the 90s. But can't immediately locate any.

 

I was on a Clitheroe-Manchester on a 150 about 5 years ago and had to change to a 142 at Blackburn that had mistakenly been put on the Clitheroe run. The 150 then took up the 142's diagram towards Clitheroe as the 142 headed back to Manchester.

 

A couple of years before that, there was flooding in the Aire Valley that blocked the route and a train made up of 142/144 was sent from Skipton via Hellifield, Blackburn and Copy Pit to return them to Neville Hill. Apparently there were some red faces afterwards when it was realised that they were banned from the Hellifield-Blackburn line......... but then again, nobody could confirm why they were banned.

 

Whatever the problem was, it has been sorted and they now regularly turn up on the Manchester-Clitheroe.

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

142's were also banned from the Manchester - Bury line.

they were catching the 3rd rail equipment.

Edited January 25, 2018 by adb968008

[adb968008]

 

Just thought i'd add a pacer of the day, 142002 (my most frequently photographed pacer).

Here at Blackburn, as thats where the discussion was recently about.

 

Note  it's destination box is part of the front panel (not a rubber sealed glass window) 

Edited May 9, 2021 by adb968008

[GordonC]

142's were also banned from the Manchester - Bury line.

they were catching the 3rd rail equipment.

 

was there ever much need for them to go on the Manchester to Bury line if the 504s were still around then? did they have anywhere they needed to get to on that line?

[Jim76]

This one?

 

No, that is Regional Railways GMPTE livery. This is the Network Northwest here :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jncarter1962/10478915936/in/photostream

[newbryford]

As I drove the Clithroe route almost from day 1 I got to know a couple of people from the Friends of the Line, one gent who I think was called Peter seemed to be well connected and assured me it was a contractual issue regarding the use of 142's. I seem to recall the booking office staff were employed by Larcashire CC. As the line reopened to passengers in 1994 I wonder if there was a 20 year contract in place, anyone know when the 142 ban was recinded?

 

Peter Moore maybe?

 

A quick google has found this on a forum. 

 

Since August 16th 2012 142's have been passed to work services to Clitheroe today 16:24pm Man Vic - Clitheroe and 18:06pm Clitheroe to Man Vic was worked by a 142005 !!

 

From the same forum, the first 142 turned up on 23rd August 2012.

Regular services to Clitheroe had re-commenced in May 1994.

 

When the deal was made, it was probably expected that the 142s would be long gone.................

 

Cheers,

Mick

[adb968008]

was there ever much need for them to go on the Manchester to Bury line if the 504s were still around then? did they have anywhere they needed to get to on that line?

When the power failed, BR would occasionally try to put in a DMU service.

I only recall five occasions DMUs were used on the Bury (via Crumpsall) line:

two of them were 1st gen DMUs in a power failure (I think it was like an hourly service they managed)

1x occasion was a 6 (might have been 8) car 150/2 on a Railtour from Rambottom to Kidderminster SVR

1x occasion was thumper units (not sure if it was Hastings, 205 or 207’s) on a railtour from London to the ELR.

1x occasion 2x DPU parcels units came to Bury for a gala.

They were circa 1987-89.

 

Back in the day didn’t Bacup services used to goto Manchester via Crumpsall as well as Clifton ? They were amongst BR’s very first ever DMUs.. Met Cammells, pre-101’s. Somewhere on this site is a picture of the Blue Pullman at Bury too, don’t know which way it escaped though.

Edited January 26, 2018 by adb968008

[cs233]

What a stylish livery the GMPTE RR variant was. In the days when the railways had professional livery and corporate images unlike the tacky garbage (Northern I am thinking of you) that has come since.

[wombatofludham]

It always struck me that the second RR GMPTE livery was almost a reversed Intercity livery.

 

Oh for an OO 323 in early GMPTE and Centro liveries. It was always fun seeing the GMPTE liveried 323s in Birmingham New Street on the residual Manchester-Birmingham All Shacks service in the 1990s just before privatisation as well as the 309s.

[cs233]

 

Oh for an OO 323 in early GMPTE and Centro liveries. 

That would be a model that should sell in large numbers, and being a 3-car the tooling costs should not be too excessive one would hope. There were rumours years past that Bachmann were looking at the 323 but this is unlikely to be the case now. The seats might be a bit firm on the prototype but they have held up well and have been a very successful EMU design.

[keybuk]

That would be a model that should sell in large numbers, and being a 3-car the tooling costs should not be too excessive one would hope. There were rumours years past that Bachmann were looking at the 323 but this is unlikely to be the case now. The seats might be a bit firm on the prototype but they have held up well and have been a very successful EMU design.

 

Plus their distinctive thyristor noise will sound great with a speaker sound decoder!

[wombatofludham]

That would be a model that should sell in large numbers, and being a 3-car the tooling costs should not be too excessive one would hope. There were rumours years past that Bachmann were looking at the 323 but this is unlikely to be the case now. The seats might be a bit firm on the prototype but they have held up well and have been a very successful EMU design.

In theory both driving cars have the same body shell, and even the centre car is broadly the same apart from the missing cab bay, whether that gives money saving options in terms of tooling I don't know but the range of liveries they have carried and the fact they cover an area from Northampton to Liverpool and Manchester ought to generate as many sales as some of the more exotic kettles recently announced or for that matter Hornby's third-rail electric kettles.

 

Imagine a layout with a 323 sound equipped alongside a Dessie sound equipped...

[Owd Bob]

Last of my cl.142 pics' from my collection, not good quality but maybe useful for someone for modeling purposes. For some reason i was reminded of these snowy pics' when i ventured passed Daisy Hill Station today.  

Daisy Hill Station. Westhoughton, Lancs' 7-2-'96.

 

Wigan Wallgate. 7-2-'96.

 

Wigan N.W. 1-8-'90.

 

Ince Moss, Nr. Wigan.  22-12-'94.

 

Warrington B.Q. Station. 27-6-'99.

[QuoitsPlayer]

Just regarding the Skippers in the north east if you look on YouTube for BBC Railwatch there is a 'Skipper' at Battersby in 1989

[charliepetty]

Just regarding the Skippers in the north east if you look on YouTube for BBC Railwatch there is a 'Skipper' at Battersby in 1989

Was that not a 143.

[QuoitsPlayer]

Was that not a 143.

Brief Skipper entering platform at 4:14 and then full length shot of Skipper leaving at 5:15

https://youtu.be/BX01NnAQGfc

Edited March 2, 2018 by QuoitsPlayer