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

[Northmoor]

I scanned all my 110 format negatives recently - remember those?   Although I used it for two years in the mid-80s and photographed a few Sprinters, I seemed to snap very few Pacers.  Sadly a few of those I did, the photos are very poor.  One half-decent one is this of some activity at Huddersfield in Summer 1986:

[60091]

Don't remember 141s working in the North East so not sure what 141116 was doing passing Newcastle.

November 9th 1988. Image taken from an old print.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Speaking of 141s in strange places, I just went back and found the date on that one on the previous page of this thread at Elstree:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142370-pace-yourself-photos-of-the-final-pacer-countdown/&do=findComment&comment=3537435

 

[eastwestdivide]

Movember 2013 version:

 

The refurbished 144012 (slightly smiling front end?) at Hatfield & Stainforth, 2016

[Owd Bob]

Bank holiday Monday 6-5-19. Was a busy day and seemed to have a normal services running on the Wigan-Manchester & Wigan- Bolton lines at daisy Hill and Crows Nest Junc' Hindley. 

 

 

[60091]

Chathill, northern outpost of the Pacer empire!

142067 in June 2014 and 142079 July 2016 at Chathill on the twice daily return service from the Metro Centre/Newcastle.

 

[4630]

A few more recent Pacer photos.

 

Northern 142029 at Stalybridge on 4th May 2019.  The service (2J45) that this Pacer brought in was the Saturday Only 'parliamentary service' from Stockport to Stalybridge via Denton.

 

Northern 142028 and 142042 arrived at Stalybridge with 2W46, 09.08 Wigan North Western to Stalybridge.

 

 

More photos of Pacers at Stalybridge on 4th May are in this gallery on my website.

 

[OhOh]

 

 

Operating the 2D44/2D39 rotation from/to Bishop Auckland, although 2D44 originated Darlington, probably due to delays caused by the Albert Road Bridge at Middlesbrough being struck by a crane earlier in the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by OhOh

[Wheatley]

On 07/05/2019 at 16:30, 60091 said:

Don't remember 141s working in the North East so not sure what 141116 was doing passing Newcastle.

November 9th 1988. Image taken from an old print.

 

At that date, and in that livery, I suspect working back to Neville Hill via Heaton after refurbishment in Kilmarnock. 

[Mark Saunders]

1 hour ago, Wheatley said:

At that date, and in that livery, I suspect working back to Neville Hill via Heaton after refurbishment in Kilmarnock. 

 

Agree as there was a Works open day and several were at Barclays for refurbishment!

[dvdlcs]

Can someone explain why there is a difference in the size and shape of the destination display within Class 142?

 

Some have a small display with what looks like a roller blind for the destination, others have a large display with LCD/LED destinations.

 

Those with the large destination board seem to be in the middle of the number range, so presumably wasn't a change during construction. Was it down to a particular franchise / owner refurbishing their units?

[pharrc20]

A chance sighting last Sunday whilst out on a walk with my partner saw this pair pull up at Lostock Gralem on a Northern service for Chester. Unfortunately weekday services are usually single units which often fill up on the peak time services.

Cheers Paul

[Mark Saunders]

1 hour ago, dvdlcs said:

Can someone explain why there is a difference in the size and shape of the destination display within Class 142?

 

Some have a small display with what looks like a roller blind for the destination, others have a large display with LCD/LED destinations.

 

Those with the large destination board seem to be in the middle of the number range, so presumably wasn't a change during construction. Was it down to a particular franchise / owner refurbishing their units?

 

Refurbishment of the original roller blinds some retained and others modified.

 

The modifications depend on the leasing TOC at the time and the specifications agreed with the leasing company.

 

This is how the Northern fleet varies as the ex North Western ones differ to the Arriva Northern!

 

Seats tend to be the one you notice when travelling.

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

3 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

the ex North Western ones differ to the Arriva Northern

In particular the ex-Mersey ones with the even-more-horrible-than-original seats have a display of their own.

This post earlier in the thread shows it well: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142370-pace-yourself-photos-of-the-final-pacer-countdown/&do=findComment&comment=3482621

 

 

[jessy1692]

29 minutes ago, eastwestdivide said:

In particular the ex-Mersey ones with the even-more-horrible-than-original seats have a display of their own.

This post earlier in the thread shows it well: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142370-pace-yourself-photos-of-the-final-pacer-countdown/&do=findComment&comment=3482621

 

 

I remember an ex mersey one leaving York to Harrogate once, i think the guard decided to have a bit of fun and set the computer announcement as we wheezed out to 'The next station stop will be Liverpool Limestreet' The look of panic on peoples faces was hilarious, had a good chuckle at that when the guard appeared for a ticket check with a grin on his face

[Market65]

Well, today I travelled from Scarborough to Beverley in 158906 and on reaching Beverley station, at 17.33, in it, waiting to depart to Driffield and Bridlington was 144012! I do dislike that unit, especially those awful ironing board seats, but I decided to take a couple of photo’s since it’s days are very much numbered.

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Rob.

 

[Wheatley]

17 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

Refurbishment of the original roller blinds some retained and others modified.

 

The modifications depend on the leasing TOC at the time and the specifications agreed with the leasing company.

 

This is how the Northern fleet varies as the ex North Western ones differ to the Arriva Northern!

 

Seats tend to be the one you notice when travelling.

 

 

Agreed. There is a standing joke in Northern Engineering that no two 142s are ever in the same mod state. There are,  for example,  at least three different types of saloon heaters, only two of which can be turned on or off by the crew. 

[4630]

Whilst waiting at Brighouse for 60163 Tornado (which was working 1Z63, The Mad Hatter rail tour from Darlington to Chester, my video of it here), Northern 142088 passed by with 2W11, 10.07 Leeds to Huddersfield via Bradford Interchange. 

 

[jessy1692]

A 144 on the rear of the late 09 07 Harrogate to York, only a snatched phone shot so i didnt get the no.

[4630]

Old timer  passes new and shiny.

 

On 23rd May 2019 Northern 142095 working 2W15, 12.06 Leeds to Huddersfield via Bradford Interchange passes 802202 working 5Q57, 12.35 Manchester Piccadilly to Heaton T&RSMD.

 

[iands]

2 minutes ago, 4630 said:

Old timer  passes new and shiny.

 

On 23rd May 2019 Northern 142095 working 2W15, 12.06 Leeds to Huddersfield via Bradford Interchange passes 802202 working 5Q57, 12.35 Manchester Piccadilly to Heaton T&RSMD.

 

Old and new - brilliant!

[4630]

It was just pure luck, but you have to take these opportunities when they're presented.

 

I was really there to phot 802202 which was running in a much earlier path as 5Q57 from Manchester Piccadilly (due to a track circuit failure), rather than its booked later working as 5Q55 from Manchester Airport.

[Owd Bob]

Hindley. 24-5-'19. Sorry for these bad pics , i did'nt have my half decent camera with me yesterday when i was out and saw these passing, it seems to me that more of the old Blue paint is fast appearing on a few units, is there a phantom paint stripper at work slowly trying to get a retro look? If so can i see one in GMT Orange and chocolate Brown please before they all finally go. 

 

[eastwestdivide]

The Northern Grand Tour, nearly avoiding Pacers

 

Taking advantage of the newspaper offer for a £10 Northern-only day rover, I packed my flask and sandwiches, and with a vague plan for heading west, I was fully expecting to end up on a few Pacers during the day.

 

First up, and I was really expecting a Pacer on this one, but the Rotherham-Leeds stopper was a refurb 158 with USB sockets.

On-time arrival at Leeds left me just enough time to hop on the new Northern Leeds-Chester service, another 158, via the Calder Valley and Newton-le-Willows. Nearly full by Manchester Vic, where it practically emptied, only to be refilled mostly by racegoers to Chester races. Came into Warrington alongside a London-bound Virgin service, so we took the low level lines via Walton Old Junction, and the Virgin overtook somewhere by the ship canal.

Quick pit stop in Chester city centre, and back for the Manchester via Northwich/Altrincham service, a refurb 156, full of rubbish from its previous journey. I'd half-expected that to be a 142 as well. There was also a single-car Northern 153 in the same bay platform, as if they'd strengthened an earlier service for the racegoers, and left it there to strengthen a later return service.

Into Piccadilly, and over to the through platforms for an Airport-Preston service, an unrefurbished 319, 4 mins late after the total madness of platform 14 with a heaving 2-car Norwich-Liverpool. Ride quality ‘variable’ over Chat Moss, then a blast down the WCML via Wigan.

Glimpse of the future at Preston, a parked-up new 195 DMU for Northern. Quick coffee and on board the Blackpool-York service via Blackburn and Copy Pit, a 3-car 158. 

Jumped out at Hebden Bridge, where there was a historic narrow boat event on the nearby canal.

Then the Southport-Leeds train from from HB into Leeds via Brighouse. Spotted a 142 in the distance as it approached, but managed to avoid it as there was a refurb 150 on the back.

Out at Leeds and onto the stopper to Doncaster, a 322. Rain was causing wheelslip out of most station stops. 5L by Adwick.

Another glimpse of the future at Doncaster, 3 x 331 EMUs parked up. Then on board the Bridlington-Shefffield semi-fast service, a 3-car 170 with combined USB and power sockets.

And finally, an unavoidable 2-car 144 Pacer, my first of the day, on an Adwick service from Sheffield back home to Rotherham.

 

Most trains I caught were pretty well filled during the day, but not to the point of standing in the aisles - it was a Bank Holiday weekend Saturday after all. On the plus side, nothing I caught was seriously delayed, most a few mins down at their destination.

 

Much later... a map of the day. Not bad for £10 + 3 newspapers:

Edited May 27, 2019 by eastwestdivide
Map

[87023Velocity]

Not sure how this would work, think the windows would need plating over. Also the picture is erm, slightly misleading.........

https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/17669243.phased-out-pacer-train-could-become-community-spaces-in-new-competition/

 

You could have it in the kids play ground as a type of bouncy castle.

 

Cheers

 

Simon