Pacer route list

[33017]

Was that always the case? My recollection is that the first time I ever saw a Pacer (or at least the first time close to) was at Shrewsbury in summer 1986. I can't remember whether it was in service, or if so where it was going.

Not sure but they certainly haven’t been allowed there in passenger service this century. They couldn’t be relied upon to operate the track circuits.

 

[driver9000]

And although the 143s were Scottish bodies on Scottish frames (Alexander/Barclay respectively) none ever worked north of the Border.

Yes they did, 143s worked the Edinburgh to Bathgate service when the line reopened. 142s occasionally made it to Dumfries from Carlisle too.

 

[Neptune]

The class 140 covered most of the country I seem to remember.

 

[sprinterguy]

Did they ever do Northern's (now former, I believe, outside of major Durham Coast disruption) limited service via Durham and Chester-le-Street?

They certainly did - I recall travelling on at least one 142 between Durham and Newcastle. Photo of 142021 at Durham in July 2003 attached, as the first unit to receive Arriva Trains Northern livery.

 

[Mat17]

They certainly did - I recall travelling on at least one 142 between Durham and Newcastle. Photo of 142021 at Durham in July 2003 attached, as the first unit to receive Arriva Trains Northern livery.
View attachment 147975

The best of the post-privatisation liveries imo.

 

[kaysha]

They also occasionally ran as an evening peak to Dunblane. Could this be the furthest north they ever ventured?

 

[robert thomas]

Not sure but they certainly haven’t been allowed there in passenger service this century. They couldn’t be relied upon to operate the track circuits.

I travelled on the protoype pacer 140.001 from Swansea to Shrewsbury at the unearthly hour of 05.44 from Swansea on 26th July 1982

Not sure but they certainly haven’t been allowed there in passenger service this century. They couldn’t be relied upon to operate the track circuits.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Didn't they operate some early services to Bathgate?

Indeed they did. But only very briefly just after (re)opening of that Line. I recall reading it was only because Scotrail didn't want to use 'old and decrepit' First Gen DMU's on a high profile reopened Line. They were 143's borrowed from Heaton I believe

 

[Whisky Papa]

They certainly went to Clitheroe later on.

Fair enough. I suspect that there wasn't an outright ban with Clitheroe (unlike Buxton - I should have been clearer) but it was simply something that Lancashire County Council had requested not to happen on the line they were supporting. Possibly they did run if required by Control during disruption, but they weren't to be diagrammed.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

On a couple of occasions I have had one on a Middlesbrough-York service, running flat out on the up main south of Thirsk.

Talking of ECML workings during RRNE days there was a bizarre overnight/early hours working between Doncaster and either Darlington or Newcastle which seemed to run solely to allow 153s on Lincolnshire turns to get to/from Heaton depot. Is it possible that 142s ever appeared on this move?

Did they ever do Northern's (now former, I believe, outside of major Durham Coast disruption) limited service via Durham and Chester-le-Street, and did they ever serve Penrith in passenger service?

That would be surprising as RRNW and its heirs and successors didn’t run over Shap AFAIK.

Except as ecs moves between Carlisle and Oxenholme for the Windermere branch.

I think Swindon must be the nearest to London they got on regular workings -- 77 1/4 miles, which is the equivalent of only just past Peterborough on the ECML.

Why weren't they ever used on the Suffolk or Norfolk branches? (Ipswich is 68¾ miles from Liverpool Street.)

Not quite a Pacer but prototype Leyland railbus LEV1 did spend a couple of weeks in 1980 operating services between Ipswich and Lowestoft. Does that count?!

The class 140 covered most of the country I seem to remember.

It did but did it carry fare paying passengers or just invited guests? It's telling that the Pacer concept was rejected by Scotrail.

 

[Neptune]

Talking of ECML workings during RRNE days there was a bizarre overnight/early hours working between Doncaster and either Darlington or Newcastle which seemed to run solely to allow 153s on Lincolnshire turns to get to/from Heaton depot. Is it possible that 142s ever appeared on this move?

Not sure about that but once all 142’s were based at Heaton (swapped for the 153’s) a pair worked ECS between York and Heaton and vv to swap sets about. It still runs today to swap a 158 between the 2 each night.

It did but did it carry fare paying passengers or just invited guests? It's telling that the Pacer concept was rejected by Scotrail.

Yes it definitely carried fare paying passengers as my dad went on it from Bradford Interchange to Leeds and back in 1981. He certainly wasn’t an invited guest.

 

[Darandio]

On a couple of occasions I have had one on a Middlesbrough-York service, running flat out on the up main south of Thirsk.

I did York to Newcastle via the Durham Coast back in Northern Spirit days a couple of times. I must have been mad looking back.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Yes it definitely carried fare paying passengers as my dad went on it from Bradford Interchange to Leeds and back in 1981. He certainly wasn’t an invited guest.

Apologies, I misunderstood and thought you were referring just to Scotland. As such my question still stands (regarding Scotland) but probably for others to answer.

 

[sprinterguy]

The best of the post-privatisation liveries imo.

I always thought it a bit bland. I didn't dislike ATN livery, mind, but Northern Spirit, North West Trains 'gold star' and Valley Lines all seemed more striking and sat better on the class in my opinion.

They also occasionally ran as an evening peak to Dunblane. Could this be the furthest north they ever ventured?

A 141 and 142(076, iirc) made it to Inverness once, although not in passenger service.

 

[Harvester]

I did York to Newcastle via the Durham Coast back in Northern Spirit days a couple of times. I must have been mad looking back.

I can remember how unreliable the 143s were back in the late eighties after being introduced on the Durham Coast, with loco hauled substitutes commonly used. Both the 143s and the 142s on this route would always produce extremely loud screeching on the tight curve into Hartlepool station, which must have caused excessive flange wear on the wheels!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Not quite a Pacer but prototype Leyland railbus LEV1 did spend a couple of weeks in 1980 operating services between Ipswich and Lowestoft. Does that count?!

The 140 did but did it carry fare paying passengers or just invited guests?

I rode the LEV1 between Ipswich and Westerham, and the 140 between The Lakes and Birmingham, both on normal scheduled passenger service.

 

[30907]

Except as ecs moves between Carlisle and Oxenholme for the Windermere branch.

I stand corrected. I recall Windermere being operated from the Carnforth/Lancaster/Preston end rather than Carlisle.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

I stand corrected. I recall Windermere being operated from the Carnforth/Lancaster/Preston end rather than Carlisle.

Operating from the south makes more sense but sometimes strange decisions are made, in this case to make the Windermere branch a RRNE responsibility. Even today it seems that the branch is seen as an operational nuisance, it would be so much easier if it was electrified. /sigh

 

[DarloRich]

I had pacer to Boulby once - does that count

Did they ever do Northern's (now former, I believe, outside of major Durham Coast disruption) limited service via Durham and Chester-le-Street,

Very much so! i have lost count of the number of 142 journeys I have had between Darlington & Newcastle via Durham! bouncy bouncy squuuuuuuueeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllll!

On a couple of occasions I have had one on a Middlesbrough-York service, running flat out on the up main south of Thirsk.

I am fairly certain I had a Newcastle > York via Stockton pacer service. flogging its backside off on the ECML.

 

[frodshamfella]

Service from Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan/ Manchester. Helsby to Ellesmere Port, Ormskirk to Preston. Blackpool South services.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Why weren't they ever used on the Suffolk or Norfolk branches? (Ipswich is 68¾ miles from Liverpool Street.)

I rode the LEV1 between Ipswich and Westerham, and the 140 between The Lakes and Birmingham, both on normal scheduled passenger service.

Westerfield surely? It would be an even bouncier ride than normal if you tried to get to Westerham on a train nowadays!!

 

[Zamracene749]

In BR days, 143s were certainly used on the Weardale line to Stanhope from Darlington circa 1988, on short lived timetabled weekend extensions. Also, I'm fairly sure they worked up to Berwick when the all stations service from Newcastle ran that far around the same period.

 

[snookertam]

IIRC ScotRail we’re usually quite unhappy when Northern ever resourced a 142 on any of their services to Dumfries. They were very much verboten north of the border.

 

[MadMac]

IIRC ScotRail we’re usually quite unhappy when Northern ever resourced a 142 on any of their services to Dumfries. They were very much verboten north of the border.

There was a General Appendix instruction essentially prohibiting them from Scottish Region due to unreliable operation of certain track circuit types.

 

[kaysha]

A 141 and 142(076, iirc) made it to Inverness once, although not in passenger service.

I wonder what speed it managed to reach over drumochter and slocht summits!

 

[nw1]

As far as South Wales goes it's easier to say where they didn't go. I believe they were kept off the Heart of Wales line, even though, conceptually at least, it was one of the routes for which they were originally intended and Abergavenny was the usual limit on the Marches route. But they got everywhere else. They even had a round trip Cardiff-Exeter and return for a while.

When new a batch was painted in a GW style livery and based at Laira to work the Cornish branches for which they were officially nicknamed "Skippers"; the severe curvature on the Gunnislake branch and especially the Looe branch soon saw them sent away never to be seen in Cornwall again! But in Devon they were eventually very much a mainstay of the Devon Metro routes from Exeter to Barnstaple/Exmouth/Paignton with occasional use on Axminster workings. At one point there was also a stock interchange working between Exeter and Westbury via Taunton.

Indeed, first time I ever saw a Pacer was on 23 February 1987 (Monday of half-term) at Topsham station on an Exmouth service. It was, IIRC, a 142, would this make sense? By 1993/1994 they were all 143s, certainly in the Bristol area.

On that topic, they did get as far as Warminster on peak workings (the 1721 Bath-Warminster in the mid-90s was a 150+143 combo for a while, IIRC) but don't think they officially ever operated to Salisbury or beyond.

 

[DarloRich]

In BR days, 143s were certainly used on the Weardale line to Stanhope from Darlington circa 1988, on short lived timetabled weekend extensions.

travelled that line by pacer to - the only NE line that I cant recall seeing a pacer on was the Leamside. I even recall having a a class 141 between York and Darlington on more than one occasion.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Westerfield surely? It would be an even bouncier ride than normal if you tried to get to Westerham on a train nowadays!!

Yes of course!

 

[Strathclyder]

Yes fairly certain that HT 142’s made it to Dumfries vice a 156.

It may be a false memory, but I seem to distinctly remember seeing a pic somewhere a good few years ago of a 142 attached to a First ScotRail 156 (to give one a rough idea of the period it was taken). Like I say, I could be conflating it with something else entirely.

 

[sprinterguy]

It may be a false memory, but I seem to distinctly remember seeing a pic somewhere a good few years ago of a 142 attached to a First ScotRail 156 (to give one a rough idea of the period it was taken). Like I say, I could be conflating it with something else entirely.

There's a YouTube video of such a pairing coupling at Newcastle in 2011 - Not unusual on an ECS working between Newcastle and Heaton depot at the start/end of the day.

More recently it may well have occurred during 2019 with the ex-Scotrail 156s that transferred to Northern, which carried debranded 'barbie' livery.