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Best routes to find Pacers?

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PeterY

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As far as I'm concerned a pacer is significantly better than a 153. Not many people agree with me, however.

I agree with you. Nothing worse than a crush loaded 153.

Next week, I hope to have a pacer bash:D:D:D:D in the North West, it'll be my last chance. Basing myself in Wigan (Mecca of the north) and doing a Northwest 4 in 8 rover, plus 1 day to complete Merseyrail.
 
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61653 HTAFC

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Is a 153 better or worse than a pacer? Do many northern routes have 153’s on them

As far as I'm concerned a pacer is significantly better than a 153. Not many people agree with me, however.

Depends on the loading: if the service is nearly empty, I'd rather it be a Pacer (MerseyTravel 142s excluded). If it's pretty busy but not full and standing, a 153 is better... but if it's rammed, then I'm back in the Pacer camp!

Huddersfield to Castleford is always either a 153 or a 2-car Pacer, with 2 units in use at any one time. So if you're after either it's a good shout.
 

darloscott

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Depends on the loading: if the service is nearly empty, I'd rather it be a Pacer (MerseyTravel 142s excluded). If it's pretty busy but not full and standing, a 153 is better... but if it's rammed, then I'm back in the Pacer camp!

Huddersfield to Castleford is always either a 153 or a 2-car Pacer, with 2 units in use at any one time. So if you're after either it's a good shout.
142 ends up on one of them after about 8pm as the 153 goes to Leeds, but generally during the day they should both be 153s. There's a 144 on the first Cas-Hudds too (that goes onto Leeds). Of course if they're short of a 153 then sticking a 142 on here is probably an easy way to release one!
 

ed1971

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Salford Crescent’s probably a decent shout for 142s. Not the nicest place to hang out though, no bogs or brews available.

As of last week there were plenty of Pacers on the Southport-Wigan-Manchester services still.

This seems to vary. I ventured out to Ashton Under Lyne last Saturday. I observed that most services between Southport Wigan and Manchester were 150s.
 

CheerDanielita

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Does anyone really want to see them, I get left with 1 going to Morecambe from Leeds on Thursday at 12:18, they seem very old and not with modern features and Scotrail changed there’s after a decade and we had the class 142 and 144 since a good while before I was born, the on,y advantage is them having electric doors and LNER still have a pull down window and a door lock.
 

_toommm_

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What's the likelihood of seeing a 142 at Leeds/Doncaster/Sheffield?

Very likely at Sheffield and Leeds. Not so much at Doncaster, but they do still show on the Sheffield to Hull stoppers and the Doncaster to Scunthorpe stoppers, along with the very occasional Express work.
 

TrainTube

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Very likely at Sheffield and Leeds. Not so much at Doncaster, but they do still show on the Sheffield to Hull stoppers and the Doncaster to Scunthorpe stoppers, along with the very occasional Express work.
What services are the 142s most likely to be on at Sheffield and Leeds?
 

cactustwirly

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Having gone to that area in the end of may, Im pretty sure only 4 units are diagrammed for the line, 2 155s and probably pacers. The Pacers tend to leave Leeds on the xx:28 services, the 155s on the xx:58 services.

It's 3 diagrams, and the xx28/58 services interwork with each other
 

_toommm_

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.....
Pacers are pretty much guaranteed on Sheffield to Huddersfield (144s), Sheffield to Leeds via Castleford, or the route via Rotherham Central. There's also Sheffield to Adwick and Doncaster to Scunthorpe, or the all-stops Sheffield to Hull. Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly Hope Valley stoppers are a mix between Pacers and Sprinters now.

Over in West Yorkshire, the Leeds to Knottingley runs are often Pacers. Leeds to Southport can sometimes throw up a Pacer/150 combo too.
 

TrainTube

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I specified 144s specifically for Sheffield to Huddersfield, the rest are candidates for 142s or 144s.
Ah ok thanks! Do you think that its likely that Northern will get rid of all their 142s by January? I find it hard to believe myself.
 

sprinterguy

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Ah ok thanks! Do you think that its likely that Northern will get rid of all their 142s by January? I find it hard to believe myself.
The first Northern class 142 was supposed to be withdrawn in October last year, with the remainder following over a twelve month period. As withdrawal of the first units is just barely getting going ten months later, it seems highly unlikely that all 79 units can be withdrawn in the 17 weeks of this year remaining. In fact it seems that the next big tranche of withdrawals isn't expected until around October 20th.
 

Paul.Rosser

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Sheffield for class 142& 144 pretty regular Northern and Cardiff area for the class 142 for TFW services ex Arriva Trains
 

rick9525

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With family living in Marple I can say majority of services to New Mills and Rose Hill from Piccadilly are pacers with a few 150’s slotted in. In the peak most trains are doubled up and this will normally include 1 or 2 pacers. Some run to Sheffield but these tend to be mainly 150’s now.
 

LMS 4F

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Very likely at Sheffield and Leeds. Not so much at Doncaster, but they do still show on the Sheffield to Hull stoppers and the Doncaster to Scunthorpe stoppers, along with the very occasional Express work.
The Adwick to Sheffield has only ever been a Pacer all the times I've seen it.
 

geoffk

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It’s certainly not unknown for them to appear on the Fishguard boat train. A 142 showed up last month when I was there, although I didn’t travel on it.

Possibly a good run for Pacer fans if they can get it - a good length of non-stop running, and some jointed track on the Fishguard branch too, plus of course an unusual route or two in the process.
Last Wednesday (28th) there was a 142 on the 11.00 Swansea - Fishguard. I was 250 miles from home, having my sandwiches on Clarbeston Road station.
 

NORMAN471

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Booked for Pacer
After working the 11.00 from Swansea to Fishguard does it then work the 12.50 to Cardiff? Are there any other regular Pacer (particularly 142) services currently that work towards Newport and beyond?
 

PHILIPE

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After working the 11.00 from Swansea to Fishguard does it then work the 12.50 to Cardiff? Are there any other regular Pacer (particularly 142) services currently that work towards Newport and beyond?

Afterwards works to Ebbw Vale and then Swansea and return. They work beyond Newport to Cheltenham and can be either a 142 or 143 as they work as one fleet
 

61653 HTAFC

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I have seen that post, in my post I specify 142s, not 144s.
As a rule of thumb, 144s are rare West of the Pennines* so if a service crosses over under and is run by a Pacer it'll be almost certain to be a 142 not a 144. Hope Valley stoppers won't be a 144 because they're run with Piccadilly(?) crews who don't sign them.

*=except for Leeds to Lancaster/Morecambe, which as an inverse of Hope Valley is resourced from the East side.
 

eastwestdivide

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The Hope Valley stoppers seem to be more and more 150s recently, at least when I've been that way. At least two different ones were out on the route yesterday.
 

TrainTube

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How likely is it that a train from Sheffield to Rotherham Central is a Pacer?
 

brompton rail

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How likely is it that a train from Sheffield to Rotherham Central is a Pacer?
Quite likely - Sheffield to Hull / Adwick stoppers and Doncaster -Scunthorpe stoppers are likely to remain Pacers until well into next year according to Press reports
 
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