FGW 143's

[mawallace]

Could someone give me some up to date info on the FGW 143 fleet.

i. What routes do they operate during the week?

ii. how mant daiuly diagrams are there?

iii. Where is the best place to go and see them?

iv. If I go to this place, how long should I spend before the diagrams repeat themsevles?

Thanks

 

[TEW]

The fleet is split in half. Half operate around Exeter, Exmouth-Paignton and Exmouth-Barnstaple services. The other half is on the Severn Beach line, one operates half the Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare services and another operates the 0933 Exeter-Cardiff and 1300 return.

 

[devon_metro]

Weston-super-Mare - Bristol Parkway, (Exeter) Taunton - Cardiff Central, Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Beach/Avonmouth, Paignton - Exeter - Exmouth, Barnstaple - Exeter - Exmouth.

Exeter probably a good shout at seeing a few, since the fleet is based then. As are the Weston-super-Mare - Bristol Parkway stoppers.

 

[TEW]

Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids stations would let you see the most, all the diagrams pass through at least one of those.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

I believe the morning ghost train from Taunton to Bristol is usually a 143, which would then be on the Severn Beach runs...or is this getting rarer now?

 

[anthony263]

FGW are hoping to regualry to use class 150's on the Bristol - Avonmouth/Severn beach services from may 2011 according to a article in the Bristol evening post a few weeks ago.

after that i would suspect thet most of the FGW class 143's will be used on the exeter local services.

 

[tbtc]

None make it to Plymouth/Cornwall these days?

 

[TEW]

None are booked to, and none never have been, occasionally one makes it to Penzance on a Sunday and the odd Plymouth-Exeter service can be a pacer every now and then.

 

[tbtc]

None are booked to, and none never have been, occasionally one makes it to Penzance on a Sunday and the odd Plymouth-Exeter service can be a pacer every now and then.

Cheers - am seldom that far west

 

[mawallace]

So to see the most then I should

Spend a couple of hours at Bristol and then

A couple of hours at Exeter?

 

[brillopad]

So to see the most then I should

Spend a couple of hours at Bristol and then

A couple of hours at Exeter?

If you are going that far then stop at EXD and get the local stopper to at least Newton Abbot - fabulous ride down past Powderham castle - wintering geese, red deer, avocets - on to Dawlish via Brunel's seafront railway and up the river Teign to Newton Abbot.
I'd also get off at Dawlish and after looking at the Black swans get the best ice-cream in the World at Gay's bakery - on the left up the river by the Duck pens where they have beautiful Mandarin and Wood Ducks.

 

[anthony263]

Since we are talking about pacers, i have just had this emailed to me:

http://pacer-preservation.webs.com./

 

[Drsatan]

If you are going that far then stop at EXD and get the local stopper to at least Newton Abbot - fabulous ride down past Powderham castle - wintering geese, red deer, avocets - on to Dawlish via Brunel's seafront railway and up the river Teign to Newton Abbot.
I'd also get off at Dawlish and after looking at the Black swans get the best ice-cream in the World at Gay's bakery - on the left up the river by the Duck pens where they have beautiful Mandarin and Wood Ducks.

If you've got a while to wait at Exeter St Davids for your train, I suggest either going to the Great Western Hotel across the station car park for a pint, or hike to the Imperial just up the hill (2nd largest Wetherspoons in the country and like the Great Western, has a decent selection of ales).

Alternatively, get a train to Exeter Central (all the Waterloo and Exmouth branch trains call there), walk to the footbridge at the London end of the platform, and walk onto New North Road. Turn right and 200 metres or so on the left there's a really nice pub called the Old Firehouse. I think the Leaky Cauldron scenes in a couple of the Harry Potter films were filmed there.

 

[158747]

It is possible to see 3 143s at Bristol Temple Meads in 9 minutes in the morning, Mon - Fri (not sure about Saturdays):
11.16 to Severn Beach
11.21 to Cardiff Central (09.33 from Exeter St. Davids)
11.25 to Weston Super Mare (11.12 from Bristol Parkway)

 

[starrymarkb]

Alternatively, get a train to Exeter Central (all the Waterloo and Exmouth branch trains call there), walk to the footbridge at the London end of the platform, and walk onto New North Road. Turn right and 200 metres or so on the left there's a really nice pub called the Old Firehouse. I think the Leaky Cauldron scenes in a couple of the Harry Potter films were filmed there.

Just to point out that the Locomotive on New North Road is to be avoided at all costs.

 

[142]

So to see the most then I should

Spend a couple of hours at Bristol and then

A couple of hours at Exeter?

Do Bristol in the morning then go to Exeter on the service forming the 1300 CDF-EXD which is ALWAYS a 143