GWR Class 143 withdrawals

[fgwrich]

We'll just drop them off at the Devon Council recycling site in Exeter.

Funny you mention that, as SIMS Metals Exeter is still rail connected (and used to have a regular service)

Though I like the idea of dropping them off at the Council Recycling Centre, and within 5 minutes seeing an excitable Sarah Moore finding it and dreaming of ways to up cycle it (or turning it into a Lamp)...

 

[Ashley Hill]

We'll just drop them off at the Devon Council recycling site in Exeter.

Or a trip down the Alphington branch for the scrapyard. Sell some tickets for a farewell bash over some rare track.

 

[47827]

GW staff who drive the castle hst sets in Cornwall are advising the spare power cars are to be used to form up a few shortened extra castle sets (by running some of them as 3 carriages instead of 4) to increase to 10 or 11 diagrams and cascade enough sprinters to replace the 143s by the deadline later this year. Understand the Taunton diagrams will remain 4 carriages for brake force and any short formed sets will be used in Devon and Cornwall presumably all or mostly on similar to what they already do although an unconfirmed rumour 1 of the sets may venture onto 1 of the branches instead.

 

[RPI]

GW staff who drive the castle hst sets in Cornwall are advising the spare power cars are to be used to form up a few shortened extra castle sets (by running some of them as 3 carriages instead of 4) to increase to 10 or 11 diagrams and cascade enough sprinters to replace the 143s by the deadline later this year. Understand the Taunton diagrams will remain 4 carriages for brake force and any short formed sets will be used in Devon and Cornwall presumably all or mostly on similar to what they already do although an unconfirmed rumour 1 of the sets may venture onto 1 of the branches instead.

I've not heard that (not saying its not true), they have used a 2+4 on the Newquay branch lately so could possibly be used there, although at this time of year a 2+1 would be enough lol

 

[Ashley Hill]

although at this time of year a 2+1 would be enough lol

Now that's my kinda train!

 

[Apedlar12]

GW staff who drive the castle hst sets in Cornwall are advising the spare power cars are to be used to form up a few shortened extra castle sets (by running some of them as 3 carriages instead of 4) to increase to 10 or 11 diagrams and cascade enough sprinters to replace the 143s by the deadline later this year. Understand the Taunton diagrams will remain 4 carriages for brake force and any short formed sets will be used in Devon and Cornwall presumably all or mostly on similar to what they already do although an unconfirmed rumour 1 of the sets may venture onto 1 of the branches instead.

I've not heard that (not saying its not true), they have used a 2+4 on the Newquay branch lately so could possibly be used there, although at this time of year a 2+1 would be enough lol

I have heard the same thing from a driver as well saying that 9 of the 2+4s will be reduced to 2+3s to replace some units to allow them to head down to Devon to cover the loss of the 143s. I wasn't too sure about this though as I wasn't sure how much spare stock was available to form these additional sets but we shall have to wait and see. I believe it would be the Newquay branch that would go over to a 2+3 if anything as I think they have in the past couple of months used a 2+4 on there vice 150.

 

[47827]

I have heard the same thing from a driver as well saying that 9 of the 2+4s will be reduced to 2+3s to replace some units to allow them to head down to Devon to cover the loss of the 143s. I wasn't too sure about this though as I wasn't sure how much spare stock was available to form these additional sets but we shall have to wait and see. I believe it would be the Newquay branch that would go over to a 2+3 if anything as I think they have in the past couple of months used a 2+4 on there vice 150.

Along similar lines to what I heard, although the ratio of 3 and 4 car sets was possibly still fluid at this stage. I would suspect Newquay as one option too. Presumably Plymouth drivers would need to cover the branch with the set coming empty from Laira if true. The current sprinter is then released to allow a 143 to be withdrawn. I'm not sure how the other extra turns could be rehashed as it's already at a point where a high proportion of Plymouth to Penzance local services are in the hands of short hst sets and the plan eventually involved less units on the Cardiff to Taunton and Exeter to Penzance corridors with less units on the through trains to Cornwall, but that requires the extra 3 sets to be completed at Doncaster as timings for are generally 90mph or greater north of Exeter and not 75mph which the 3 car hsts would run at.

 

[Apedlar12]

Along similar lines to what I heard, although the ratio of 3 and 4 car sets was possibly still fluid at this stage. I would suspect Newquay as one option too. Presumably Plymouth drivers would need to cover the branch with the set coming empty from Laira if true. The current sprinter is then released to allow a 143 to be withdrawn. I'm not sure how the other extra turns could be rehashed as it's already at a point where a high proportion of Plymouth to Penzance local services are in the hands of short hst sets and the plan eventually involved less units on the Cardiff to Taunton and Exeter to Penzance corridors with less units on the through trains to Cornwall, but that requires the extra 3 sets to be completed at Doncaster as timings for are generally 90mph or greater north of Exeter and not 75mph which the 3 car hsts would run at.

Yes I think the idea is that there will be nine 2+4s and four 2+3s and as you say the 2+3s will only be able to work at a max speed of 75mph so will be mainly used in the South West on the Exeter/Plymouth to Penzance services to replace any 150s on the mainline so they can be used to replace the 143s on EXM <> PGN and the 2+4s will be used on the Cardiff to Taunton services which will allow the current 158s on there to move onto other services around Bristol to replace a couple of 166s which will then move down to Exeter to also help withdraw the 143s from service.

 

[irish_rail]

Yes I think the idea is that there will be nine 2+4s and four 2+3s and as you say the 2+3s will only be able to work at a max speed of 75mph so will be mainly used in the South West on the Exeter/Plymouth to Penzance services to replace any 150s on the mainline so they can be used to replace the 143s on EXM <> PGN and the 2+4s will be used on the Cardiff to Taunton services which will allow the current 158s on there to move onto other services around Bristol to replace a couple of 166s which will then move down to Exeter to also help withdraw the 143s from service.

IF true, and i drive these trains and haven't heard these rumours , then we are going to see a loss of capacity in Cornwall. Part of selling the 5 car 802s to Penzance (replacing 2+8 hsts) was the increased capacity offered by the 2+4 HSTs. Reducing several to 2+3 would seem a retrograde step. One set to become a 2+3 dedicated to Newquay would be good, and crewing wise most of the Newquays are already driven by Plymouth men. The remainder are done by Par drivers who also sign HST anyway.

 

[Clarence Yard]

IF true, and i drive these trains and haven't heard these rumours , then we are going to see a loss of capacity in Cornwall. Part of selling the 5 car 802s to Penzance (replacing 2+8 hsts) was the increased capacity offered by the 2+4 HSTs. Reducing several to 2+3 would seem a retrograde step. One set to become a 2+3 dedicated to Newquay would be good, and crewing wise most of the Newquays are already driven by Plymouth men. The remainder are done by Par drivers who also sign HST anyway.

It's temporary until enough of the "new" 2+4 units are available. The first extra one is due back with GWR just before Xmas and they should appear at roughly monthly intervals afterwards.

 

[Colby James]

I just heard roumers that Vale of Berkeley Railway have announced they’re getting a couple of 143’s from GWR for Preservation

This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since I got here to watch the 143’s

also numbers yet to be decided

could either be 603, 611, 612, 617, 618, 619, or 620 or 621 by the looks of things but will know soon enough.

 

[bideford1]

I just heard roumers that Vale of Berkeley Railway have announced they’re getting a couple of 143’s from GWR for Preservation

This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since I got here to watch the 143’s

also numbers yet to be decided

could either be 603, 611, 612, 617, 618, 619, or 620 or 621 by the looks of things but will know soon enough.

£600 total for the 143's

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[43096]

I just heard roumers that Vale of Berkeley Railway have announced they’re getting a couple of 143’s from GWR for Preservation

This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since I got here to watch the 143’s

also numbers yet to be decided

could either be 603, 611, 612, 617, 618, 619, or 620 or 621 by the looks of things but will know soon enough.

I've seen it quoted that it's Porterbrook units involved in this, which rules out 143617/618/619.

 

[Apedlar12]

I just heard roumers that Vale of Berkeley Railway have announced they’re getting a couple of 143’s from GWR for Preservation

This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since I got here to watch the 143’s

also numbers yet to be decided

could either be 603, 611, 612, 617, 618, 619, or 620 or 621 by the looks of things but will know soon enough.

I've seen it quoted that it's Porterbrook units involved in this, which rules out 143617/618/619.

Yes I saw on the WNXX that Clarence Yard said that it would be 2 of the Porterbrook ones with the other 5 going for scrap along with the 3 franchise units which will have to be approved for disposal by the DFT so will be scrapped at a later date than the Porterbrook 5.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Disposal of the 3 Franchise units will follow the disposal of the Porterbrook 5 but the future destination(s) for those 3 hasn't yet been determined as GWR has only recently received DfT authority to dispose.

 

[Trainfan061193]

Just 8 days to go before they’re finally withdrawn from service...

 

[SERA01UK]

Yes I saw on the WNXX that Clarence Yard said that it would be 2 of the Porterbrook ones with the other 5 going for scrap along with the 3 franchise units which will have to be approved for disposal by the DFT so will be scrapped at a later date than the Porterbrook 5.

Which leasing co owns the 143 fleet, I thought Porterbrook had them all?

 

[43096]

Which leasing co owns the 143 fleet, I thought Porterbrook had them all?

No, of the GWR fleet, units 143617-619 are franchise assets, rather than leasing company owned. Some of the TfW units are also not ROSCO owned, being owned by the local councils.

 

[Apedlar12]

Disposal of the 3 Franchise units will follow the disposal of the Porterbrook 5 but the future destination(s) for those 3 hasn't yet been determined as GWR has only recently received DfT authority to dispose.

Would you happen to have any idea if an ECS move from Exeter to Bristol consisting of some or all of them is likely to happen soon after 12th December or whether it could be a week later as an example?

Thanks.

Which leasing co owns the 143 fleet, I thought Porterbrook had them all?

143603/611/612/620/621 are leased to GWR by Porterbrook and 143617/618/619 like said above are the franchise asset 3.

 

[7 Ingleborough]

We had a 143 donated by Porterbrook, for a nominal fee which I was paying to cover admin costs. Initially we were going for 603, but changed that to 621. Unfortunately covid hit our revenues so hard, that despite the donation, the transport costs to the Swindon and Cricklade would have meant something else suffering, so had to turn down the offer. Glad to hear another group has stepped up.
Yes the 2+3 HSTs are being formed and diagrams have been published. It is a temporary solution to cover services with short platforms and enable the 143s to go in the absence of the 769s.
The last 143 is getting a B exam today, 143619. Following the cessation of use, all reusable components such as GSMR, CCTV, etc. will be stripped out and away they go. At least two are on scrap / damaged wheels so may have to go by road.

From what the recipients have said publicly they have 143611 (current spares donor on small wheels) and 143612 which had a bit of meat left on the wheels a month ago.

 

[Apedlar12]

Would you happen to have any idea if an ECS move from Exeter to Bristol consisting of some or all of them is likely to happen soon after 12th December or whether it could be a week later as an example?

Thanks.

We had a 143 donated by Porterbrook, for a nominal fee which I was paying to cover admin costs. Initially we were going for 603, but changed that to 621. Unfortunately covid hit our revenues so hard, that despite the donation, the transport costs to the Swindon and Cricklade would have meant something else suffering, so had to turn down the offer. Glad to hear another group has stepped up.
Yes the 2+3 HSTs are being formed and diagrams have been published. It is a temporary solution to cover services with short platforms and enable the 143s to go in the absence of the 769s.
The last 143 is getting a B exam today, 143619. Following the cessation of use, all reusable components such as GSMR, CCTV, etc. will be stripped out and away they go. At least two are on scrap / damaged wheels so may have to go by road.

From what the recipients have said publicly they have 143611 (current spares donor on small wheels) and 143612 which had a bit of meat left on the wheels a month ago.

Thanks for the information, its very helpful. I suppose that the ones that will still be able to run by rail will move to SPM ahead of further transfer to wherever they will be going for disposal (Newport I have heard)...?

 

[greatvoyager]

As 143617/618/619 are a franchise asset, is that why they received a slight refresh internally a few years ago whilst the others didn’t?

 

[Apedlar12]

As 143617/618/619 are a franchise asset, is that why they received a slight refresh internally a few years ago whilst the others didn’t?

Yes I would think so.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder this thread is to discuss what is happening regarding class 143 withdrawals.

Any speculative posts should be posted in our Speculative Ideas section please. I will move some posts there now. Thank you

 

[kingston_toon]

I'm pretty sure that no class 143s are diagrammed out on a Sunday but if anyone finds out any are in service tomorrow I'd VERY much appreciate the gen. We'll be going for a bash on Monday but a bonus Sunday move would be brilliant.

 

[47827]

I'm pretty sure that no class 143s are diagrammed out on a Sunday but if anyone finds out any are in service tomorrow I'd VERY much appreciate the gen. We'll be going for a bash on Monday but a bonus Sunday move would be brilliant.

Back in October I watched one rolling in and out of Paignton mid evening with its 150 accompaniment so they may well come out on Sundays as required.

 

[Jim]

I'm pretty sure that no class 143s are diagrammed out on a Sunday but if anyone finds out any are in service tomorrow I'd VERY much appreciate the gen. We'll be going for a bash on Monday but a bonus Sunday move would be brilliant.

There's two booked out, plus an additional one going to Barnstaple (621) vice 3 car 158.

All paired with 150s.

 

[7 Ingleborough]

Thanks for the information, its very helpful. I suppose that the ones that will still be able to run by rail will move to SPM ahead of further transfer to wherever they will be going for disposal (Newport I have heard)...?

See no reason for them to come here, no handback involved, straightforward disposal. Exeter are stripping the reusable stuff.

 

[Jim]

I believe the end of booked work is next Saturday, after that not sure what the "rules of use" will be, but I wouldn't hold your hopes up on having much more.

 

[Apedlar12]

There's two booked out, plus an additional one going to Barnstaple (621) vice 3 car 158.

All paired with 150s.

So there is going to be a 143 on Barnstaple today then with a 150??

Could be the last day for a 143 heading up to Barnstaple if so...

See no reason for them to come here, no handback involved, straightforward disposal. Exeter are stripping the reusable stuff.

Ah ok so they will most likely go straight to where they will be disposed of. Any idea on timings of this e.g. a few days after 12th or something??