Northern Rail 142 Class

[Y961 XBU]

Can anyone tell me what Service's the 142 Class's can be normally found on?

I know they go on the following often:
Liverpool - Wigan (Very Common)
Liverpool - Blackpool North (Un Common)
Liverpool - Manchester Oxford Road (Un Common)
Liverpool - Manchester Airport (Common)
Manchester Picadilly - Chester (Common)

Any Help would be great, am after some photos of them for a Project.

 

[fowler9]

Can anyone tell me what Service's the 142 Class's can be normally found on?

I know they go on the following often:
Liverpool - Wigan
Liverpool - Blackpool North
Liverpool - Manchester Oxford Road
Liverpool - Manchester Airport


Any Help would be great, am after some photos of them for a Project.

I live on the Liverpool to Oxford Road and Warrington route and we seem to get a more than average number of 156's. Its hard to tell though, I would never guarantee you what is going to turn up though. If you are based in the Liverpool area as the routes you mention suggest then I'd hang around the Edge Hill area. Thats all of your routes covered.

Without wanting to be a mizzo then depending on who you are, what you are like and how old you are if you are going to hang around the Edge Hill area then make sure you take care. You'll probably be fine but it isn't the best part of the city.

 

[Y961 XBU]

Hi Mate, I like like 2 mins walk from Thatto Heath Railway Station in St Helens, however the last 3 or 4 Months i have spent most of my time in Manchester covering Buses up there, Another Service i forgot to add was the Chester - Manchester Picadilly Line, will update my post.

 

[fowler9]

Hi Mate, I like like 2 mins walk from Thatto Heath Railway Station in St Helens, however the last 3 or 4 Months i have spent most of my time in Manchester covering Buses up there, Another Service i forgot to add was the Chester - Manchester Picadilly Line, will update my post.

Ha ha, I've just been watching the Liverpool game with a good old mate who is from the Thatto Heath area originally and a recent work mate who is from Ireland via London and Thatto Heath. A very pleasant evening apart from the result, ah well. I am personally of the opinion that on the Cheshire Lines route we seem to get more 156's. If you want good photos of 142's I reckon somewhere around the sankey valley canal where the Chat Moss route crosses that viaduct near Earlstown would be good, some good spots by there.

 

[Y961 XBU]

Small world, shall keep my eyes open, hope to start tracking down some 142 Class Trains when i get up (thats after i take my mate to his job interview!)

 

[ValleyLines142]

They also work local services in Manchester, to destinations such as Rose Hill and New Mills.

They also operate on services to Chester via Altrincham and Northwich, Southport, Wigan, Manchester Victoria and Kirkby, and also on the Blackpool South to Colne and Preston to Ormskirk services.

A few are also based in the Newcastle area and work the Carlisle to Newcastle services, to Hexham, MetroCentre, Chathill, Middlesbrough, Nunthorpe, Darlington, Saltburn and Bishop Auckland.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

They can sometimes venture over to the Ellesmere Port-Helsby line, though not too often.

 

[northwichcat]

Can anyone tell me what Service's the 142 Class's can be normally found on?

I know they go on the following often:
Liverpool - Wigan (Very Common)
Liverpool - Blackpool North (Un Common)
Liverpool - Manchester Oxford Road (Un Common)
Liverpool - Manchester Airport (Common)
Manchester Picadilly - Chester (Common)

Any Help would be great, am after some photos of them for a Project.

How are you defining 'common'. Pre-11am you'd have a much better chance of getting a Pacer on a Southport-Airport service (or more likely 2 together) than you would on Manchester Picadilly - Chester. There are also no booked 142 workings on Liverpool - Manchester Airport but there are booked 142 workings on Liverpool - Manchester Oxford Road.

 

[martinsh]

If you want to see / phot them out of their normal area, I believe there is an early morning Crewe - Salford Crescent service that they are often found on.

 

[northwichcat]

If you want to see / phot them out of their normal area, I believe there is an early morning Crewe - Salford Crescent service that they are often found on.

Or there's an evening Piccadilly-Chinley via Hazel Grove service that Pacers are booked to operate.

 

[FQ]

They are usually on the services to Alnmouth and Chathill no matter where the starting place.

 

[table38]

The Denton flyer last Friday was a double 142 !

(But is often a 150 or 2 x 150)

 

[507 001]

Since the 156s moved to Allerton we don't really seem to get many pacers on the L&M.
I see far more 156 & 150 units these days.

Best bet for pacers would be around Manchester now I think.

 

[driver9000]

Blackpool Sth-Colne has 4 sets working the service during the week. Weekends should be booked for 15x. The Ormskirk service is a 142 weekdays replaced by a 153 on Saturday. They regularly turn up on the Blackpool Nth-Manchester Victoria services and can be found on Blackpool Nth-Liverpool services on Sundays paired with a 15x. The Wigan NW-Liverpool stopping service also sees 142s regularly.

 

[luke1420]

Back last year a 142 operated on the the xx:38 Alderly Edge stoppers for about half a year but it has now be changed back to a 323.

All but two of the service on the pic-rose hill/new mills central are 142 and about 3 of them run as two units.


It you go up to the north east you will see loads of 142 and quite a few 156's

 

[Donny Dave]

Best place to find Pacers is Sheffield or Manchester.

In Sheffield they cover most of the services to Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Adwick, plus some slow services to Leeds.

In Manchester, the best place will probalble be the suburban services from the low numbered platforms at Piccadilly.

 

[Manchester77]

If you want a train which for me is nearly always a 142+142/15X is the 0739 Oxford Road - Liverpool service and so if you can get its full diagram then you might be able to trace a 142. If you're ever in Piccadilly it's almost certain there will be at least one 142 heading through.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If you want to see / phot them out of their normal area, I believe there is an early morning Crewe - Salford Crescent service that they are often found on.

0722 departing from Crewe...travelling via Handforth...arriving at Salford Crescent at 0846.

 

[luke1420]

0715 Macclesfield-Pic is usually 142+142

 

[Y961 XBU]

Thanks for all the replys people, today i stood at Edge Hill Station for 65 Mins and was able to photo the following 142 Class Units:

142028
142036
142044
142051
142055

Sounds like i will have to make a trip over to Picadilly soon then to get others

 

[TOCDriver]

They are starting to be used more frequently on the MCV - Blackburn/ Clitheroe runs now. One place where you will never find them is the Carlisle to Barrow run. And I mean NEVER! lol

 

[luke1420]

Never in Buxton either

 

[sprinterguy]

One place where you will never find them is the Carlisle to Barrow run. And I mean NEVER! lol

Not "never" by any means, just not within the current/recent timetable periods, presumably. There used to be a regular turn for a Merseyrail or First North Western 142 up the Cumbrian coast from Lancaster to Carlisle a few years ago on a Saturday: I always thought it somewhat perverse that one of the longest end to end journeys on the Cumbrian Coast was the only one not in the hands of Sprinter stock!

More recently, ex-ATN Pacers have turned up at Whitehaven fairly regularly (There used to be a Middlesbrough to Whitehaven through train, since cut back to start from Newcastle and now 156 worked, that was consistently booked for a 142), and in Regional Railways and North West Trains days the GMPTE "Executive" liveried 142s weren't an uncommon sight heading up the coast from Barrow.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Best place to find Pacers is Sheffield or Manchester.

In Sheffield they cover most of the services to Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Adwick, plus some slow services to Leeds.

In Manchester, the best place will probalble be the suburban services from the low numbered platforms at Piccadilly.

Although you'll need to go to Middlesbrough to see most of the Northeast (Heaton) based 142s.

You will see a few from the low numbered platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, but you will also see a fair few at Manchester Victoria as well.

 

[142094]

They are usually on the services to Alnmouth and Chathill no matter where the starting place.

The 05.55 Newcastle to Chathill and return has been worked by a 156 for a number of years. The evening Chathill service was also 156s for ages, but ion the past year I've been seeing 142s on that a good few times so it might be a regular thing. Might be getting mixed up with the MetroCentre - Newcastle - Morpeth trains which are usually a good bet for a 142.

Although you'll need to go to Middlesbrough to see most of the Northeast (Heaton) based 142s.

Or just stay in Newcastle, which will get the ones working Newcastle - Middlesbrough, Newcastle - Carlisle and Newcastle - Morpeth. There is normally a set swap each night so any 142 which is kept at Darlington overnight normally goes back to Heaton every other day/couple of days.

 

[Y961 XBU]

I spent most of my day at St Helens Junction today, not had much look as only had the following:

142004
142030
142038

 

[LowLevel]

Since the 156s moved to Allerton we don't really seem to get many pacers on the L&M.
I see far more 156 & 150 units these days.

Best bet for pacers would be around Manchester now I think.

I was rather unlucky while road learning up there not that long ago and got one of those decrepit 'Oldham Loop' sets on an express from Newton le Willows to Lime Street vice a 156. I thought the world was going to end as we slammed over the points at Huyton Junction at full speed.

 

[fowler9]

I was rather unlucky while road learning up there not that long ago and got one of those decrepit 'Oldham Loop' sets on an express from Newton le Willows to Lime Street vice a 156. I thought the world was going to end as we slammed over the points at Huyton Junction at full speed.

I remember being on a 142 from Warrington Central to Liverpool South Parkway a few years back. It was Autumn and we were flying along through Hunts Cross as we approached the junction to take us up to South Parkway you could feel the wheels lock up and the train sliding as we got to the points. Never felt in danger but its the fastest I've taken that junction.