Trivia: Longest journey on a 153 or pacer

[Bellwater]

a pair of 153's once worked norwich to liverpool i think with Central Trains...

Happened last year sometime with one of the morning Liverpools.

Sometimes Nottm-Skeg(2hrs-ish)or Lincoln-Leicester(4hrs) is a Single 153.

 

[starrymarkb]

I've seen in Wales and West Days a pair of 153s on Penzance to Manchester via the Marches.

oh and didn't FGW have a 153 subbing for a broken HST at one point, it made it Penzance to Bristol (where it was terminated) with passengers forwarded to Paddington via HST rather then dogbox

 

[MCR247]

Happened last year sometime with one of the morning Liverpools.

Sometimes Nottm-Skeg(2hrs-ish)or Lincoln-Leicester(4hrs) is a Single 153.

Four hours from Lincoln - Leicester??

 

[Bellwater]

Sorry, Two hours, it's Four Hours Round Trip.

 

[gareth taylor]

142 yesterday working the 1512 Carlisle to preston via the cumbria coast. 4 and a half hours anyone?

Which 142 was on that run, may I ask?

 

[fgwrich]

I've seen in Wales and West Days a pair of 153s on Penzance to Manchester via the Marches.

oh and didn't FGW have a 153 subbing for a broken HST at one point, it made it Penzance to Bristol (where it was terminated) with passengers forwarded to Paddington via HST rather then dogbox

From memory i belive it was a Paignton to Paddington HST which had failed at either Paignton or Exeter - and rather than can the service, a spare 142 was substituted...Unfortunatly it was terminated at Swindon and the passengers transferd over to one of the Bristol-Padd services...

Pity really, as id heard the driver was quite looking foward to taking the pacer into Paddington!

 

[Failed Unit]

Four hours from Lincoln - Leicester??

It feels like it when you are on an all stations stopper :cry:

EMT when they just took over the franchise had a lot of single dogboxes running around as the units they had just taken out of store from FGW we dogs and couldn't keep running. It was a case of how can we get enough diagrams to keep the service going so a 153 on Nottingham - Norwich alone did happen more often then you think, don't think one made it solo to Liverpool but pairs of them definately did!

 

[thehstman]

Paignton - Exmouth
Exmouth - Barnstaple
Southampton Central - Worcester Fte St
Worcester Fte St - Southampton Ctl
Bristol Temple meads - Penzance

 

[starrymarkb]

From memory i belive it was a Paignton to Paddington HST which had failed at either Paignton or Exeter - and rather than can the service, a spare 142 was substituted...Unfortunatly it was terminated at Swindon and the passengers transferd over to one of the Bristol-Padd services...

Pity really, as id heard the driver was quite looking foward to taking the pacer into Paddington!

There was that too, though in that case the Penzance HST was terminal, so the Paignton via Bristol HST was commendeered to rescue those passengers with a Pacer provided instead for the Paignton and Stations to Bristol passengers.

The one I'm meaning was a few years ago. The Dogbox kept to time as well between Penzance and Exeter which shows how slow line speeds are in the west

 

[emoaconr]

The longest I've been on a 153... probably the souped-up 153 from Man Picc to Llandudno.

Similary, the 142s used on the Mid-Cheshire Line Man Picc to Chester sometimes feel just as inappropriate, though I can understand why they are used as opposed to Sprinters.

 

[Mojo]

Didn't a 142 replace a HST from somewhere to London via Bristol a few years ago? Think it only made it as far as Swindon.

 

[poshbakerloo]

The longest I've ever spent of a Pacer (142/144) is Sheffield-Lincoln...1hr 15mins! And they is pretty awful, the return is even worse as I'm usually hungover!

 

[starrymarkb]

Didn't a 142 replace a HST from somewhere to London via Bristol a few years ago? Think it only made it as far as Swindon.

Paignton - though it was really just hoovering up passengers between Taunton and Bristol that couldn't get on the following HST (which was taking the Berks and Hants)

 

[northwichcat]

Similary, the 142s used on the Mid-Cheshire Line Man Picc to Chester sometimes feel just as inappropriate, though I can understand why they are used as opposed to Sprinters.

I don't.

Advantage of 142 over Sprinter:
* Cheaper for operator to run

Advantages of Sprinter over 142:
* Speed limit could be raised from 20mph to 50mph between Northwich and Greenbank for Sprinters but not for Pacers.
* Larger trains (assuming it's not a single 153)
* Smoother ride
* More reliable heating
* Better luggage/bike provision
* Less failures (Merseytravel stats)

142s would be better suited to the Borderlands line, Conwy line and Crewe-Chester shuttles over Mid-Cheshire. In fact I think Crewe-Chester would be a very good line for Pacers to be used on - short journey, good line so less bouncing and can run at a constant speed.

 

[dk1]

If passengers think they are being hard done by in the 153 saloon then they should see what the poor drivers have to put up with when driving from the small end cab.

 

[6024]

153's i like them can't stand 142s

153 longest Yetminster to Dorchester
142 I 'd like to try forget

 

[Drsatan]

Last Friday two 153s were used on the 17:20 Worcester Foregate Street - Southampton, one of them detatched at Westbury

Not so long ago a 143 was used on a Bristol-Southampton stopper I think.

 

[Tugzrule]

[ QUOTE=big gazza;407050]Which 142 was on that run, may I ask?[/QUOTE]

Can't remember now as there has been a few on the coast recently and i don't bother taking them down, sorry.

 

[royaloak]

Last Friday two 153s were used on the 17:20 Worcester Foregate Street - Southampton, one of them detatched at Westbury.

That is time-tabled like that, last time I did it I had just got comfy in the rear unit (the warmest one) and was ushered into the front (cold) unit at Westbury, not a happy bunny!

 

[Drsatan]

That is time-tabled like that, last time I did it I had just got comfy in the rear unit (the warmest one) and was ushered into the front (cold) unit at Westbury, not a happy bunny!

That's interesting: when I used that service the rear unit continued to Southampton, while the front unit went into the carriage sidings.

 

[DJ_K666]

Longest journey I ever had on either of those was York to Scarborough on a 142 non stop. The driver had the blind open so you could see the line ahead. He did the full 75mph on the way. slowed through Malton but went through Seamer at speed. That was quite a lively run, especially as it squealed round curves and bounced along the jointed sections.

The longest I've ever been on a 153 was (actually when they were still 155s but since most 155s became 153s it should still count) between Worthing and Newport (Gwent). Quite unremarkable, just looked like an Inter City coach inside. Not much else I can say.

 

[ChrisCooper]

I've twice suffered what seems like an incredibly long journey on 153s from Skegness to Nottingham on summer afternoons. Both times were absolutly packed, with passengers standing in the rear cab and Wainfleet and Boston passengers left behind for buses. Two other 153 journies that felt a lot longer were a 153 from Leicester to Birmingham back in Central days which was also pretty packed (IIRC the previous train had been cancelled) and a pretty much crush loaded 153 from Norwich to Acle one summer saturday a few years back. The latter was annoying as prior to the 153 departing for all stations to Yarmouth there had been both the loco hauled through train from London, and a top and tail 47+4xMk2+47 which was running additional Norwich-Yarmouth runs, yet both went out pretty quiet (especially if the enthusiasts were not counted), with most people on my train going all the way through. My problem was that the 153 was the only one calling at intermediate stations, the locos were both none stop. Of cource, the fact I would have loved to have been on one of the loco hauled train didn't help my mood, and IIRC I'd already had a rough journey over from Leicester (as usual) which involved a fair bit of standing.