Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 09:55 28 Mar 2024
* Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
- Man suffers life-threatening injuries after train stabbing
* How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1992)
MOD Kineton tour, branch line society (*)

Train RunningCancelled
07:43 Swansea to London Paddington
08:18 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
08:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
09:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
09:12 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
09:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
09:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
10:41 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
11:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:16 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
11:23 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
11:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
11:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
05:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Penzance
06:00 London Paddington to Penzance
06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester
07:33 Weymouth to Gloucester
08:38 London Paddington to Westbury
09:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
09:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
11:12 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
Delayed
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 09:13 Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:23 London Paddington to Oxford
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 10:06:26 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[193] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[109] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[75] Return of the BRUTE?
[59] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[46] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[26] CrossCountry upgrade will see 25% more rail seats
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
  Print  
Author Topic: 4 carriages reduced to 2 - is this the end of GWR pacers?  (Read 17750 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« on: March 21, 2020, 07:11:03 »

Quote
08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51
Facilities on the 08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.

Looks like virtually every train.  No reason given - no "more trains than usual requiring repair".  I find myself wondering if the class 143 pacers have been parked, and if so whether they'll ever run in passenger service again.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
REVUpminster
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 533



View Profile Email
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2020, 10:03:41 »

Depends if the Torbay (now called The English Riviera Airshow) takes place 6-7 June. Four coaches would be an improvement on last years Saturday service and the show was washed out on the Sunday
Logged
RichardB
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 958


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2020, 10:15:34 »

Quote
08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51
Facilities on the 08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.

Looks like virtually every train.  No reason given - no "more trains than usual requiring repair".  I find myself wondering if the class 143 pacers have been parked, and if so whether they'll ever run in passenger service again.

No, I doubt we have seen the last of the Pacers.  Only 2 coaches needed on local trains at the moment but when things return to normal, 4 coaches will again be necessary.  Pacers the only way of doing this in the short term.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2020, 10:34:57 »

Quote
08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51
Facilities on the 08:15 Paignton to Exmouth due 09:51.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.

Looks like virtually every train.  No reason given - no "more trains than usual requiring repair".  I find myself wondering if the class 143 pacers have been parked, and if so whether they'll ever run in passenger service again.

No, I doubt we have seen the last of the Pacers.  Only 2 coaches needed on local trains at the moment but when things return to normal, 4 coaches will again be necessary.  Pacers the only way of doing this in the short term.

I fear, though, that "short term" and "normal" may be mutually exclusive.  Wouldn't want to bet either way!
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Bob_Blakey
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 782


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2020, 12:03:28 »

Cycled via Red Cow Crossing this morning and noticed that the Class 143's which had been parked up in the EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) West Yard for several weeks have disappeared. Have we finally seen the back of these particular units?
Logged
PhilWakely
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2007



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2020, 12:54:59 »

Cycled via Red Cow Crossing this morning and noticed that the Class 143's which had been parked up in the EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) West Yard for several weeks have disappeared. Have we finally seen the back of these particular units?

At least one has been pressed into service as a 'troop carrier' - ferrying railway staff from Exeter to Taunton - so that social distancing rules can be followed as the taxis normally used do not offer that facility.
Logged
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2020, 13:40:36 »

I think there is one being used between Plymouth (North Road) and Laira depot as well, but can't go and check as its more than two miles from home Tongue
Logged
phile
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1382

Language spoken Welsh as well as English


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2020, 22:13:16 »

I think there is one being used between Plymouth (North Road) and Laira depot as well, but can't go and check as its more than two miles from home Tongue

A 150 has been used at Plymouth  although a 5 Car IET (Intercity Express Train) has been seen.   Plymouth can't drive 143s
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2020, 22:27:42 »

Plymouth can't drive 143s

I am not surprised I have never see a city drive any sort of vehicle  Grin
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2020, 11:35:30 »

Cycled via Red Cow Crossing this morning and noticed that the Class 143's which had been parked up in the EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) West Yard for several weeks have disappeared. Have we finally seen the back of these particular units?

From Northern reported in the Yorkshire Post - their 23 x 144 units are all parked up on the Keighley and Worth

Quote
Although the 23 remaining Class 144s are still in operational service, they have become surplus to requirements as Northern are running a skeleton timetable during the lockdown period.

Northern are paying a storage fee to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, who will keep the units on their preserved track near Keighley Station until they can return to mainline service.

In a wide ranging article, the further fate of these trains, and the financial issues that threaten the future of the Keighley and Worth, are also covered.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Bob_Blakey
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 782


View Profile
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2020, 15:56:46 »

There are 3 x 143 units parked up in the EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) New Yard - immediately north of the Red Cow LC (Level Crossing) where the SWR» (South Western Railway - about) stock usually has it's layovers - so we aren't rid of them quite yet.

Also most, if not all, the EXM<>PGN services have reverted to single 150/2's this week after a few weeks of running with 4 coaches; maintenance time or simply not enough passengers to justify the latter?
Logged
REVUpminster
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 533



View Profile Email
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2020, 16:49:51 »

The 143s are back coupled to 150/2s on the Paignton-Exmouth run probably for social distancing as the service is still only hourly between Paignton-Exeter.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2020, 17:36:31 »

The 143s are back coupled to 150/2s on the Paignton-Exmouth run probably for social distancing as the service is still only hourly between Paignton-Exeter.

Funny old world!   Saved by social distancing.   I understand that Northern have retained some 142s too so they can run longer trains for a while ...
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #13 on: November 27, 2020, 19:55:49 »

The 143s are back coupled to 150/2s on the Paignton-Exmouth run probably for social distancing as the service is still only hourly between Paignton-Exeter.

Funny old world!   Saved by social distancing.   I understand that Northern have retained some 142s too so they can run longer trains for a while ...

Last Northern Pacer ran today ...

Northern Press Release

Quote
Pacers bid final farewell to Northern network

102 Pacers have now fully retired

In more than 35 years, Pacers have travelled over 300million miles in the north

Final journey ? Kirkby to Manchester Victoria ? completed by 142004

Northern has bid a final farewell to its fleet of Pacers after more than three decades? service.

The last Pacer to carry Northern customers completed its swansong journey on Friday 27 November having travelled from Kirkby to Manchester Victoria.

The final journey ? completed by 142004 ? ended at 5.45pm, marking just over 35 years of continuous service in the north of England and clocking 3million miles in the process.

Transport for Wales - still running Pacers?
Transport for Devon - another week or two yet?
Heritage Rail - "We've only just begun"?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
REVUpminster
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 533



View Profile Email
« Reply #14 on: November 27, 2020, 22:04:02 »

Exeter has 8 143s  all coupled to 150/2s AFAIK (as far as I know) so they only need 4 165s to replace them which have become available as stock has cascaded west.

It would leave the 8 150s to become 4 coach trains and 4 165s as three coach trains.

165/166s will replace the 150s when enough become available. The depot at Exeter has been re-designed for 3 coach trains like the 158s already there.

A 165 has already done the gauging runs and passenger service to Barnstaple and I would suspect Paignton and Exmouth.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page