142s and 143s........a question

[whole diary]

[eightf48544]

Not sure whether a 14X ever made Padd but I seem to recall that was a regular Swansea Padd 158 either just before or after privatisation. I think it formed the last up evening train from South Wales and ran back in the middle of the night.

I've also seen 158s pass my house (Taplow) in daylight on Summer Saturdays but I think they may have been the Eurostar connection to Waterloo.

 

[smokey]

I don't think any Four wheel truck is suitable for journeys over 30 minutes, I don't think that a 142 or 143 is really suitable for Exeter To Barnstaple let alone Exmouth to Barnstaple.

But I seem to recall in the Wales & Borders days there was a class 153 working from Milford Haven to Penzance, think it joined something else at Bristol to work down.  Might even have been the other way round with a PNZ to Milford Haven train.

[Worcester_Passenger]

In Wales and West days there was an Exmouth - Shrewsbury working via Swansea and the Heart of Wales line that was shown in the timetable as a through journey. No equivalent return.

[inspector_blakey]

am I the only person who would rather the train cancelled than a bristol to pad pacer/sprinter

You may not be the only one, but at least by providing traction of some description the passengers who need to be somewhere at a certain time and are prepared to deal with the substitution have the choice, that is otherwise denied to them if the service is simply cancelled.

[anthony215]

Not sure whether a 14X ever made Padd but I seem to recall that was a regular Swansea Padd 158 either just before or after privatisation. I think it formed the last up evening train from South Wales and ran back in the middle of the night.

I've also seen 158s pass my house (Taplow) in daylight on Summer Saturdays but I think they may have been the Eurostar connection to Waterloo.

 

I think a  2 class 142's did get as far as swindon  where the train was terminated although i did here the driver wanted to take it into Paddington. I am not sure but havn't some pacers covered for a failed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) set on a service via the berk & hants to Reading?

[Jez]

They have been known to do the Cardiff Central to Fishguard Harbour service I'm told.  I don't think a Pacer's yet done Manchester to Milford Haven.

Wasn't there a Pacer substitute for an HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) that went all the way to Paddington or is that an urban myth?

They regularly run in 2 pairs on Valley Lines.  The flange screech between Cardiff Central and Queen Street has to be heard to be believed.  The best spot to feel the noise is just outside Cardiff International Arena.

It's 12 trains an hour each way for most of the day and about half of them are Pacers.

Aaargh.

Pacers often run the Swansea-Pembroke Dock services and also run the last service from Pembroke sometimes (which runs as far as Cardiff Central.

I could be wrong but dont pacers sometimes turn up on the Heart of Wales line as these units interact with West Wales/Swansea-Cardiff services???

I once saw a pacer on a Milford-Manchester service but think they changed to unit at Cardiff Central to a 158 or 175.


Most of ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) Pacers are on Cardiff Local Services tho.

[The SprinterMeister]

I don't think any Four wheel truck is suitable for journeys over 30 minutes, I don't think that a 142 or 143 is really suitable for Exeter To Barnstaple let alone Exmouth to Barnstaple.

But I seem to recall in the Wales & Borders days there was a class 153 working from Milford Haven to Penzance, think it joined something else at Bristol to work down.  Might even have been the other way round with a PNZ to Milford Haven train.

The options had the 142's not been subleased and put into service on the Devon internals were limited. Buses to Barnstaple would probably have been the order of the day along with reducing the Exmouth line services to the franchise minimum of hourly. So better to have 142's than no trains at all I would have thought.

You are quite correct about a class 153 working through from Penzance to Milford Haven, this was worked as a portion off the single through 158 service in each direction from Penzance to Manchester. The 153 detached from 1M61 at Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) (1M61 didnt call at Newport and ran round Maindee East curve, right away to Abergavenny). The corresponding return 153 working attached to 1V79 at Newport for the journey onward to Penzance.

[The SprinterMeister]

I think a  2 class 142's did get as far as swindon  where the train was terminated although i did here the driver wanted to take it into Paddington. I am not sure but havn't some pacers covered for a failed HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) set on a service via the berk & hants to Reading?

The 142's were terminated at Swindon simply because the next HST service from the West of England was rapidly catching up with it. Most of the passengers had alighted at Bath as the 142's were to be looped at Bathhampton for a Bristol - Padd to overtake it. Driver wasn't overly bothered about going to Padd with them although I seem to remember the Guard was rather more enthusiastic at the prospect.
 

[northwesterntrains]

Daily. 9 something off Exeter, 1300 from Cardiff return. Back in Exeter in time for rush.

Ok that is unacceptable

No worse than Northern's Pacer operated Morecambe to Leeds service, which has multiple Pacer diagrams, or how about doing the 3hr Pacer diagram on a Sunday between Chester and Southport via Stockport?

The problem with Pacers are:

* Sharp bends cause ear ache.  It doesn't matter on the length of the journey as Pacers squeal when they switch lines leaving Manchester Piccadilly station - just a short journey gives less squealing opportunities.  Fortunately, in the SW you had Pacers banned from the worst lines.  In the NW we got modified mechanics where the wheels don't wear down after a week of being used on sharp bends.

* If they go over any uneven track or even a farmers crossing on the line they bounce.

* Low capacity: 50-60 per carriage opposed to around 75 per carriage.

[smokey]

Pacers and sharp bends sure cause Ear Ache.

When a Class 142 worked from Liskeard to Looe the noise was awful, passengers covered their ears on some bends.

I also remember being in Calstock when a 142 worked to Gunnislake, You could hear the wheel screech from Bere Alston all the way to Gunnislake except for a short silence (the dead straight viaduct).