Pacer (train) - Class 142

Class 142

The next and largest Pacer class was the Class 142. This again was built by Leyland and BREL, in 1985. The body was based on a Leyland National bus, built at Lillyhall, Workington in Cumbria. Many fixtures and fittings of the Leyland National could be found on the train. The new class had a greater capacity of 106 passengers per two-car set and the same engines were used. The first sets were used initially on Devon and Cornwall branch lines and on commuter services in the North West. The units from Cornwall were eventually moved to Liverpool and the North-East, and the Class 142 has become a common sight on services across the North of England. The class was upgraded in the early 1990s to include more powerful engines, which gave a total power output of 460 bhp (340 kW) per two-car set. A number of trains were then modified for use on the Merseyside PTE city lines around Liverpool, which included dot-matrix route indicators, improved seating and Merseyrail PTE paintwork. This class moved into the control of First North Western at privatisation and subsequently passed on to Northern Rail and Arriva Trains Wales who have since operated it. Eight units have now been withdrawn from service, replaced by a cascading of British Rail Class 158s. First Great Western will receive up to 12 units to cover for refurbishment of their fleet and withdrawal of 12 Class 158 units for use by First ScotRail and East Midlands Trains. (Four 158s that were subleased from Northern Rail to First Great Western were also returned.)