Class 144 fire training exchange sees 144009 now preserved at ELR
144 ‘Pacer’ DMU that has been stored on the East Lancashire Railway for the past two years is set to stay on the line instead of being moved to a fire service training centre.
Following withdrawal of the Class 144 fleet en masse during the pandemic in 2020, 144009 was secured for use at the Greater Manchester Fire Service Training & Safety Centre in Bury. The DMU moved to the ELR following disposal by Porterbrook and was stored at the railway pending a move to its new home.
A deal has been done where 144010 – which has recently moved to the ELR from the Weardale Railway – will now be stripped of spare parts before moving to the GMFS Training & Safety Centre. Ownership of 144010 has been transferred to GMFS, while 144009 has now passed into the ownership of a private individual who is actively involved in DMU preservation. A running agreement for operating the Class 144 on the ELR had been signed and it will remain on the line. During its time at the ELR, 144009 has been used on a number of filming contracts and has also featured at diesel and DMU events, where it proved to be popular. The unit lost its former Northern livery in favour of a vinyl wrap depicting the fictitious Great Midlands Trains, applied for a filming contract.
The new owner told Railways Illustrated that 144009 was in better mechanical and electrical condition than its sister unit, but the deal to exchange the two DMUS means 144010 will be stripped of mechanical and electrical components to ensure that 144009 can remain in good operational condition, with a decent spares pool to support its continued operation.
ELR general manager Tracey Parkinson said the railway intended that the unit would be mainly used for filming contracts, giving the railway a unit with a relatively modern interior, but that it may also be used occasionally at special events, as it has been since it arrived on the railway in 2020.
The GMFS facility is located close to the East Lancashire Railway and is used to train firefighters on a wide range of possible scenarios they may face during their work. A former Manchester Metrolink T68 light rail vehicle, an ex-greater Anglia Mk.3 coach, and a DVT are also based at the centre, where they are used to provide realistic accident and incident training.
A date for 144010 to move to its new home has not yet been finalised and stripping of the DMU for spares must be carried out before it leaves the ELR.