Tarka Valley Railway secures the last ‘Pacer’ from a TOC
THE Tarka Valley Railway (TVR) at Torrington, North Devon, received ‘Pacer’ No. 143617 on November 15. This was notable for being the last remaining ‘Pacer’ in the care of a Train Operating Company (TOC).
Class 143 Alexander/Barclaybuilt two-car DMU from the mid-1980s, set No. 143617 (DMS No. 55644 + DMSL No. 55683), was the last ‘Pacer’ awaiting movement to a new home. It has been in store at GWR’s St Philip’s Marsh depot, Bristol as one of the last three which survived with a TOC after all others had been disposed of. The 144 ‘Pacers’ (96 Class 142s, 25 Class 143s and 23 Class
144s) have all gone for further passenger use on heritage railways static use at nonrailway locations, or have been broken up.
The other two GWR-owned Class 143s departed earlier this year, No. 143619 to the Tanat Valley Light Railway and No. 143618 to the Plym Valley Railway.
The TVR set remained in
Bristol while many hours of work by volunteers over several months have gone into preparing the site for the arrival of the unit at this embryonic heritage line. It was delivered to Great Torrington late on November 15 with off-loading taking place the following morning. It now stands in the platform at Torrington station, the first passenger train to occupy this station for more than 40 years.
Prior to withdrawal from service with GWR, this unit operated regularly on the Exeter to Barnstaple line – but for the fact the line from Barnstaple to Torrington was lifted in the early 1980s, this DMU would have visited Torrington.