Pacing myself (N part 67)…
Last week I was awestruck. This week I’m 20 again. The Dapol Pacer, the model I swore I’d never buy as ‘it didn’t look like a Pacer’ has arrived, both physically and figuratively…
Picture this, I’ve skater jeans and tight t-shirt, bleached hair and an Easyworld CD on my Discman, walking down from college in Durham to catch the train to the Metrocentre with some friends… whilst I’m too cool to admit I love trains I enjoy the experience, soaking up the variety of colours and vigour of early privatisation. At Newcastle we jump off the GNER liveried 225 and catch a Pacer on the Carlisle run… invariably it is a Northern Spirit or Regional Railways example.
So whilst my childhood Pacers were blue or orange, both at home (Hornby) and at Chester (on the Altrincham run) those of my university days were exciting and multicoloured. This Dapol Pacer runs beautifully slowly. Sadly there are some compromises - well documented - in its conception. However, I think the Northern Spirit livery hides these quite admirably. This thing is small. Even up close it is hard to see those comprimises in your hand, these cruel photos show them all too well but with a little deft work with black paint to beef up those light clusters and a gentle weathering she will make me smile… After the week so far, she arrived just in time. Retail therapy maybe, but a ‘vehicle’ to a quieter, calmer and happier memory, thank you Dapol.
Thank you model railways.
Until next time, more soon…
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Hi James, this takes me back to the early 90s and trips into Leeds on a bouncy Metrotrain Class 144 (or occasionally a Regional Railways 142). With 'whilst I’m too cool to admit I love trains' I can certainly relate too! Good job I got that out of my system later in life once I'd got to know myself a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to see how Dapol's Class 144 turns out, I reckon I'll find it hard to resist one as long as it runs ok.
Thanks Ian, I have a red and white 144 on order too, they share the chassis design and this one is smooth and slow running… I’m sure plenty of us were too cool, but embraced it again later. These days I wish I’d just stuck with it, such is life!
DeleteRecommend Midland Railway (Butterley) if you want to recapture your full size pacer past. 142s in Provincial blue and GMPTE orange, and a 141 in West Yorks PTE red /cream. Not unpleasant at 25mph! Best time is their dmu gala in September, all 3 in operation in various combinations. Plus their 108, and maybe others.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim - I've not been to Butterley for years, perhaps I'll make a note for 2025!
DeleteI always connect Pacers with multi coloured liveries. Remember being taken to York by my Dad as a kid and in one session seeing Green and West Yorks PTE Red liveried141s and 142s in West Yorks PTE Red, Manchester Orange, Provincial Blue, Skipper Brown (and possibly Liverpool Yellow unless I’m imagining that one) in the different bay platforms.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories Andrew, sounds wonderful and bouncy all at once!
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