* Road traffic noise *
I'm by the busy road outside Pontypridd station
there's a train coming in up there in about 10 minutes time
it's a sad slash exciting day
it's the last day, that a Pacer train is gonna run ... in Britain
let's go ride it!
Pontypridd is a very pretty station if you've never come and seen it you should do that!
i just got myself
an all lines valley day ranger
i thought these were like seven / eight pounds they're thirteen quid now
we're on platform ... two?
there's a train, on its way down, it the 11:12 to Barry Island
i'm reliably informed that it's 143 oh it's pulling in now ... it's 143
609 ... to Barry Island. Ta Daaa!
* Squealing noise *
*PA* This train is for Barry Island *PA*
* Doors beeping *
Folding doors. *laughs*
and i pointed to the step as i got on
as that is one of the main reasons why these trains are going
The first prototype Pacer the Class 140 was built in 1980
with the others following later
but the Pacer was always meant to be a short term solution
and when they had a longer life span than expected
opinion became very much divided as to whether they were worthy trains or not
with a repitation for being noisy, bouncy, and even leaky when it was raining
you probably disliked them if you were a regular commuter on them
but to others their quirks is what made them likeable
it's PRM legislation that has finally caught up with them though
with an earlier deadline - that was pushed back
to the end of May 2021
and so they can now no longer be used in passenger service
Dilynwch ein cyngor teithio'n saffach
haid gwisgo gorchudd wyneb oni bai eich bod wedi'ch eithrio
Cynlluniwch ymlaen llaw i osgoi cyfnodau prysur
Cadwch eich pellter, a golchwch eich dwylo neu defnyddiwch hylif diheintio yn rheolaidd
i've got to subtitle this! i've never subtitled Welsh before. Great!
behind me, there's a man called ... Paul
you've got a bike down here, you're taking it seriously
what you trying to do? - I'm trying to ride lots of old railway lines
in South Wales, and get the Pacers inbetween
so overall, do you love Pacers or dislike Pacers?
would you give it a thumbs up or down
i give them a thumbs up, because they're lively like a fairground ride
i call them HST's ...
High. Screech. Trains!
what you noticed in that last video clips is how Paul
was bouncing around, and I was bouncing around
and this is what these trains to, they're very bouncy
and they're very noisy
so i'm gonna leave that bit if the video clip in
just to show how noisy and bouncy it was
this is Becca, Becca are you from Cardiff?
- No i'm from the valley, further up by Mountain Ash
How long have you been riding these cronky old trains? - Oh God
Twenty four years? - Twenty four years!
Are you glad that they're going? - Yes! thank god. it's like Christmas come early *laughs*
We're coming out of Queen Street, we're gonna go round ...
*PA* The next stop is *PA*
Cardiff Central
*PA* We will shortly be arriving at Cardiff Central *PA*
It's about to get very squeaky
* Squeaky screechy noises *
*Train Toot Toot *
So that's off to Barry
what i realised i could do, is bail here at Cogan
and walk ten minutes down the road to Dingle Road
and catch the one that'll come up from Penarth
up to Rhymney, so i tick both them off
and I get to tick off two stations as well ... double win
Dingle Road, it's gonna come from that way
and then head down to Penarth and back, so were on 609
609 is the unit that WAS named
Sir Tom Jones
you saved my life ... Tom Jones, Tom Jones
but this one is gonna be 601, so there's two out today
so this is picking up the second unit
And onto 601!
Pulling into Penarth already, this one seems a lot
less noisy a lot less squeaky *trains squeaks*
little bit cleaner, just seems nicer, 601 ...
a better train than 609
I think it stand here for four minutes, and then it goes round again
slidey door time
Flappy door! Not slidey door, flappy door!
- Do you want a hand getting that on?
I've met James, this is James
James you just did a very nice thing, and you helped
that mother up with her child in the pushchair
and that's one of the big disadvantages of the Pacer train isn't it
- Yes, and the lady was saying how much
easier it will be after these have gone
but ... I like Pacers!
Are you letting us have a quick peek in the cab?
that's very kind, thank you very much
technology from what ... the 1980's right?
Seventies!
they were only meant to be used for twenty years and here we are in 2021
Flappy doors!
The journey ... is almost over for old trains
which means new trains are - a - coming
here in Wales on TfW
what is replacing the Pacers? the Pacers Replacer in Wales
he's off camera now, i'm gonna catch up
with Comms Officer, from TfW, James Bennett
to talk about, their new trains
So we've got tram / trains coming in on the
Aberdare, Treherbert, and Mythr lines
also the FLIRTS, very similar to the Greater Anglia ones
they'll be on the Romney, Coryton and Maestag lines
a whole complete new fleet of trains to replace
the Pacers, and Sprinters as well when they go
and what about the Vivarail trains, when are those coming in to the Bidston line?
So we're hoping to get those in later this year on the Wrexham / Bidston line
to take over again from Sprinters
also did you arrange for the building works to be happening in the background?
* laughs * Yeah, that's the new bus station
for interchange between train and bus at Cardiff Central
so even the background noise is transport related
Yes, it's Transport for Wales improving connectivity for public transport
So we're off the pacer! and onto a Class 769
which I see - because it is - or it was
and now its converted as an old Thameslink Class 319 unit
they've been used by various operators
and TfW are using them here
a diesel variant, you get bi-modes and tri-modes
but they're using them just as an interim until the new Stadler FLIRT trains turn up
in a couple of years time, but with these low
comfortable seats, it's err ...
it's fun to be remind of what I still see
as an old Thameslink train
Quite frankly, this is a minor miracle
there's a DMI dot matrix on board indicator inside the train
when they were running at Thameslink trains in London
there was a game you could play, a great game could play at night
in the winter called, "Guess which station i'm at"
because there was no way of knowing, there was no PA
there was no Dot Matrix Indicator
and often the stations, many years ago weren't that well lit
so you were reliant at looking at your phone
and the GPS position to work out if you were at Kentish Town yet or not
it's not like that now!
It's so weird, hearing it as a diesel
and not an electric, we're at ...
Hengoed. Have i prounounced that correctly?
the Pacer, has been up to Rhmyney
it's on its way back south, so this'll be it, this'll be my last ever
trip ... on a Pacer train
back to Cardiff ... no more.
Whilst we we wait for our train we can't not come here, not mention the fact that
there was on old railway line here, James?
This is why we came here, you wanted to show me this old viaduct
- This is Hengoed viaduct, it was on the old line between
Pontypool and Neath, the cross valley line
that's impressive! anyway, last Pacer. Coming up!
Alright, it's due at 14:27
It's 14:25 now, and this is it
this is gonna be my last ever Pacer, which is here
i mean it's running until 11 o'clock tonight but it's the last one that I'm ever going to get
143 601, so we're gonna do 'flappy doors', for the last time
we'll go to Cardiff, and wave it off
oh! that end
Don't see many trains with wooden ladders on nowadays do you?
i think that's what modern trains are missing a wooden ladder just out there
the other thing to point out is that these originally these would have had the low back
bench style seats at somepoint, during their
life here in Wales they've been converted to have the high back seats
for me, the classic classic Pacer will still always be
the 142, with the low style bench seats
this is it! last ever Pacer
our journey, is almost, at an end ...
So James is still with me, James is taking pictures
i will miss the flappy doors
i will miss these buttons
i'll miss this wooden step ladder
i won't miss the step down
not having level boarding, is not cool in 2021
and we welcome the new trains
farewell Pacers, i'm getting out at Queen Street
and we'll get a shot of it departing
it is running until 11pm tonight
so i won't be on the very very last one, maybe you'll have been on the very very last one
up to Rhmyney tonight, that's it ... no more Pacers!
Here we go, farewall Pacers
thank you for the memories, thank you for the bumpy ride
thank you for the squaking squealing noises
for outlasting your twenty years, that you were, meant to originally run
but newer, and better trains are coming, farewell!
* Diesel engine noise *