Welsh Class 143s get a stay of execution
USE of Class 143 units in South Wales is set to continue after the DMUs were granted a further dispensation to operate. Although the trains do not meet the new accessibility regulations which took effect from January 1,Transport for Wales has approval to use units up to May 31. This is because insufficient replacement Class 769 units are available for the Valley Lines services.
Preservation
GWR, which also operated Class 143s, withdrew the last at then end of 2020. Two units, Nos. 143603 and 143612, are destined for preservation at the Vale of Berkeley Railway, Gloucestershire.
A number of TfW’s Class 142s, which had been withdrawn towards the end of 2020 and stored at Landore, have been dispatched for scrap at Sims Metals, Newport. By late January, 39 of the Class 142s operated byTfW and previously Northern, have been scrapped. More than 20 have been preserved, some for future use, others will be re-purposed.