THE two Class 143 ‘Pacers’ destined for the Vale of Berkeley Railway project at Sharpness, Gloucestershire (RM Jan. p68), have gone into storage at the RSS yard, Wishaw.
They will be sheeted over and engines started up and run every week. First to arrive was No. 143612 (DMS No. 55653 and DMSL 55678). The other, No. 143603 (DMS No. 55658 and DMSL No. 55689), was to join it later. Together with other offlease GWR Class 143s, Nos. 143618 and 143617 plus Class 150207, it ran in convoy as 5D81 from Exeter depot to Bristol St Philip’s Marsh on December 30.
Class 121 ‘Bubblecar’No. W55025 ‘Pandora’, currently stored at Long Marston, is expected to be moved to Honeybourne airfield, Worcestershire for temporary storage, and then moved to the Sharpness site when sufficient covered space becomes available.