Class 144 (37 vehicles)
The Class 144 units were the final development of the "Pacer" family, further improving on the Class 142 design by means of a slightly slightly superior body design by Alexander. The Class 144's and 143's are very similar, with 144's having BREL (Derby) underframes and some sets also having centre cars.
In common with all surviving pacer classes at the time, Class 144's became a victim of the national media in the final five years of their working lives. In spite of better reliability than newer units, and their use strengthening/lengthening services that were badly overcrowded, public and enthusiasts alike "turned" on them and they gained an irreversible reputation for rough riding, poor quality and cheap build quality. At 35 years of age, these criticisms were not wholly unfounded, nevertheless it was interesting how the mainstream press (as opposed to the specialist railway press) singled the Class 142/143/144 fleet out, going into far more detail than is normal for end-of-life rolling stock. New disability access regulations scheduled to come into force in 2020 became the final nail in the coffin for the 14X fleet, forcing their much delayed withdrawal from service. A single Class 144 (144012) was converted on a test basis to conform to the new regulations, however in the end the scheme was not extended. Being seen as slightly superior to the Class 142, the Class 144's were to be the final pacers in Northern Rail's fleet and were to operate until May 2020. However the vast reductions in service deamnd caused by the Corona Virus Pandemic during the spring led to the entire 144 fleet being withdrawn almost together in the spring of that year. Many sets were stored at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway after removal from service.
The official off-lease date of May 2020 allowed the already surplus units to start to enter preservation, with several sets travelling under their own power by rail. More sets were moved to their new homes steadily as the year progressed, with examples of both the two and three car varients being secured. By the end of the year, only four of the 23 strong fleet remained in storage with no announcement as to their future, and it was clear that the Class 144 was to become one of the larger classes in DMU preservation.
It is not yet established how many sets of the 23 strong fleet will be preserved. It is believed that there may be arrangements in place to see two further sets enter preservation.
3-car sets 144014, 019 & 023 were transferred to Vintage Trains at Tyseley in December 2020, however we do not recongise these as being preserved despite Vintage Trains' obvious strong association with heritage. This is because the 144's are owned by a Train Operating Company with a declared intention for their mainline careers to be extended. Nevertheless they remain extant.