Pacer Fire at Newcastle Central!

In this super rare video, you can see 144023 making an emergency stop at Newcastle Central Station with what was said as being an exhaust fire within the unit.
A line block was put in place at Newcastle to allow the fire service to gain further access to the train from the rails and as soon as the problem was (temporarily) resolved, the move was partially cancelled and the train was returned to Heaton T&R.S.M.D after it was deemed unsafe for travel to Gascoigne Wood Sidings that night. I managed to see the Pacer unit take another attempt at reaching Gascoigne Wood Sidings in two videos time.
Be sure to wear headphones at the beginning of the video and at 09:22 in particular to hear a little bit of... thrash? (Engine noices).
One of two destination blinds on show displayed that the train was due for York and one displayed that it was due for Sheffield.
Also be sure to subscribe to see of it makes it through the station successfully or if a repeat of todays video happens again...
Thanks for watching!
©️Public Transport 4U.
*Note: The reason that this video has been added to the "Railtours, Charters and Mainline Steam" playlist is because this pacer along with a few others have been bought by the railtour operator Vintage Trains for use as mainline pacer tours to give people a chance to still ride them on the mainline railway network around the East Midlands area for years to come. This was actually where the unit was going in the video: Gascoigne Wood Sidings then after that, I believe it was Carnforth Steam Town.

[@Tracker158snow]

Government: sends pacers to die 144023: if I die, *I'll do it on my own terms*

[@PublicTransport4U]

Amazing! 😎😂

[@FM60260]

Yet it has survived, apparently it is now at Tyseley. It just picked up a vaping habit.

[@darranpepperdine]

If you see something that doesn't look right speak to a member of staff. Yes that pacer on platform 4 doesn't look right

[@PublicTransport4U]

Not one bit...!

[@xboxblakeyjnr8280]

See it, say it, sort it

[@tomedy_official]

I was just looking at the destination signs. You can't get to Sheffield Newcastle by northern

[@roberthindle5146]

See it. Say it. F*** it.

[@BingF1]

@@tomedy_officialdefo can

[@380sTLshorts]

Fire: hey pacer it's time to die Pacer: *pulls out uno reverse card*

[@PublicTransport4U]

Well said! 😂

[@Farleigh1050]

PRM registration: pulls out dos reverse card (bad joke)

[@Kivetonandrew]

Interesting to see a Sheffield to York Pacer at Newcastle.

[@roberthindle5146]

Driver entered Sat Nav postcode incorrectly and the train caught fire in protest. Either that or it had been at Heaton TMD?

[@PublicTransport4U]

With it being not in service, I don’t think the destination display really mattered…! 😃

[@andrewbutler6477]

Travelled on them hundreds of times in the valleys they often smoked from the enngines after a punishing trip up and down the valleys was part of the unique experience of these old workhorses

[@PublicTransport4U]

Will certainly be missed, in my eyes!

[@jameslowther772]

Lovely video mate stay safe

[@PublicTransport4U]

Thank you very much, you too! 🙂

[@chrishines6048]

Government: The pacers are being sent to die! 144023: I'll die on my own terms thank you at a busy train station

[@PublicTransport4U]

😂😂😂

[@neilburns8869]

I am surprised that the engine wasn't turned off after it pulled up in the station.

[@PublicTransport4U]

It was shut down almost instantly following the emergency stop.

[@w00llee14]

Interesting video of the fire service sorting out a shed fire. Wait... That’s a train?! Jokes aside, good riddance Pacers.

[@PublicTransport4U]

Hahaha does look indeed like a shed! But in fairness, I'll miss them!

[@GTRRailwaysTrainspotter]

(Shed = 66 lmao)

[@mirvids5036]

I'd like to have pacers on my line. Oh wait. it closed in 1968 so I now have no line. Six miles from Gatwick and what could have been a cross country Kent to Sussex and Gatwick link .... I can only dream ! Shame the tannoy wasn't using a Geordie accent !

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

Was there a blaze or just a puff of smoke

[@PublicTransport4U]

It was confirmed to be an Exhaust Fire.

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

But was there a small lighting blaze in that exhausted fire

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@Great_WesternTVFan not that I know of; no flame was visible from myself.

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

@@PublicTransport4U ok

[@tomedy_official]

Why did the destination sign say York and Sheffield when There is no northern service To either of them from Newcastle

[@PublicTransport4U]

This train was withdrawn from passenger service so the destination did not matter what was shown on it.

[@neilburns8869]

In my own opinion, it makes sense to have the local fire brigade examine the train before allowing it to move on again. After all, I am sure that none of the staff at Newcastle Central railway station would claim to be any kind of expert in fire prevention. Yes, they were there waiting with fire extinguishers but I am sure that many will agree that this is just the basics.

[@PublicTransport4U]

I believe the fire service assessed the entire unit before clearing it to move again, just to eliminate a repeat event!

[@KH73893]

Well this is interesting

[@PublicTransport4U]

It really is!

[@PaddyWV]

I see this one was purchased for preservation. Lucky.

[@PublicTransport4U]

I haven't heard anything from it since this video release; it's current present status is unknown but I hope it's a good status!

[@PaddyWV]

@@PublicTransport4U Me not remembering the old adage of searching for stuff. 'Check and double check", which I didn't, but Google says a company called "Vintage Trains" bought it in 2020, I didn't search further after that. To coin a phrase "My Bad".

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@PaddyWV vintage trains bought them for the potential of running them in railtours and local charters. Whether or not this will actually happen is a different story.

[@TheRedFloofball_Foxy]

Imagine someone just saying in a normal conversation “Off to work on my Leyland National!” “But you work for a railway operator…?” “Yes.”

[@PublicTransport4U]

I love it 😂

[@Turbocrow69]

just seen this video, I was at the station at the time and wondered what was going on - it was some really odd smelling smoke lol

[@sussydogelikesplanes]

what did it smell like

[@Turbocrow69]

like a burning plastic/electric smell@@sussydogelikesplanes

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@Turbocrow69certainly was a smell that made my stomach churn!

[@HMPeterHearty7818]

what year was this filmed

[@PublicTransport4U]

October last year.

[@HMPeterHearty7818]

@@PublicTransport4U k

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@HMPeterHearty7818 you're welcome!

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Look at the smoke coming out from that pacer

[@PublicTransport4U]

The smoke was what caught the attention of station staff

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

⁠@@PublicTransport4Uyeah and you can see it coming from underneath the pacer

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 that’s right yes!

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

@@PublicTransport4Uyeah

[@leeterry688]

Said Sheffield on one side and York on the other and is in Newcastle 😂😂🤦‍♂️

[@PublicTransport4U]

I know, the destination blinds can be confusing; you'd think it would be splitting!!😂 I'd feel sorry for a commuter who thought this was a train for either of these destinations; they'll be in for a short trip back to Heaton Depot...!😅

[@bedfordshireeastmidlandstrains]

Let's just hope he's going to Gateshead, not Sheffield!

[@mobiletransportvideo]

Wouldn’t that just be normal exhaust smoke?

[@PublicTransport4U]

That would usually be the case but it's not normal for normal exhaust smoke to be that dense and heavy where lights shine through it like the same seen at 00:35. Hope this helps!

[@bostonrailfan2427]

i’m not fully familiar with British trains, but that’s way too thick for normal exhaust even from a 40+ year old train…something caught fire inside the exhaust system, it happens a lot with undermaontained engine

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

The cause might of been the driver not cooling down the engine, a metal piece from the train wasn’t built properly or a failure in the engine system

[@PublicTransport4U]

Ah so it may have been just the engine overheating?

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

@@PublicTransport4U ye probably

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

@@PublicTransport4U I wasn’t there tho but that’s what I’m guessing cus diesels tend to catch on fire due to the engine overheating

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@ILoveTheEnviro200s I gathered you weren't there at the time as it was only me filming the situation but an overheating engine sounds very probable in fairness!

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

@@PublicTransport4U ye if the engine heats up it causes the engine start to smoke up then catch fire if the engine is still being heated

[@maxamongus]

3:54 the class 220 or 221 is like : Huh ???🤔

[@PublicTransport4U]

Indeed it is 😅

[@Farleigh1050]

221, you can tell because its wheels are covered by springs

[@juliewebb9025]

This is probably why they scrapped the Pacer trains.

[@PublicTransport4U]

It may have had something to do with it...!

[@khmcc5556]

I think they were sadly scraped because they were so old Life story: The pacers were only meant to operate for 20 years but they exceeded there limits

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@khmcc5556 not only due to their age but due to the fact they didn't meet modern disability standards.

[@verumignis4778]

Literally nothiung can kill those things one even managed to end up in the railway museam

[@PublicTransport4U]

I'm glad they're near indestructible! And I'm certainly glad the museum took one in!

[@MrJimbaloid]

Newcastle to sheff on one of those HORRIBLE things Damn I'd rather Hitch.

[@PublicTransport4U]

😂😂 I would do it any day!

[@theleedsbusdriver]

Second time 144023 caught fire

[@PublicTransport4U]

Wow! It's hitting quite an unlucky streak!

[@Ozzy-does-stuff]

Where abouts in the train was the fire

[@PublicTransport4U]

It was said to be between the engine and exhaust. An exhaust fire was mentioned. Hope this helps!

[@Ozzy-does-stuff]

@@PublicTransport4U It helped btw cheers man

[@SN06BNF]

Nooo, Not The 144 In Danger! :(

[@PublicTransport4U]

Certainly was a shame…!

[@roberthindle5146]

The pan of the entire train at 5:29 shows just how decrepit these units had become with all the rust and warped panels. They were really about 10 years passed their final useful life.

[@PublicTransport4U]

And then some…!

[@Mike-77-YT]

144023: *cough, cough* maybe a retirement doesn't seem too bad for me... But dear oh dear... *cough* I'll never hear the end of it from Northern... Or the sprinters...

[@PublicTransport4U]

Tired and ready for a rest...!

[@MrJimbaloid]

Oh no they saved it.😐

[@PublicTransport4U]

Indeed they did!

[@waynedarronwalls6468]

Pacers on fire...now, there's an idea...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@PublicTransport4U]

Oh dear…! 🙈😂

[@GamerGuy201]

why the watermark

[@PublicTransport4U]

I've had issues in the past with people re-using my videos without permission so now, for all major videos to be uploaded onto the channel, I put a small Watermark to protect it.

[@EM-yk1dw]

Probably the pre heater which is normal.

[@PublicTransport4U]

Could certainly be!

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@PublicTransport4U Especially if the unit had been sitting around for a while.

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@EM-yk1dw most likely!

[@weeardguy]

There may be a stupid amount of announcements, it's actually a nice voice... but hey, I compare it to the text-to-speech voice I hear on a daily basis at 'my' trainstation (Schiphol Airport) in the Netherlands... that tries to speak Dutch station-names with an English accent as good as possible. The voice itself already sucks, but it sucks to hear it stumble over Dutch station-names...

[@PublicTransport4U]

I think the announcements are actually recorded by a person with a script, not text-to-speech like Schiphol airport but I think the Amsterdam Metro has been recorded by a person if I'm correct? I'm sure it'd be rather funny to listen to it attempting to speak Dutch stations in an English accent...! I'll have to listen if I pay a visit to Schiphol airport next!

[@mama-mkm]

Bathroom fire

[@PublicTransport4U]

😅😂

[@bostonrailfan2427]

that made me cringe and glad that multiple radios and cellphones are mandatory for every train crew and rules prevent the use of adjacent tracks by trains in an emergency situation like this and that emergency crews get full priority over all trains so they don’t fiddle around waiting for a departure to examine a vehicle that might be on fire still…

[@sussydogelikesplanes]

dont worry, british trains dont really have a way to catch on fire.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@sussydogelikesplanes you would be surprised…

[@sussydogelikesplanes]

bro was i drunk when i said this

[@sussydogelikesplanes]

sorry im really tired cuz its late in the uk

[@alexishamer6427]

I honestly should think that the class 144 pacers were off-lease from Northern Rail because they are crappy bone shaker trains. They won’t come back. They look like railbus. 😊

[@PublicTransport4U]

Indeed they do!

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

That’s because there were built off old buses which stop being used so they used it and putted them on a freight carriage

[@kevfrombutterley]

@@ILoveTheEnviro200s Were they though

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

@@kevfrombutterley yes their were because a video explains it how it was made

[@kevfrombutterley]

@@ILoveTheEnviro200s They definitely weren't built from old buses. 😂

[@martincabeza4536]

Para que un tren se incendie le tienen que hacer un mantenimiento de culo

[@PublicTransport4U]

¡Suficiente para que vuelva a moverse! Enough to get it moving again!

[@TheArkamedBat]

Pacers are a mistake

[@PublicTransport4U]

Not at all, I must disagree. I think they're great!

[@johnkelly1083]

They had character.

[@PublicTransport4U]

@@johnkelly1083 couldn't agree more!

[@ILoveTheEnviro200s]

@@PublicTransport4U their good trains but are interesting railbuses in Britian’s history so it make sense for them to go to britian got talent 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@PublicTransport4U]

Best of (local) British!