📢 Please take a minute to read this personal message from the creator of RailwayModels.uk

Accurascale ACC3400-DCC

Class 142 - GMPTE Orange - 142003 (LSL preserved) - DCC Sound Fitted

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Era
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation

Manufacturer description

142003 (55544+55594) Crewe / Special

The 1980s saw several paint schemes make the jump from bus to DMU as the Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs), later Authorities (PTAs), began to sanction repaints covering rolling stock they sponsored. One of the most attractive was the Greater Manchester Transport orange/brown/white that had been adopted in 1981 and this was applied to the first 14 ‘Pacers’ 142001-142014 which were delivered in 1985. Based out of Newton Heath depot and seen at both Piccadilly and Victoria, they worked all across the North West, including to Blackburn, Colne, Chester, Helsby, Liverpool Lime Street, Llandudno, New Mills / Rose Hill, Oldham, Ormskirk, Preston, Rochdale, Southport, Stalybridge and Wigan North Western, as well as longer distance journeys to Barrow-in-Furness and the Cumbrian coast, Blackpool North/South, Carlisle, Doncaster, Sheffield and York. 142012 represents the Class 142s in their as-delivered condition with original destination blind, while 142008 has the smaller blind assembly introduced on the second batch, revised heating arrangement with the extra ventilation grille on one side of the body and additional warning labelling for passengers. The third GMPTE-liveried ‘Pacer’ is preserved 142003 with revised double-leaf doors and chassis-mounted sanding equipment.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

Accurascale Class 142 – GMPTE Orange – 142003 (LSL preserved) – DCC Sound Fitted is a ready‑to‑run model of a British Rail “Pacer” diesel multiple unit. The kit carries the manufacturer part number ACC3400‑DCC, is supplied in the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive orange/brown/white livery and includes digital command control (DCC) sound equipment. It represents the initial privatisation era of the mid‑1980s.

The orange/brown/white scheme was introduced by the Greater Manchester Transport Authority in 1981 and applied to the first fourteen Class 142 units (numbers 142001‑142014) delivered in 1985. Based at Newton Heath depot, these units operated from Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria to a wide range of destinations across the North West, including Blackburn, Liverpool Lime Street, Southport, Wigan North Western and longer routes to Barrow‑in‑Furness, Blackpool, Carlisle, Doncaster, Sheffield and York.

Model 142003 is preserved in a later configuration with double‑leaf doors and chassis‑mounted sanding equipment. It differs from the as‑delivered example (142012) by incorporating the revised door arrangement and the sanding gear fitted to the preserved vehicle. The model also reflects the smaller destination blind used on the second batch of units and the updated heating and ventilation features introduced during the service life.