Class 141 Railbus Built 1984

Heritage railcars had been built with a life expectancy of 25 years and so by the 1980's thoughts were turning towards what could replace them.
At the time the Railways of Britain were very run down and there was little cash available with which to buy new trains.
A joint project was undertaken by British Rail Research at Derby and Leyland Buses at Workington with the object of constructing a cheap lightweight train.
Three single-car railbuses and a more complex two-car train (the class 140) were made before the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority agreed to pay for a production batch of 20 vehicles to a revised design.
Known as class 141 these vehicles were made using Leyland National bus body parts on a four-wheel chassis.
Although much cheaper than a conventional train there were many disadvantages and the batch of 20 was to be modified many times during its time in service.
However the economies which the new trains brought with them enabled West Yorkshire to cut the cost of running trains and to open more stations and lines.
The increased traffic which resulted has enabled more expensive conventional trains to be bought and some lines have even been electrified.
The class 141 is unique in that it is narrower than a conventional rail vehicle or than any other of the "Pacer" railbus classes. This is because it was built with standard Leyland National parts whereas later models, like the 142, had modified cove panels to make them wider, enabling seating to be raised from 94 to 120.
The class 141 was always non-standard and was withdrawn as such by 1997. This example was bought by the Group in 2001 and has had to have extensive work done, including the rebuilding of one of the engines and a complete exterior overhaul and repaint. It re-entered service at the start of 2007 and made its debut at the Midland Railway Centre where it is currently out-based.
This train is preserved in the later pattern of West Yorkshire livery and retains its West Yorkshire interior and period posters.