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Transformation of old pacer train completed at Airedale Hospital

Children and parents at Airedale Hospital can hop on board a retired Northern pacer train which was won in a competition.

The carriage from the 1980s has been converted into a non-clinical space for youngsters on the hospital's children's ward and for those visiting paediatric outpatients appointments.

Airedale Hospital & Community Charity won it in the ‘Transform a Pacer’ competition run by the Department for Transport in 2019, and local operator Northern has sponsored its transformation through its customer and community improvement fund.

Renamed the Flying Dalesman, the train now has creative spaces, sensory zones, areas for reading and learning, an indoor tree, as well as a garden courtyard. 

The driver’s cab has been also been restored, so both parents and children can enjoy sitting in the front of the train. 

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern said: “This is a really unique communal space that will no doubt support the wellbeing of many people in the coming years. 

“Our pacers gave many decades’ service and now that they’ve been replaced on our network by brand new trains, it’s great to see one of those old carriages being given a new lease of life.” 

The project was a community effort with local company Ultimate (Commercial Interiors) Ltd who, along with its partners and suppliers, refurbished the train carriage. 

The last pacer retired from the Northern network in 2020 and the train operator has introduced brand new trains to replace them.

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