Because Pacers can't defend themselves!

[TrainBrain185]

Faced with a Pacer from Exmouth to Dawlish, I think I'd rather swim across the Exe Estuary.

Will save you the train fare anyway. Personally though, its a bit dangerous. My advice is to ride a lovely Pacer rather than swim. People on this thread seem too be thinking serious dangerous alternatives to their own well being rather than ride a Pacer train!

 

[northernrailer]

Well i live near Woodlesford in West Yorkshire, Woodleford is on the Leeds - Knottingley & Sheffield via Wakefield & Barnsley line i for one are use to pacers now as thats all you really get at Woodlesford, maybe a class 150 or 153 if your lucky but class 14x pacers are really the norm on this line, Exmouth - Exeter is rough track nearer to the Exmouth end esp for the class 14x`s, Personally i would rather go by Pacer than swin from Exmouth to Dawlish / or theres always the ferry from Exmouth to Starcross!!

 

[Ivo]

Yup. I'd go by ferry too. Except that it only runs during BST (approximately).

Still, the first time you use a Pacer, the experience feels like a Leyland National (rather obviously). So, until that novelty wears off, Pacers are nice. Then you realise that they're just copies of something good. 121s are better for a National-esque experience, even though they're much older.

Mind you, I'm not a big fan of the early Sprinters (especially the 153s) either.

 

[Vulcan]

I'm also all for defending 153s as well.

Had they been designed specificly as a single car sprinter, i'm sure they would be a lot better then they are. I think some people don't realise the 153s were originally built as 155s and rebuilt into twice as many 153s.

Not, as Dapol put on their press release when their N gauge version was released, converted from 150/2s

 

[adamp]

When bus drivers have to put up with self righteous, opinionated tw*ts like you is it any wonder?
Have you ever done the job and seen what a bus driver has to put up with in an average day? No, well until you have got an idea of what you are talking about keep your opinions to yourself!

Chill your beans lol

 

[Ivo]

I'm also all for defending 153s as well.

Had they been designed specificly as a single car sprinter, i'm sure they would be a lot better then they are. I think some people don't realise the 153s were originally built as 155s and rebuilt into twice as many 153s.

Not, as Dapol put on their press release when their N gauge version was released, converted from 150/2s

Hmm... I was aware of this, and I think I'd rather them be converted from 155s than 150s, but I just don't really like the Pacers or early Sprinters in general. Give me a 121 or - dare I say it! - a 158 any day. Or, better yet, give me a 170.

Or a 43

Anyway, back to the not-so-"pacey" Pacers, they are something like 25 years old, and they haven't aged all that well. If I was offered the chance to preserve one, I'd probably turn it down. Still, being diesels, I don't suppose for one moment that they would be particularly difficult to drive, which is a plus. "Look at me! I can push and pull a few levers!"

 

[Vulcan]

Give me a 121 or - dare I say it! - a 158 any day. Or, better yet, give me a 170.

Or a 43

Thats a bit of a no-brainer! Obviously any of the above would be better, especially the 170s, which are about 15 years newer then a Pacer or a 153.

And there are already 2 pacers preserved, although they are the original class 141s. I believe one is at the Midland railway centre, looking good in WYPTE red, the other at the Weardale railway. The rest are probably still soldiering on in Iran (was it?) where they were exported to. It would be a real shame if at least one of each wasn't preserved, if only to keep a little bit of the hatred alive!

 

[royaloak]

Chill your beans lol

Shove it where the sun dont sign pal, tell you what why dont you take your views about bus drivers and go to one of their union meetings and tell them, let me know what happens!
Of course its easy to be a key board jockey slagging everyone off just for doing their job isn't it!

 

[Ivo]

Having already slagged off the Pacers, can I move on to the 313/4/5 set now?

 

[Lampshade]

Having already slagged off the Pacers, can I move on to the 313/4/5 set now?

No because they're actually good

 

[317666]

Pacers really aren't that bad. I did Exeter Central - Barnstaple on one and the ride quality/comfort was fine. 142009 for those who are interested.

 

[Vulcan]

Pacers really aren't that bad. I did Exeter Central - Barnstaple on one and the ride quality/comfort was fine. 142009 for those who are interested.

See! you all thought I was mad, but 317666 agrees!

 

[317666]

See! you all thought I was mad, but 317666 agrees!

Yeah, arguably more comfortable than the 377 I took from London - Brighton!

 

[Ivo]

Pacers really aren't that bad. I did Exeter Central - Barnstaple on one and the ride quality/comfort was fine. 142009 for those who are interested.

You sure that wasn't just the line, or failing that a one-off lucky break?

 

[317666]

You sure that wasn't just the line, or failing that a one-off lucky break?

Well, I reckon it was probably the unit.

 

[poshbakerloo]

Pacers really aren't that bad. I did Exeter Central - Barnstaple on one and the ride quality/comfort was fine. 142009 for those who are interested.

Try doing Sheffield-Lincoln...its either a 142 or 144. The 144s have better seats but the ride is still awful!

 

[northwichcat]

It can vary within a few miles on the same line. Lostock Gralam-Plumley is awful where they keep bouncing over the crossings on the line for the farmers to get between fields (and they make an awful noise doing it), but Plumley-Knutsford isn't too bad, then when the train reaches the tight Deansgate Junction just after Navigation Road station it's ear plugs at the ready.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I would rather walk then get on any type of "Pacer" there awful and there basically buses on rails.

 

[Lampshade]

I'd rather travel on a Pacer in summer than a 150. The 150 just trumps it in the winter but a 156 trumps them both all year round.

 

[TrainBrain185]

I would rather walk then get on any type of "Pacer" there awful and there basically buses on rails.

If you resided where they operate dude, you would use them, just like the very early morning passengers where I live did yesterday, with appreciation for both staff....and the train. A couple of weeks ago our local paper had a front page photo of a certain steam loco getting some South East commuters home when your electrics chucked it. Those Pacer units yesterday I used where iced solid and kept going in severe conditions.
I am fed up to the back teeth of people on this forum slagging off Pacer's and stating they would rather stoop to stupiditiy than ride one.
Get real, Pacer's are not perfect I admit, but they are a backbone of local secondary rail lines which are not as perfect as the main lines. The runs I have made on Northern's 142's on the early morning/late ECML diagrams are smooth enough and yes, comfortable enough too.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

If you resided where they operate dude, you would use them, just like the very early morning passengers where I live did yesterday, with appreciation for both staff....and the train. A couple of weeks ago our local paper had a front page photo of a certain steam loco getting some South East commuters home when your electrics chucked it. Those Pacer units yesterday I used where iced solid and kept going in severe conditions.
I am fed up to the back teeth of people on this forum slagging off Pacer's and stating they would rather stoop to stupiditiy than ride one.
Get real, Pacer's are not perfect I admit, but they are a backbone of local secondary rail lines which are not as perfect as the main lines. The runs I have made on Northern's 142's on the early morning/late ECML diagrams are smooth enough and yes, comfortable enough too.

I would still rather walk than have to travel on a heap of crap like that I hate them!

You probally hate our Class 465s I respect your opinion,while I hate your "Pacers".

 

[TrainBrain185]

I would still rather walk than have to travel on a heap of crap like that I hate them!

You probally hate our Class 465s I respect your opinion,while I hate your "Pacers".

Absolutely not. Would love to have 465's up here! You bet I would.....the sad thing is, you guys south of the Watford Gap have it great and in my humble opinion, are quite spoilt. But here where I live, we have Pacer's and 156 Sprinter's and I appreciate them for what they are. They serve us reasonably well on the lesser used routes and I suppose the most up to date commuter train in my Manor is the Class 185. Be lucky what you have, but don't knock what we have. I like the Pacer regardless of its shortcomings and our Bishop Auckland, Saltburn and Whitby services we see today may not be affordable with more expensive rolling stock types.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Absolutely not. Would love to have 465's up here! You bet I would.....the sad thing is, you guys south of the Watford Gap have it great and in my humble opinion, are quite spoilt. But here where I live, we have Pacer's and 156 Sprinter's and I appreciate them for what they are. They serve us reasonably well on the lesser used routes and I suppose the most up to date commuter train in my Manor is the Class 185. Be lucky what you have, but don't knock what we have. I like the Pacer regardless of its shortcomings and our Bishop Auckland, Saltburn and Whitby services we see today may not be affordable with more expensive rolling stock types.

I did forget to mention that I would not want to travel on a "Pacer" because of the safety after hearing about the engine falling out when traveling at 60 MPH. That aint my cup of tea!

But as for the Class 156s they seem ok, but good on you that you respect what you have for your "Pacers" and "Sprinters"

 

[TrainBrain185]

I did forget to mention that I would not want to travel on a "Pacer" because of the safety after hearing about the engine falling out when traveling at 60 MPH. That aint my cup of tea!

But as for the Class 156s they seem ok, but good on you that you respect what you have for your "Pacers" and "Sprinters"

Thankyou

 

[Vulcan]

Just out of curiosity, who here has actually travelled by pacer? I get the feeling some people have made judgements based on all the negative words about them in places such as this forum.

So, I have.

 

[Ivo]

I've probably made ten journeys on Pacers, and only enjoyed the first two (Bristol TM to Avonmouth and back), which probably had more to do with the route being so "splendid" (not my term) and the novelty value of travelling on a bus-train. As soon as I used a modern Sprinter [i.e. a 158], that was it. The Pacers were consigned to history - and to Hell.

 

[royaloak]

Travelled on all types of pacer except the 140,
Its when they get used on inappropriate services the problems start, pacers do a job efficiently but people expect a rolls royce for mini money, of course some people will never be satisfied, yes a sprinteer is better at long distance stuff but there arent enough of them so get used to the pacers coz they is ere for a while people.

 

[yorksrob]

I travel on them daily. Whilst they're better than nothing, they're worse than anything else on the rails. They should replace them before they start scrapping good Mk 3's and EMU's.

 

[Vulcan]

Its when they get used on inappropriate services the problems start

I quite agree. On rural services such as the Morecambe line they are quite adequate. But when Northern think a 2 car 144 is a suitable stand in for a 4 car, air conditioned 333 theyre not so good! However, this is more to do with Northern then the trains themselves.

 

[yorksrob]

I would have thought that distance wise, a long journey such as Leeds - Morcambe was particularly unsuited to Pacer travel. If it's a quiet time of day when there are fewer passengers than the capacity of a Pacer, why shouldn't one be a suitable stand in for a 333 to Airedale or Wharfedale - especially as these are much shorter distances?