Pacers love em or hate em?

[DesiroDom]

Personally I really hate them

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Oh God not another Pacer thread!

Don't mind them, we actually owe them a lot for saving a good few branchlines from closure.

 

[Darandio]

For crying out loud. :roll:

 

[DesiroDom]

Oh God not another Pacer thread!

Don't mind them, we actually owe them a lot for saving a good few branchlines from closure.

Sorry Matt mate
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

For crying out loud. :roll:

Sorry

 

[GNER 373]

Don't apologise! You've done nothing wrong!

To answe your question, I'd prefer not to travel by them but as Matt said we owe them a lot for saving some branch lines. I'm not a massive fan tho! Bit dated now.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

anyone got anything new to say about this or should admin shut this down!!!

 

[Yew]

Personally I prefer the ATN 142's to northerns 144's with chapmans, they just feel right..

 

[Darandio]

Don't apologise! You've done nothing wrong!

Apart from the fact this is done to death every week, and every other post from the OP is to tell everyone how much he hates them, no matter what topic the thread is about.

 

[DesiroDom]

Apart from the fact this is done to death every week, and every other post from the OP is to tell everyone how much he hates them, no matter what topic the thread is about.

Sorry :/

 

[HSTEd]

Air Conditioned Super Pacer, possibly with Talgo style split axles to cut down on squeal and with a decent suspension would be nice.

Probably cheap too.

 

[driver9000]

Yes we get it, Pacers may not be the most amazing trains to grace the railway but they are sturdy little workhorses that go about their business without much fuss. I have covered tens of thousands of miles on them with very little trouble from them, and I have no doubt I'll cover many more miles with them.

 

[Darandio]

Apart from the fact this is done to death every week, and every other post from the OP is to tell everyone how much he hates them, no matter what topic the thread is about.

Sorry :/

 

[Ivo]

Neither. Quirky units that get the job done but are uncomfortable and not particularly spacious.

Also, this thread is about two years out-of-date. The Pacer Wars were 2009/10.

 

[317666]

I quite like Pacers but prefer Sprinters or Networker Turbos.

 

[lordhinton]

i dont hate them.. i like them because they are one of the closest things to the older rail days (80s'/90's) but i do perfer a 390, 395 375 and anything modern!!

 

[YorkshireBear]

Sorry :/

AH mate stop saying sorry, you werent about for all the other pacer threads, trust me its been argued/discussed to death on here.

 

[WestCoast]

There's no need to apologise.

To be quite honest, as a Pacer commuter, they're better than the bus. However, they're the only trains where I've heard so many negative comments from non-enthusiasts. Yeah, they're quirky relics from a BR cost-cutting drive, but they're not what most commuters really want to travel on, especially for standing passengers. Many of the Northern routes they operated now would not have faced closure without them.

Although on Northern at least there are three different interiors, the best are the ex-ATN 142s with green high backed seating found mainly on the East side of the Pennies. The worst are the Merseytravel refurbished examples with rock hard cramped seating with virtually no legroom. Then there are the ex-FNW examples, which are slightly better but still quite uncomfortable.

So, I don't hate them, however they are not the most suitable unit for some of the routes they operate on.

 

[starrymarkb]

FGW 143s are fine. Had a nice smooth (apart from the last bit of jointed around Topsham) ride, seat was comfortable and pretty well suited to a 20 min run...

 

[WestCoast]

FGW 143s are fine. Had a nice smooth (apart from the last bit of jointed around Topsham) ride, seat was comfortable and pretty well suited to a 20 min run...

It's surprising how much of a difference the seating makes, along with a clean refreshed interior.

 

[deltic1989]

For my part whilst i dont much like them. That is to say i wouldnt ride on one by choice. I can see why they exist, as said they saved many rural branchlines from closure, also they were built cheaply in a time when the railway budget was low so they could be veiwed as a bit of a feat of inginuity. They are a bit like Marmite though but love them or hate them looks like they will be around for a few years to come.

 

[sprinterguy]

They were the bane of train travel when I lived in the north east, but now that I only use them on sporadic trips, I find that I get quite nostalgic about the humble Pacer. They've got a lot of "character."

 

[Cliveblackpool]

I used to hate the Pacers. Screeching on curves & crossovers etc. Bit like 2 BL buses welded together! First passenger rail vehicles in years with no bogies & solid wheels (no tyres)
But after travelling on a sprinter between Crewe & Derby - 0 to 60 in 5 minutes etc, the Pacer engines on the Preston to Blackpool south had a fair bit of poke.
The NR interiors are in a dreadful state - Sagging dirty seats etc. The doors that day were causing the guard a lot of extra work.
Will they phase them out by 2020? (DD act) Would that cause a shortage of rolling stock?....or will they give them a few more years grace?
The gov. might shock us all and spend some real money on the railways!!

 

[table38]

Perhaps we need an FAQ with topics such as:

• Some people do actually like Pacers
• Voyager toilets are smelly
• What those little slidey things on platforms are for
• How ugly Class 70s are
• All the possible Cow jokes

 

[142094]

Perhaps we need an FAQ with topics such as:

• Some people do actually like Pacers
• Voyager toilets are smelly
• What those little slidey things on platforms are for
• How ugly Class 70s are
• All the possible Cow jokes

Probably a decent list there!

 

[Schnellzug]

FGW 143s are fine. Had a nice smooth (apart from the last bit of jointed around Topsham) ride, seat was comfortable and pretty well suited to a 20 min run...

true; although on the other hand, the bus seats in 142s do give an unobstructed view.
Anyway, anything with Cummins L10s is ok with me.

 

[Yew]

I think pacers depend on the surroundings. a Packed rush hour spent on a pacer, is truly awful. (but then again, a 150 is, a 158 is, and a HST isnt great)

However For a jaunt around lincolnshire on a weekend, I quite like them Lots of character, and the ride isnt bad on CWR. Its almost like being on a rocking chair

 

[Tomonthetrain]

They're Pacerlicious!!!

 

[brillopad]

true; although on the other hand, the bus seats in 142s do give an unobstructed view.
Anyway, anything with Cummins L10s is ok with me.

That's what I liked about Pacers - I (used to) travel on them in Devon - Barnstaple/Dawlish/Paignton and liked the unobstructed view.

The converted airline style ones were just like a 153.

 

[paul1609]

I used to hate the Pacers. Screeching on curves & crossovers etc. Bit like 2 BL buses welded together! First passenger rail vehicles in years with no bogies & solid wheels (no tyres)
But after travelling on a sprinter between Crewe & Derby - 0 to 60 in 5 minutes etc, the Pacer engines on the Preston to Blackpool south had a fair bit of poke.
The NR interiors are in a dreadful state - Sagging dirty seats etc. The doors that day were causing the guard a lot of extra work.
Will they phase them out by 2020? (DD act) Would that cause a shortage of rolling stock?....or will they give them a few more years grace?
The gov. might shock us all and spend some real money on the railways!!

With electrification of a number of routes underway how about sandwiching them between 2 power cars. would solve the crash worthyness issues, could provide disabled accomodation and provide extra capcity a refresh and elecric heating in the ex pacer coaches and you have a train thats well suited to many morthern services,

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I regard them as a bit like having a triple-cross between a tram, a bus and a train.