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Post by vjaska on Nov 26, 2014 3:23:59 GMT
Can anyone give me some background into the Pacers please as I've no clue when it comes to trains that aren't Underground stock. Thanks in advance. Pacers are basically a 1980s low cost diesel train series (Class 140/141/142/143/144); with much of their design and components inspired/coming from buses at the time. Hence the bench seats (which are still present on the unrefurbished/not-so extensively refurbished units), inward opening doors, seating layout much like the top deck of a DD... They are what we would call 'high floor' trains- not wheelchair-friendly...which is part of the reason the D Stock is off to replace them! Lovely trains I hear. Thanks very much for this - never knew there were trains that look so much like buses including the interior lol. Once these Pacers get replaced, will there be any more left in service in the UK?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 21:14:19 GMT
Pacers are basically a 1980s low cost diesel train series (Class 140/141/142/143/144); with much of their design and components inspired/coming from buses at the time. Hence the bench seats (which are still present on the unrefurbished/not-so extensively refurbished units), inward opening doors, seating layout much like the top deck of a DD... They are what we would call 'high floor' trains- not wheelchair-friendly...which is part of the reason the D Stock is off to replace them! Lovely trains I hear. Thanks very much for this - never knew there were trains that look so much like buses including the interior lol. Once these Pacers get replaced, will there be any more left in service in the UK? These sound like the trains I used from Preston to Blackpool South - Look like Leyland Nationals on rails! very strange
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Post by M1199 on Nov 26, 2014 22:15:14 GMT
Don't they also have single axles instead of bogies, which leads to a rather rough ride! I believe they were nicknamed 'Nodding Donkeys' Oddly enough, the class 142 pacer is the only DMU I've never been one that I really wanna sample, suppose I best get myself up north sooner rather than later.
Good to see the D Stock given another lease of life though.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 23:44:33 GMT
Don't they also have single axles instead of bogies, which leads to a rather rough ride! I believe they were nicknamed 'Nodding Donkeys' Oddly enough, the class 142 pacer is the only DMU I've never been one that I really wanna sample, suppose I best get myself up north sooner rather than later. Good to see the D Stock given another lease of life though. Does anyone have a breakdown if what lines/company these are used on? I know that the 142's are used with Northern. What about the rest?
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Post by M1199 on Nov 26, 2014 23:54:51 GMT
Don't they also have single axles instead of bogies, which leads to a rather rough ride! I believe they were nicknamed 'Nodding Donkeys' Oddly enough, the class 142 pacer is the only DMU I've never been one that I really wanna sample, suppose I best get myself up north sooner rather than later. Good to see the D Stock given another lease of life though. Does anyone have a breakdown if what lines/company these are used on? I know that the 142's are used with Northern. What about the rest? I only know of Northern. First Great Western used to operate the type down in Cornwall but I think I read somewhere they got rid of them a few years ago. I remember seeing them on Merseyrail City line services from Liverpool Lime St and from Southport on the line towards Manchester BUT, I'm talking like 20 years ago! (Christ, that's makes me feel old remembering something so well from 1994!)
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Post by snowman on Nov 27, 2014 8:16:21 GMT
Don't they also have single axles instead of bogies, which leads to a rather rough ride! I believe they were nicknamed 'Nodding Donkeys' Oddly enough, the class 142 pacer is the only DMU I've never been one that I really wanna sample, suppose I best get myself up north sooner rather than later. Good to see the D Stock given another lease of life though. Yes the low cost solution of early 1980s was to use the long wheelbase freight wagon chassis that BR research had sorted the suspension in 1970s then add a engine and a bus body. The bodies on the 141s were virtually standard Leyland Nationals from Workington. Somebody then worked out how to make it 2.8m wide instead of 2.5m and the wider ones became class 142. The 75mph was rarely used and in early days many branch lines were much lower speed with jointed track instead of welded so less axles mitigated the clickety click that was the norm across joints. The concept might seem crude now, but remember this was before Serpell report, when alternative was seen as a Beeching round 2
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Post by snoggle on Nov 27, 2014 16:51:37 GMT
The concept might seem crude now, but remember this was before Serpell report, when alternative was seen as a Beeching round 2 And that is probably the most important point. They may be very basic units and they may be dreadfully overworked for today's demand levels but without them the rail network would be much much smaller. Their low purchase and operating cost has kept rural and some urban lines alive meaning there is now justification, in terms of greater ridership, for better trains to be deployed. People berate BR as being useless but it was immensely skilled at making very little money go a very long way and was politically very clever in constructing situations that meant it got money rather than have lines closed (in the 1980s when there was much political pressure around Mrs Thatcher to shut the railways down). Today's railway is simply not capable of coming up with cheap ways to do things. On the subject of converting D stock then I'll believe it when I see it. I think there are massive issues ahead for that project and I suspect they will struggle to get beyond the prototype stage. I feel the railway approval processes are what will kill off the initiative even though the promoters say D Stock is cleared for national rail network operation. Well possibly in London but Yorkshire?
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Post by routew15 on Aug 27, 2015 12:42:01 GMT
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Post by LX09FBJ on Aug 27, 2015 19:50:32 GMT
The don't look half bad, except the attempt to copy the Turbostar front end, which doesn't look right at all on such a boxy body. Personally, I would have attempted to make them look like the Class 150s or 318s (Scottish versions of the 317) Still at least they'll get rid of the Pacers (which I haven't ridden on thankfully) and they won't have gone to waste.
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Post by Tangy on Aug 27, 2015 22:47:09 GMT
quote]I only know of Northern. First Great Western used to operate the type down in Cornwall but I think I read somewhere they got rid of them a few years ago. I remember seeing them on Merseyrail City line services from Liverpool Lime St and from Southport on the line towards Manchester BUT, I'm talking like 20 years ago! (Christ, that's makes me feel old remembering something so well from 1994!) The vast majority of the class 142 Pacers (Leyland National body) are with Northern and can be found throughout their network, mainly concentrated at Leeds, Manchester or Newcastle. They have many different internal seating layouts however and only a small number retain their original bus bench seating. Arriva Trains Wales also have a number of 142s for the Valley Lines network centred on Cardiff. The ones that were with Merseyrail are now with Northern but are regarded as common user with the other 142s. These ex Merseyrail units have high density seating with very little legroom and are easily recognised by their dot matrix destination screens (instead of roller blinds). There are two others types of Pacer (class 143 and 144) with Alexander bodies. The 143s are with First Great Western around Exeter or with Arriva Trains Wales on the Valley Lines. The whole of the class 144 fleet is at Northern mainly used on West Yorkshire "Metro" diagrams. Both of these classes have more modern individual seats and indeed feel much nicer compared to the 142s. Pacers were operated in Cornwall but did not last long due to the sharp curves found on much of the Cornish network which caused excessive squeal, Pacers are also not allowed on lines where third rail is installed due to the potential risk of fouling the third rail (so unlikely to see one in Weymouth).
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Post by John tuthill on Aug 28, 2015 10:18:14 GMT
Looks like the latest addition to the Sodor railway!
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Post by vjaska on Aug 28, 2015 11:30:02 GMT
Looks like the latest addition to the Sodor railway! Looks like BoCo's relative lol.
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Post by snowman on Jul 22, 2016 20:07:33 GMT
Looks like the first converted train is going to be used on Coventry. - Nuneaton line class 230
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Post by ServerKing on Jul 23, 2016 14:05:16 GMT
Looks like the latest addition to the Sodor railway! Too bad Sodor said no, that they would be too slow. Henry had to rescue a failed 230 near to Tidmouth Sheds so they aren't taking anymore The Southern colours are quite apt. Perhaps the drivers will use these shorter 230s instead and stop the strikes and disruption?
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Post by RT3062 on Jul 23, 2016 19:18:59 GMT
Looks like the latest addition to the Sodor railway! Too bad Sodor said no, that they would be too slow. Henry had to rescue a failed 230 near to Tidmouth Sheds so they aren't taking anymore The Southern colours are quite apt. Perhaps the drivers will use these shorter 230s instead and stop the strikes and disruption? i seem to remember that sodor engines dont like stock from the mainland
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