Inside the Infamous Pacer: The Bus on Rails Commuters Loved to Hate | Curator with a Camera

[@TTXV]

A truly minging train that despite its myriad of faults should definitely be part of the national collection, Because there has never been a modern train that has delivered such an abominable passager experience

[@ZGryphon]

To paraphrase something James May once said about the Morris Marina, "You need to preserve _one,_ as a warning from history."

[@joshuatk59]

⁠​⁠@@derektaylor2941even though they served their purpose well, it doesn’t negate the fact that they were only meant to be a cheap stopgap. Consequently, from a passenger perspective they sucked.

[@adder3597]

​@@derektaylor2941That's the reason oft given, but in the end, with the cost of the mods the Pacers underwent early in their lives it ended up costing more per unit than just building a Sprinter. And they were still a godawful thing to ride on. Especially an hour and a half each way per day on the Cumbrian Coast.

[@Vinnie101a]

Those seats do look super comfortable

[@ahuman9143]

imagine these on the unelectrified Gospel Oak-Barking line in London that would be a sight to see

[@simonfrost7094]

"Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution" - old Russian proverb. I can't believe I was still commuting on these things until just a couple of years ago - the livery is certainly very familiar. The fact they stuck around for so long (apparently the only reason they finally got rid of them was because of new accessibility legislation) tells us a lot about the state of Britains' railways, especially in the North, where these were seen as 'good enough' decades after they should've been withdrawn and replaced with better rolling stock.

[@Thiefnuker]

"Nichts hält länger als ein Provisorium" We got the same in German I think that's an international thing :D The pacers are really to thank for a lot of smaller lines not being closed and later on even having their service extended. They came in a time when "closing lines for profitability" was awfully popular until regrets set in years or decades later. I recently rode the "German equivalent" to the Pacer, the Ferkeltaxe, and honestly as a railway enthusiast I absolutely loved the 'direct' experience of a bumpy, squealing ride.

[@sandletters39]

It was government subsidies that kept lines open, not the 1.3:% differences, even if it was real.

[@pufferkuesser97]

@@Thiefnuker To add to that: The "Ferkeltaxe" or pig cab translated is the east german equivalent to the pacer, the VT98 is the west german equivalent

[@LJSW-rp6xm]

Living in a semi rural village on the outskirts of Sheffield the use of these trains has been an integral part of my life for business and pleasure. I met my wife on one, I used them to commute to work on them when I got my first job straight out of school, used them to travel to see my Football team every other week August to April season after season, nights out, cinema and shopping trips, me and my mates used to go to Meadowhall on them back in the mid 90’s when we were teenagers so were a kind of symbol of our independence. As a kid our house was about half a mile from the local station and I used to be able to hear them pulling in and out of the station in the distance, quite reassuring actually.

[@cameronclasper3824]

Had to get on these from Bamford to Manchester regularly- freezing and soaked regularly

[@RCT3Crashes100]

I can't help but find it extremely fitting that even retiring the Pacers from service didn't stop them, since heritage railways up and down the country own loads of them, plus there's even more on static displays and being used in new ways. No matter how many changes happen, it seems the Pacers literally _will not die_ - in my opinion, that makes them even more endearing :)

[@BillyKirbyUK]

Endearing? Hmm I don't think so

[@paultaylor7082]

Agreed. About as endearing as the ill fated Ford Edsel of the 1950s in the US. The big problem was Pacers were awful, but they still kept making them, as they had a captive audience of commuters who had to travel to work in them, not much of a choice. Third Class comfort for First Class rail fares. Truly awful. I wonder how many 30 odd year old cars you see in rush hour regularly commuting into city centres, that was the case with the equivalent Pacer trains. Cheap and nasty would be a polite description of them. At least in Greater Manchester, the Metrolink trams don't have fares anywhere near as dear as most comparable rail fares for similar journeys.

[@LionGorrilaTag]

And how they had not emptied teh fuel even though it will never run again (IF it is on the BR network)

[@TheHobohobbit]

@@paultaylor7082 But without them the rail network would be in an more sorry state than it is today, With low capacity lines not getting cheap easy trains it would have likely caused a Beeching V2 destroying what was already a crippled network. Admitedly they never should have lasted as long as they did but they kept the country moving until the govenment sorted themselves out and actually started investing in the railways

[@NYCS19339]

​@@paultaylor7082, by the way, one of the sub models of the Edsel was called the Pacer. It was the cheapest version of the line.

[@smilerbull]

I think that the pacer was a vital part of our railway history. They moved literally millions of people. They took people to their job interviews, their first date with their now partner, took people on trips on some lines that would’ve been closed otherwise. It’s important for the Railway museum to save trains like this as well as the major express locos. They all tell our railways history. It’s no wonder many heritage railways have bought pacers as they’re cheap to run and simple to repair.

[@caramelldansen2204]

You could also argue it best represents a historical moment of British railway history; one of class divide, and a government too stingy to even afford bare minimum rolling stock despite the massive, destructive and short-sighted cutbacks to the railway in the time between Beeching's Axe and the introduction of the Pacer. A grimy, uncomfortable and austere vehicle for a perfidious, dishonourable and cruel act against our railways... what could be more fitting?

[@johncourtneidge]

@@caramelldansen2204 yes.

[@Ben31337l]

@@caramelldansen2204 You could also look at it from this point of view. British Rail in the 1940s, was revenged by world war 2, they're grouping and even pre-grouping stock were showing their age, battered by world war 2, by the 1950s America and Europe were getting ahead with dieselisation while Britain was still using coal. British Rail was tasked with practically revolutionising a failing industry into one that could make a profit. Many lines were either duplicated or didn't turn a profit. Little did British Rail know that many of these little used lines fed into the mainlines contributing to their overall volume. In order to catch up with the rest of the world, the UK had to modernise with more efficient diesels that had more availability. In the 1950s, the early diesel traction wasn't too good, the only reliable diesels there were were LMS ones built by English Electric, notable examples were the class 20 and 37. The sudden change from steam to diesel put many, MANY manufacturers out of business as they couldn't transition that quickly and their product simply couldn't sell anymore. British Rail was marred with pressure from both the public and the government who wanted things done quickly and in such a rush that many prototypes were failures, many of which got sold off to other places which we ended up buying back in the future. Throughout BR's life, it was marred with controversy along with one mistake after another while simultaneously failing to actually achieve its goal. British Rail was formed from false promises from the government to create a cleaner, more modern, cheaper railway from it being united, it was then disbanded from false promises of government to privatize the railway which lead to Railtrack, which lead to one of the most dangerous conditions the railway has arguably ever been in. This trend of government intervention of the railways doesn't stop here but it has been ever present in the railways, the 1923 grouping act formed the big 4, 3 companies lost their core identity except for the Great Western. I would think that beaching is less the cause, but instead, more of a symptom of a bigger issue at play here of government intervention. I think this issue of intervention goes well before the invention of railways. Am I wrong here?

[@stevieinselby]

They took me to two job interviews, and I was so discombobulated and feeling sick 🤢 from the unconscionably awful ride that I didn't get either of those jobs ...

[@kyle8952]

@@Ben31337l I think we should compare to something like Nederlandse Spoorwegen. They were (still are) a state railway, and they've had far less problems than BR did. They had the sense to skip diesel for the most part and go straight to electric. To this day their trains have massive seating capacity, run very frequently and very reliably, and are extremely cheap. State intervention doesn't seem to be the issue.

[@CoffeeOnRails]

I like to think we've preserved this as a "dear god NEVER do this again!"

[@marcleslac2413]

Same idea should also have sent one to the museum of failure.

[@railfan670]

they are fun shitboxes to mess with

[@davidty2006]

Ah yes the dreaded bus on wheels... The thing that prooved that Temporary in britain can mean up to 40 years.

[@pufferkuesser97]

Don't worry, thats an international thing

[@Guard_Amos]

I worked with the 142's for 14 years. Reliable as anything and they were a guard and drivers best friends. The drivers had everything where they wanted them and the open nature of the coaches meant the guard could see all the way down the train They were that basic compared to everything else that any fault could generally be cured with a kick with a size 12, a hammer or a crack with a fist. If it couldn't then it were broken. In 14 years i only had one major failure. You could only see the bus likeness from the inside with the windows, lights, he door step and even in he cabs you had the bus style opening cab windows and the cupboard for the destination blind. The Pacers in general all entered service with 4 leaf folding bus doors. As did the Leyland Nationals. But, after issues with the original bus doors. They received the 2 leaf set up instead. The brakes were originally cable brakes (just like a bike) and the same engine as a Leyland National. All before getting their 'upgrades'. I must admit I do miss working them and so do quite a few of us traincrew. Yes they weren't a passengers or even enthusiasts favourites. But, they certainly did the job they were built to and no doubt paid for themselves time and time again

[@dylanSNL816]

Brilliant, as a lifelong Pacer fan and a northerner who remembers riding on this exact unit, it's so fantastic to see it in it's deserved place in the national collection. What a brilliant vehicle.

[@gamertezza6664]

Me too I rember the 141 lol I’m from West Yorkshire fetherston so the 141 pacer was used as a test train fir the Leeds to knottingley line

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Was it your Everton Awayday boys sticker ?

[@andrewbutler6477]

Travel in the valleys not the same now these tough rough mean machines have sadly departed they gave many years of great service in the valleys and the north west

[@ANDREWLEONARDSMITH]

They also used to run on the line to Blackpool & i remember them well. By strange coincidence they were replaced with the former Thameslink units that used to run from Bedford to Brighton as St Albans on this line is my home town which now has brand new trains.

[@eddywilliams6212]

​@@ANDREWLEONARDSMITHi used to live in Preston, and would go to blackpool on the pacers regularly, i liked them, they were unique, back then there was alot of jointed track along those routes to Blackpool and i enjoyed the bouncy rattly ride

[@rpcheesman]

I had to ride one of these once to get to a motorbike test. I decided to listen to my iPod on the way but had to give up because all the windows were open (it was hot summer day) and the track was a series of long, continuous curves uphill - so it was high rev, squealing bouncing nightmare of a journey. Never forgot that journey.

[@pkscarr]

the front end of a 142 is a very familiar sight... even now it causes a sinking feeling in my stomach of knowing that the next 1 and a half hours are going to be loud, uncomfortable, smelly, and probably become 2 hours once it had done it's usual thing of making a lot of noise and vibrating like mad, but not actually accelerating.

[@CountScarlioni]

@@derektaylor2941 Exactly. Using one of these to get from Manchester to Hyde wasn't so bad, but too many times one of these things conveyed me on the Leeds-Lancaster line. Absolutely godawful experiences. They should never have been put on a long haul route like that.

[@Vinnie101a]

Quite a bit like most British made vehicles of the time. 😂

[@russellpengilley5924]

​@@derektaylor2941thank you for explaining it. I took a few journeys on a pacer around Manchester and Sheffield, but wondered why I kept seeing such negative comments about it. Turns out I was experiencing it as planned for short journeys on low speed lines where I thought it was acceptable.

[@pkscarr]

@@russellpengilley5924 yeah that was the issue, for short commuter hops into a city they'd be acceptable, but they were regularly being used by Northern etc almost as regional intercity trains, a role they were totally unsuited to. especially if you were doing these journeys on a daily basis, the minor annoyances quickly piled up into hatred of the sets. Also, imagine you're suffering on one of these trains and every single day you get passed by far, far nicer trains where you can see the passengers enjoying luxuries like comfy seats, tables, and actual proper bogies :P it's an infuriating sight

[@tbrooke3016]

Honestly as a regular commuter for sixth form from Brighouse to Leeds I enjoyed the added character of these trains. You felt like a ship's captain standing up (as you invariably were)

[@l401cjf]

Very interesting video! The emergency ladder is made of wood even on newer trains too, as you don't want to be waving a metal ladder around near live OLE or 3rd rail!

[@stevieinselby]

Pacers weren't cleared to use any lines that had 3rd rail electrification, because the way they bounced around meant that the bodywork was in serious danger of coming into contact with the live rail.

[@richard3004]

Was just about to comment that the wood will be for non conductive purposes.

[@l401cjf]

@@stevieinselby they didn't run along 3rd rail routes but did use 3rd rail fitted platforms such as Bidston and Southport.

[@jimmydesouza4375]

Isn't the current running through a 3rd rail going to just overcome the resistance of a bit of wood and kill you anyway?

[@micksmithson6724]

@@jimmydesouza4375 definitely not, we used to "paddle up" on the old DC EMUs, (So the rail was live but you needed to isolate the train from the current, on an AC unit you just press Pan down) on the old slam door EMUs, we would use wooden paddles to lift the shoes off the juice rail. This was something I did once on a training course (Waterloo South), and like the short circuiting bar, made sure I'd never do it again :)

[@cedarcam]

Whilst I hate pacers and managed to avoid them most of the time I think it is good one has been saved in the national collection, they are an important piece of our history, If it were not for them the line I knew well was destined to be made single track and a section of it closed altogether. The line is now very busy with regular trains thanks to the pacer bridging the gap. They were reliable units. I have not heard of many failures which needed another unit to be sent to rescue them. I never expected them to last as long as they did which shows how reliable they were. If only they had not kept them so long once passenger numbers began to increase, but that's not BR's fault really it was the lack of investment put into the railways.

[@ZGryphon]

I love the shot of the prototype's interior at 2:21, where we see that it literally was just a bus, with the driver right where you would expect. You'd almost expect to see the little box next to him for people to put their change in as they get on. :)

[@ChrisRichmond]

You say that, on the side of the vehicle near the doors was an illuminated sign that says "Exact Change Only"! I guess fitting the little box was beyond BR's budget! 🤷‍♂🤣

[@ZGryphon]

@@ChrisRichmond Ha, I didn't spot that. Also, it only occurred to me after posting that for some reason the prototype is laid out like a US bus, not a UK one, so the driver being "right where you would expect" is really only true for viewers who, like me, live in RHD countries.

[@ChrisRichmond]

I think it's more a case that it's BR's standard to have the driver on the left, although LEV1 did make a trip to the US. I've seen photos of it with metal "ghetto grilles" fitted over the windscreen.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

Some rural trains around Lake Biwa in Japan actually have a place to put coins when you get off at unmanned stations!

[@suchcone]

I'm glad it's been preserved - I passionately hated these trains and I have not fond memories of one rainy morning on a packed pacer, windows fogged up, humid as anything, and as the train braked a load of water from the roof flowed down the connecting part of the train and down my neck. I resented these trains deeply. But as said, these were a telling part of the history of British Rail and the fact they were used until so recently. I look forward to visiting this in your museum and quietly cursing at it.

[@Sim0nTrains]

The Train that never dies! Really enjoyed this Curator with the camera about the Pacer Train.

[@joelightrailway2362]

Long live the Pacer 😈

[@Oddly1970]

@@joelightrailway2362😂😂 yes scrapped

[@davidty2006]

@@Oddly1970 Many have escaped the scrap yard.

[@stephenfrost2272]

Having endured, there's no other word for it, a journey from Glasgow Central to Darlington on a scruffy class 220 where the upholstery was tired, the seat reservation system had failed, one window was opaque because the double glazing had failed and we had the bad luck to have booked onto one of the seats with no window at all, it was a pleasure to board a Pacer at Darlington for the final stretch of our journey. Why? Because after the oppressive interior of the 220, here was a light airy interior with big windows, clean, nicely upholstered seats and a vehicle that had been looked after properly. Oh yes, the crew were much nicer people too!

[@WalksInCamera]

I recall travelling on one of the prototypes of the Pacer. It ran on the Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads line and I cant recall the year but I do definitely recall getting to the station and wondering why there was a bus parked at the platform! It definitely had the Leyland National body. Maybe it was around 1980 or so.

[@orientalmoons]

The pacer is a prime example of the many years of underinvestment in rail in the North of England. If they'd trundled back and forth on local stopping services for 20 years and then been retired, people wouldn't have such a hatred of them. Instead it felt like "owt'll do" was the operator and government's mindset for rail users in the North. It's grim up north so you can make do with grim passenger experiences as well.

[@xaiano794]

My favourite pacer story was from when we loaned 8 of them to first great Western. You see if a company cancelled a train, they got fined a large amount of money in their franchise agreement, but if it was short formed or delayed it was much less of a fine. So this one day they had a HST break down, it was 17:32 in London and there were over a thousand people on the platform waiting to go home, and rather than the 9 carriage train they were expecting, in squealed a single 142. I do not envy the crew of that service.

[@BritishAdam]

I used to ride these every day on the Penistone Line between Huddersfied & Sheffield. You know what? I came to love them, and I genuinely miss them things. I really hope one remains preserved for future generations to see, especially at the larger museum in York if possible. We did what we could, with what we had available at the time, and somehow we got a train out of it that lasted around 35 years, what more could they have expected when they first built them? Thankfully I mostly used the longer 3 car 144's on the Penistone Line, so space was a bit of a smaller issue, but I loved them anytime, they just felt so odd & out of place, and I came to respect that.

[@jonmilligan8069]

Growing up with these things, I used to find them awesome - with all their squeals and bounciness! Many happy childhood/teenage days heading to Liverpool, Blackpool and Manchester on these things! Happy old days for sure! For all their criticism, they just kept going and going and they kept many lines operating! I always thought they were great fun! 🙂 GREAT VIDEO! :-)

[@xRepoUKx]

I commuted on a Pacer or Sprinter for years & never had a problem with them. I don't know why so many people whinge about them. They're certainly better than some of the buses we currently have in service!

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

I drove these units for 3 years at a North Wales depot back in the late 1980s. No interlock on the doors, and a lower rated TL engine underneath, but I took to them. Later, when modified, I was a passenger on many, and thought that they were a big improvement. They certainly had a very strong underframe, and those bar couplings were might strong between the two coaches!

[@GZ9090]

It will be interesting to see whether any 2nd generation DMUs such as the 150, 153, 155, 156, and 158/9 types will be preserved and kept at the museum soon. Sadly, most of these will probably be retired within the next 5-10 years. In any case, the Pacer, for all its faults, was a legendary DMU among many a train enthusiast. In my view, it deserves respect and its place within the museum. Thank you for saving a part of history for future generations to learn about. We must preserve our heritage and appreciate the legacy of our railway history.

[@Tuck-Shop]

As much as I hated travlling in one, many pleasent memories were had and they had a unique atmosphere. A night journey in a wet Welsh winter after a rugby game was definitely unique. The condensation on the glass, the stuffyness and the train feeling like it was going to fall off the track with a squeal of its wheels all to the jeers and laughter of the commuters. Never will a such loathed train be missed and loved.

[@ianhalsall-fox]

I will never forget bouncing on a Pacer from Newport to Bristol Temple Meads via the Severn Tunnel!

[@notsiblers913]

I used to get these on the Manchester to Liverpool line all the time when visiting my grandparents as a kid, so they've got a soft spot in my heart. I honestly might be one of the few people to actually like them. Also if this was one of the Manchester-Liverpool trains there's every chance I used this exact Pacer many times.

[@leswillis2191]

Middle of winter, raining , windy and cold. The sight of one of these pulling up was met with relief. Naff they were but one of these would get me from one town to another quicker and more comfortably than a bus could from my house to the town centre I live in. I am quite fond of them to be truthful as they had a distinct character of their own.

[@gunnardannehl372]

Interesting video on a bread-and-butter vehicle. Like many other undersetimated railcars it has a certain charme even not loved too much by drivers and public. They had their purpose and this reminds me massively of the "Schienenbus" class VT95 and VT98 we had here in Germany since 1950/52. Based as well on contemporary autobus design they served the same purpose and managed to keep many branch lines alive some decades.

[@paulhorn2665]

Aber der Schienenbus war schöner und besser! Bin mit Pacer und Schienenbus gefahren...

[@stevieinselby]

The Pacer was more of a Scheissebus than Schienenbus 💩

[@paulhorn2665]

@@stevieinselby Absolutly!

[@Ice_Karma]

16:14 That's actually the "Global System for Mobile Communications -- Railway". Yes, the railway version of the same GSM that's the grandfather of the LTE system we have today.

[@chrislaws9244]

As a kid, I loved the 142, we always called it the 'rickety' train, not because of its upkeep, but the noises it made on the track and the bouncing around it did. Many many happy memories riding these class 142's

[@MoleculeMind7]

Loved pacers. As a resident of the South that holidayed in the north. Seeing Pacers meant I was somewhere exotic

[@danielcoverdale8079]

I've gotta say, commuting on these was hellish and I did so for about four years. But after watching this I almost feel a little nostalgic, really enjoyed this video!

[@jacobprescott396]

I always thought of the pacers as a clear symbol of north-south divide. Northern had so many pacers running on un-electrified northern lines meanwhile in the south they had the nice electrostars and new EMUs/DMUs. Even today we have got hand me down 156s and 158s. Kind of makes me feel proud to be from the north/north east as a symbol of our resilience. Just my two pence worth 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

Not just the trains, but the timetable too. They have more trains per day than the Durham Coast route gets in a week!

[@PeterHarperUK]

In the 80s I had to get the train to school in knutsford. When these appeared I thought they were so modern compared to the dirty worn out old trains which had manual doors you had to open by learning out the window

[@MacPhantom]

I remember visiting Scarborough in 2002. It was always a little two-carriage diesel train taking us to and fro. But waiting at the platform for the return leg to York we got greeted by this strange "train", bouncing up and down and looking rather weird. We made fun of it calling it the tadpole. I was just a little kid back then, but I believe now I have the privilege of having ridden on an infamous pacer as a foreigner.

[@Nina-bh5jj]

I adore these grim frankensteins, so glad their legacy is still being actively promoted!! Such a fascinating class of trains

[@butikimbo9595]

Remember in West and South Yorkshire commuter services the combos made of BSI coupling units sometimes the most extreme formed by a Pacer 142 and a Express Sprinter 158. People just avoided the Pacer portion as much as they could for obvious reasons.

[@RWL2012]

even Pacers and 170 Turbostars could couple, but not in passenger service due to the door controls not playing nicely. A Northern 142 did actually rescue a TPE 170 once, in unfortunate circumstances.

[@robertzaenglein7347]

GSM stands for "Global System for Mobile Communications", not "Global Safety Management". Otherwise great video about an apparently not so great train (never been on one myself).

[@enemixius]

Was just about to comment on this. GSM-R is just a GSM system with special extensions for railway use, like registering and calling function numbers (you can call the driver on a specific train using the train ID or call the controller for the area you're in) and provides PTT functionality for group announcements and emergency broadcasts. A new system called LTE-R based on 4G LTE is supposed to replace it, but is not widely used yet.

[@freeculture]

Its a cell phone.

[@tobyytlai]

The Pacer represents an era when the British were still able to build things. Nowadays, the railway companies are owned by foreigners and the rolling stock are all foreign

[@ashbridgeindustries380]

I have mixed feelings about the Pacer. Yes, the ride was noisy and uncomfortable, the seats were rock-solid, and the mere sight of one pulling up to the platform was enough to fill you with dread. But I spent my childhood riding around on these things. Every Saturday, I'd make the trip from Doncaster to Sheffield, then on into the Peak District. And those damn Pacers made the journey just as memorable as the destination! I can't say I'll really miss them, but I certainly won't forget them in a hurry...

[@Howardthompson]

I'm usually not a fan of the NRM due to how so many serviceable exhibits get stuffed and mounted. But I have to say this is genuinely one of the most informative videos I've seen on the subject of pacers. Very well made and a very accurate account - well done indeed!

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

The main problem was that they kept them around for far too long. Used them in recent years from Piccadilly to Edale for walks along the Hop Valley line to Sheffield, now upgraded !

[@jackmiller-johnston8689]

Living in Carlisle and travelling the Tyne Valley Line, I grew up with the Pacers. The Super Sprinters and 158s are close to my heart, as are these. All because of the engines' sound, which will stay with me for a lifetime

[@michu9493]

In Poland there were similar constructions. I always thought they were horrible, but when compared with Pacer I can say our railbuses were quite luxurious 😂

[@duderRechthat]

We need more Museum Channels on KZbin, loving this format!

[@Mick526]

I'd never used trains to get about until I needed to get from Wigan to Manchester for a few months back in 2017. I avoided trains because I get motion sickness and the pacer was actually great for me, because they had so much windows and lack of high backed seats made them great for me and never felt sick on them.

[@wraithcadmus]

"Pacer - Better than nothing" would have made a good tagline. I have memories of a freezing ride from Blackburn to York many Christmases ago. In happier times using it going hiking on the Esk Valley line, not like you're going very fast down there to start with and the scenery's pretty nice.

[@AssassinsGnomieR]

So many memories, our local station had one the bus layout pacers on the line. The amount of people you could fit on a bench was insane

[@crabby7668]

The last time I used one of the later versions of these, I was trying to escape from York when the sudden unseasonal April snow had stopped everything railwise going south. The only option was a roundabout route to Sheffield which at least had me going in the right direction. We had a bit of a layover at pontifract, for what seemed like a lifetime but probably was only 20 to 30 mins with the bus doors wide open to the siberian blast, the whole time. This has given me another deep seated dislike of pontifract to go along with the liquorice cakes. We also got waylaid at Rotherham because meadow Hall was blocked. When we finally got to Sheffield it was a tremendous relief. It had taken such a long time, that the glaciers had moved off of the lines and a coupe of hours later I could catch the penzance train all the way home. How that train got through, when others on much shorter routes (including over the same tracks) couldn't, still perplexes me. I could have waited 4 to 5 hours and got a direct ride. One big lesson I learned that day. Panicking, only gets you a ride on a pacer.

[@micksmithson6724]

I passed out as a driver in 1992 on NSE, (315, 317, 321,322) and then got to learn the 313, then the 400, 442, 455 over the wrong side of the river, then I ended up doing some work over in the west of england and learnt (mainly static as I was training) the 142 and was gobsmacked to find new crew door, and a new low in cab design, just when I thought this was the pinnacle of crap, I learnt the 153. :) I did ask why they were called "Nodding donkeys?" and then I had a cab ride in one. The truth is the 142 allowed BR to keep open uneconomic branch lines, they were a necessary evil, a bit like the IBH signal, it was about reducing costs. If we count that as a factor, they were an unqualified success as the Government at the time seemed to hate public trainsport and railways in particular. The issue was they remained in service well beyond their time. Without Pacers I suspect we would have lost a lot of small branch lines in the North and west of the UK.

[@sandletters39]

If you owned the June 2022 issue of the Modern Railways magazine, then there is a very good article about the Pacers.

[@richardadkins6998]

I’m very happy the NRM recognise the place of the Pacer in the National collection and the contribution to the railway over the past 40 years. They did a job for which they where never designed (I.e. intense operation rather than just branch lines for which they where intended) which is a testimony to British Engineering of which the manufacturers are just memory. I just hope they preserve 142001 and don’t let it rot and decay like so many other non-steam exhibits. I do hope the NRM will also recognise the role of the British Rail Sprinter family of which much of the success and growth of provincial railway over the past 40 years has been built upon.

[@DeKat-84]

I didn't use them frequently, but when I did I thought them "quaint". I can see how quickly you would get fed up of them if you used them every day though!!

[@joncrawford3485]

Here's a story for you. Early 1980 I was staying at my Grandparent's gatekeepers cottage along the East Suffolk Link between the stations of Beccles & Oulton Board South when an odd single carriage yellow "thing" stopped at the gates to ring the signal box @ Lowestoft. This was the LEV1; the test vehicle described in the video. It was on it's test run from Ipswich to Lowestoft on Sunday morning. I was offered a lift on it to Lowestoft which I took; because oddly the LEV1 at that time had better steps to climb onboard at ground level as they originally thought they might be able to use the train for request stops! From what I understand I was the first non-BR/Leyland passenger on that train; I was asked to fill in a questionnire about the train and that was numbered 1... A few weeks later I got a package of all the details of the LEV1 from BR Darby. Including the fact that these trains were never really meant to be any more than a single car train. BTW where is the LEV1 now?

[@Mitch-Hendren]

Lev 1 is stored at national railway museum at Shildon Lev 2 went to America and was scrapped after being damaged on trials Lev 3 was Converted to Irish gauge, was trialled on the now closed antrim to Lisburn line . As far as i know it's at the Downpatrick and county Down railway .RB004 (lev4) Is stored as a static exhibition at Whiterope summit on the Southern section of the waverly route

[@pras12100]

AFAIK LEV1 moved from the North Norfolk Railway to NRM Shildon in 2012.

[@wwebradbutt]

A prototype of the pacers is at wensleydale railway

[@alexdbird]

As a tourist, in the summer, I really liked the view afforded by the low seat backs and relatively high ride, and the light and airy interior. I doubt commuters, in the winter, felt the same.

[@eelsemaj99]

Living down in the SW I always used to go to school by train and the pacer was my favourite just because you could squeeze more people onto the trains, the newer ones would always have big toilets and fewer seats and keep people on the platform

[@gfletcher6183]

Nice to see the unit as not altered inside, i signed & worked those from 2008 to their retirement

[@ThomasWhiteford]

Locomotives services Limited have just Received a 142 pacer. They currently have it Repainted to Manchester orange and black

[@terrier_productions]

Its going to a museum.. LSL have no plans to run 142s as far as I know

[@caramelldansen2204]

@@terrier_productions Dodged a bullet!

[@Jimontherun]

My daughter is a guard at Northern she loved them.

[@Kmwildride]

As someone who traveled into and out of Manchester for years on one of these. So happy when they were retired for good.

[@daystatesniper01]

Aaaah Pacers ,wretched from top to bottom but having said that they earned their corn ,cheap ,reliable ,no fuss transport ,should the NRM have one ,well yes as they were the first of a series of next gen units .Great video thank you.

[@leapoffaith20]

It's truly important to preserve these, as a cautionary tale.

[@andrewwalsh5837]

Loved the video very nostalgic, my dad worked on the railway carrying out maintanace sadly passed away when i was 16, im 44 now, i would love to work on the railway, i have a passion for it, i would love to become a train driver espescially on the manchester picalldily to blackpool north line, know it so well, just dont know how to go about it, if i could achive that, my dad would be so proud, remember the pacers being quite a rough and nosiey ride if i remember, i do love the sprinter generation of trains, thankyou for the tour of the pacer, brings back childhood memeories

[@ispi_video_photo]

Great memories of these things. Nothing could beat a trip from Salford Crescent to Entwistle. A few drinks in the Strawbury Duck, then back to Salford. Aaah, those student days.

[@jeankennedy5445]

I have very fond memories of traveling from Carlisle to Newcastle on these 'rattlers'. The big windows were great for admiring the scenery of the lovely Tyne Valley.

[@patrickbryant5224]

100 years ago the State of Victoria in Australia had something similar. One has been recently been located and is being restored. Again, they were a glorified bus. There is a photo I've just seen of an AEC Railmotor that fits the criteria. Another railmotor shell has been found in a wreckers yard and is now being restored, but this one is a 1936 Dodge sedan on steel wheels.

[@一只明睿]

一个来自中国大陆的车迷认为这种模式值得点赞！ 大陆的铁路系统，里程比较长，但是设站过少，这因此导致许多乡镇的居民无法享受到铁路运输的便利，因而不得不乘坐城郊通勤巴士。而有些人坐巴士拥有晕车的症状，这也因此大大降低了通勤的舒适性。再从铁路调度方面考虑，中国的铁路倾向于长途化，因而拥有15节-20节的编组，运量足够大，但也牺牲了灵活性。而且中国的客运车厢也是最胖的了。如果照顾到乡镇通勤旅客的话，便会降低长途旅客的体验，。（K348受刑😅） 这种车，运量很小，但足够了。铁路远远比公路平稳且快捷，也更容易全程达到120的速度，价格也极有可能比通勤巴士便宜（大陆的火车票价应该是全世界最便宜的了，80公里的硬座只需要2美金左右），且这种铁路车辆的技术门槛也更低，宇通，中通，比亚迪，金龙，甚至金杯都可以去参与车辆的制造，且不必须使用电气化牵引。 但是不知道铁道官员愿不愿意搞这种模式。曾经跨越也想用这种通勤化的思想，但是被维尼拉清单了。希望以后能够有官员能够使用这种模式吧

[@一只明睿]

在西朝鲜，大城市的地铁，就是干着墙外通勤列车的活！比如说北京13号线，昌平线，房山线，上海2，9号线，羊角4，6，长距离通勤，但都是每个站都停，大大降低了速度，况且也用4/6B编组，最高速度只有45-50mph。不具体形容了，就比如说用伦敦地铁的车，来回伦敦-布莱顿，站站停，确实是一个恐怖的经历。

[@ianmcclavin]

First time I went on a Pacer was in 1987 in Devon and Cornwall, all the way from Plymouth to Newquay! It certainly squealed around the almost 180° curve on leaving Par. (I was told Liskeerd to Coombe Junction on the Looe branch was even worse for decibels!!)

[@BloodshedMorrison]

its wild that I used to ride this very train on my commute from Wakefield Westgate to Huddersfield daily a couple years back. Used to see these in the sidings at Huddersfield all the time too.

[@krutikzim]

Thank you sir. What an incredible representation. one of the best stories I've ever enjoyed.

[@fakename3654]

I rode in one of these in British Columbia, Canada in 86. It was displayed around the area during the world's fair that year and, in the summer, made a run or two the 70 odd return miles between, New Westminster and Abbotsford, BC.

[@Transpennine]

I went to the national rail museum loads of times as a kid, Might go back there some day to see all these Preserved Trains! As a northerner, I’ve had so much experience on northern Pacers whether it’s coming home from Leeds city or Going to morecambe or Blackpool south, they bumped us along to our destination!

[@Del-bm]

A nice wee tour and education on pacers, thanks very much for sharing this with us

[@tobys_transport_videos]

I made my first trip to the UK in 2018. At that time I was not a fan of Pacers. In 2019 I made my second trip. By that time I was _obsessed_ with Pacers, particularly the Class 142. I made a point of chasing them as much as possible across northern, and north-western England. I came across this particular set, 142001, at Chester, just by chance.😍 I'm a bus enthusiast (mainly British chassis) and a rail enthusiast too, but I'm not a fan of the Leyland National bus, yet *_LOVED_* Leopards, Tigers, Royal Tigers, and Worldmasters in their Australian forms. 😍😍

[@iana6713]

Anyone who went to school on a Leyland bus would remember seats like those on the Pacer, and those windows. I remember a trip on one during a family holiday down in Devon - that squealing noise as it rounded the corners is something I have never forgotten. They were definitely built to a budget, and that's being kind! My nearest heritage railway has taken delivery of an ex-Northern Class 144 and, sad person that I am, I'm actually looking forward to getting a run on it when they get it going.

[@vishnumenon6541]

Interestingly, there's also a railbus in Sri Lanka, where they run the thing on a Leyland (Lanka Ashok Leyland) bus's body modified to run on tracks.

[@gc7820]

Commuted daily to my first professional job after uni on one of those - for all the screeching and bone shaking it was airy, spacious and had a toilet so useful on the way back after a few post work pints in the pub opposite the office!

[@WHATSUPWATSON]

Great video, very informative and well presented. Never ridden in a Pacer but I like the utilitarianism of it. If it’s a choice between this, with an affordable wide ranging public transport system or a more expensive, more luxurious/comfortable ride with a smaller network I know which I’d choose.

[@rasputinlenin6699]

Even though I live in the US I see the 142 as a staple of engineering. Easy to produce and at a value. Ya it has a downside but every train has a downside who really cares. The first thing I will be doing when I move out of this blasted oppressive country to the UK is heading to your magnificent museum and view the glory of my favorites.

[@aoxby8037]

While every train has a downside, the Pacers downsides vastly outweigh any of its good side. Just watch a video from inside the train while it is moving, and you will see how bad they are.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

We tried to sell the precursors to the US rail operators. Whilst efficient they weren't acceptable in many other ways.

[@davidty2006]

There was attempts to sell a few to Septa but that never ended up happening...

[@caramelldansen2204]

We can tell you've never ridden one, Rasputin Lenin!! I think you'd turn your opinion right around by the second or third week of daily commute (never mind years!!) (Слава Ленину)

[@Trainman10715]

@@aoxby8037 no they dont, the pacers were designed to a specification and they did went way beyond them, their positives very much outweighed the negatives.

[@ljisbister3211]

Oh yes, that's a Pacer alright. I remember them well. I should do, they only went out of service on my local line three years ago....

[@manda322]

The 'go faster' swoosh on the livery made me smile.

[@abruptbanana]

It's right that this is in the national collection. As a reminder of the adage "temporary solutions are always the most permanent"

[@aoxby8037]

Also, as a warning to future generations. So they don't repeat the mistakes of the past.

[@davidty2006]

Theres also quite a few that have been converted into other things as well. Theres a one converted into a garden at huddersfield station.

[@Trainman10715]

@@aoxby8037 reducing running costs isnt a misake

[@aoxby8037]

@@Trainman10715 Do me a favour and google "What is a joke?"

[@Trainman10715]

@@aoxby8037 I mean you say that, but if that is your best attempt at a joke, then I'd suggest that you could do a bit better with that advice than me

[@JaneMetcalfe]

These trains were brilliant to ride on in very hot weather as the wind would rush in through the top-opening windows. I loved the seats as well. I guess I was lucky finding a seat!!

[@paultaylor7082]

British Rail standard air conditioning, like I have in my house. When it gets warm, open all the windows. I wonder what percentage of cars by 2015 in the UK came WITHOUT air con fitted..

[@terrysinclair136]

This is the video that made me discover this KZbin Chanel and omg I’m so glad I discovered it… never knew the national railway museum had a KZbin !! I should have obviously known given it’s 2023 lol !! Anyways I am now a subscriber to this Channel !! Very informative and interesting video and very well produced. Nice to see some archived footage of the development and subsequent roll out of the pacer and it’s future iterations

[@NatRailwayMuseum]

Thanks for joining us. We hope you enjoy our back catalogue. :) This episode about the Pacer is doing really well and we're chuffed to bits with it!

[@terrysinclair136]

@@NatRailwayMuseum the pacer has been my nemesis for years… I live directly back onto the northern line at Seaham where these wonderful but beastly machines once trundled up and down at so many silly hours… forever I loathed the squeak of the running gear. However now I only hear the grand central train from London to Edinburgh and back etc… it’s still annoying but less so nowadays lol.

[@CarolineFord1]

@@NatRailwayMuseum My first one too. I went on Keighley and Worth Valley's class 144 pacer just after Christmas. It was full!

[@onetonlandrover]

Growing up in West Yorkshire these were everywhere when I was a kid.

[@darylcheshire1618]

Apparently these were considered for running services in Victoria, instead we got the Sprinters around 1992. The Sprinters were more of a rail vehicle and all are still running today AFAIK.

[@frostedbutts4340]

Talk about dodging a bullet . The Sprinters are pretty smooth running and nice for a railcar, these look pretty shit haha

[@peterhodgkinson5095]

Still use them in East Yorkshire. I used them during my college days - moved out now

[@darylcheshire1618]

I recall the Sprinter contract was mostly completed and delivered under Labor and could not be rescinded by the incoming Kennett government, he would have canceled them if he could.

[@tomgauntlestrange]

i loved the pacer's. had character of there own.

[@kacoasters1470]

The rail bus was also in operation in Northern Ireland. I remember watching out for it when I spent my holidays in Coleraine.

[@Mitch-Hendren]

It's still here. 👍👍At the Downpatrick and county down railway.

[@kacoasters1470]

@Mitch-Hendren Oh I'll maybe pay a visit when I'm back over next week. I'm assuming not operational any longer?

[@Mickulty]

Say what you will about pacers, but they were quite nice on some of the more scenic lines when they were quiet. The windows are huge! I fondly remember taking pacers out to places like Ormskirk (from Preston) and Bentham (from Lancaster). I'd always go for the one longitudinal seat opposite the bike racks - infinite legroom that way and a nice view out the door. The sprinters working lines like that now look flashier but tend to have the seats too close together, and the windows are smaller. Can't deny they handle turns better though, and I'm sure they're easier to maintain. On busier journeys, I've definitely seen some problems caused by the pacer's doors. They swing inwards, and of course on a packed train, people are standing there. Never saw an injury but saw some close calls! The layout shown in the video lacks handholds for standing passengers as well. I gather they were an absolute pig to maintain - apparently the lowered area for the doors is made from wood and roofing felt? This is very much hearsay but supposedly they would develop lumps from damp over time, and no two ended up alike. PS: The GSM in GSM-R isn't Global Safety Management - it's Global System for Mobile communications. The predecessor to 3G for mobile phones! I'm not sure of the details but GSM-R is a version of mobile phone technology adapted for railways.

[@paulmasterson386]

I was a guard at Manchester and one of my least favourite jobs was taking 2 pacers up to Barrow very early in the morning. 4 hours of bang bang thump thump. The ride back on a 150 was luxurious by comparison.

[@davidsheffied]

Use to get the Pacer from Manchester to Sheffield on my way home from college in 2010. So noisy and slow and bumpy. People used to thrown stones at the train as we went through New Mills.

[@morzee94]

Not a good train, but an iconic and historically important one. Good addition to the collection!

[@raakone]

Very interesting. I remember seeing trains in the UK that I thought looked like glorified buses. Well, I see the reason. At one time, a "cousin" of the Pacer was going to be used for an extension of a commuter rail line in Philadelphia, USA. These Leylands were going to run between Fox Chase, Philadelphia, and Newtown, in the middle of nowhere, where service was cut before in 1981 because they decided to remove all non-electrified service, but then temporarily re-opened it with Rail Diesel Cars, for about two years, but that failed. In 1984-1985 they upgraded the track, and then tested Leylands, but nothing came of it.

[@crabby7668]

I saw another video about this recently. I assume that there wasn't more than one American line persueing the pacer option. The presenter had tried to track down the vehicle as it had stayed in America and been moved between various owners over the years. Regrettably it was found to have been scrapped only a year or two ago. Pity it wasn't found before it was scrapped, it might have been worth someone preserving it as an interesting side note. Shame to have lasted this long to fall at the final hurdle.

[@soledweller]

Was visiting the railway museum not a couple of weeks back, loved it as ever, and I’d love to see one on display there.

[@jeremysmith4437]

It caused so much controversy that it deserves a place in railways history

[@jamesmatthews291]

I remember commuting to and from Leeds in one of these, up to only a few years ago. Often just two cars between Leeds and Manchester at 17:00 on a weekday... I recall one guard at Leeds offering a free ticket to anyone willing to get off to allow him to squeeze on!

[@Gergus]

No-one seems to mention, but that Cummins L10 engine had such an incredible sound. Beefy 10.0L engines those were.

[@gilesrobertson9974]

It was certainly fun on Leeds to Sheffield via Moorthorpe in slippy season, back in the day. Step 1 and all wheels lock up.

[@19TheChaosWarrior79]

As someone who lives on the East Lancashire Line I kinda miss hearing these screech over the viaduct in Accrington. A chunk of my summer holidays were spent travelling about on these so they have a special place in my memories.

[@ljisbister3211]

Oh god, yes, that noise!