They were bouncy, uncomfortable, broke down, stank of diesel fumes, screeched like banshees, had the build quality of a shed and were loud as heck but man, I love these silly machines! I grew up with them (and the much better Sprinters) and rode hundreds of miles from Pontypridd to Cardiff and Barry Island to Tredegar. They were absolutely dreadful but I'd never have it any other way! :D

Germany, 1950s: "Let's just put a bus on rails, should be much cheaper!" Germany, 1980s: "OK, let's never do that again." Britain, 1980s: "Thomas wished he could see such bullshit for himself."

Not only was it a cheaper solution, but it also worked for British Leyland. Because they faced a decreased demand for their buses, while at the same time there was a spike for new trains. Put the two together, and you get an evil plan in the making

My take on the pacers is that they were a stroke of genius that was let down by laziness / lack of future investment. For their intended purpose? The pacers were perfect! And there's alot of rural branch lines still operating today that have the pacers and their cheap, quick construction to thank. Where things went wrong is that a train designed and built to be cheap and easy to run on quiet, slow branch lines where kept in service long after their intended design life and increasingly used on busy commuter routes (around Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff for example). I appreciate what they achieved in protecting the quieter branches they were designed for - but I do still have nothing but sympathy for the poor commuters across the North and Wales who were crammed onto them on busy commuter services they were never designed to operate on.

Ah yes the pacers, a succesfull diesel train that everyone hated Edit how did i get 100 likes

The pacer is just as much a part of rail history as flying Scotsman they have over 35 years service in Wales and North West England they saved many a railway line in fact they were one of the most reliable trains in the UK and I actually travelled on the last day of service in the Cardiff area they were a tribute to the builders of the Pacers that they lasted so long good old trains that served the railways for so many years the awesome old pacer train

I live in a small village in the north west. For decades, the 142 pacer formed the backbone of almost all train services around me. Over time, the lines they ran started to fade, as the main line between the two cities between me (I’m on the secondary line) was electrified in 2015, but my line didn’t, and still doesn’t to this day, have any, so they pressed on. In 2019, just days before Christmas, I had my last ever ride on a 142, on the packed last train of the day calling at all stations, in a 6 coach convoy with a 150 unit and a 156 unit trailing behind, without me ever knowing it would be. The events of 2020 saw them be removed from my local line, however, they still operated a small branch line in multiple with 150 units, throughout the pandemic - When in November 2020, in the middle of another lockdown, the last one ran, with me unable to ride it, due to restrictions from leaving my county, however, I did throw in a mask, and go say goodbye. As you mentioned, the 143 carried on, and just a few days before it’s withdrawal, I decided to go all the way to the Cardiff valleys, and say goodbye to those too. I had only ever ridden a 144 pacer once as well, so, truly, the 142 pacer was my childhood. The bouncy nature of them, was just so fun. The rattles, squeaks, and bumps, just remind me of a better time in the railways of the UK for me personally, because now, it’s uncharacteristic trains that run my services instead, that arguably are more uncomfortable then the pacers ever will be. For me, the pacers never were bad, they were incredibly cool. Thank you for such a lovely video.

I rode these daily for several years, totaling thousands of miles commuting to Leeds on the Aire Valley line. On good track, the ride was perfectly adequate. The bus bench seats enabled more seats which was useful on a busy commuter service. Side seats folded up to accommodate bikes etc. And opening windows actually meant genuine fresh air. And I never experienced a breakdown that the crew couldn't fix. They did what they needed to do, I have fond memories of them & they served me personally very well.

It is part of the history of the railways, and museums should record and preserve all of the history, not just the good bits.

Our local heritage group The East Kent Railway has a 142 Pacer. We never had them in their heyday here in Kent but I've got a feeling that it'll become a real favourite trundling up and down the line between Shepherdswell and Eythorne. Nice video sir, putting forward a convincing case for the Pacer at the National museum. Well done.

My favourite train of all time is good old Czechoslovakian class 810. It´s basicly pacer of central Europe, oroginaly powered by bus engine. They are still in service, most of them modified including rebuilds like RegioNova.

biggest problem with the pacer, the sprinter came along and showed how shoddy it was

There is a kind of large rail junction around a mile and a half from my house. You could always tell when a pacer was being directed through it. The screaming could be heard for miles and the loud engines being powered up to for the hill just after it. kinda miss it lol

At the end of the day, the Pacer is part of British heritage. Whether the Brits like it or not, it's their history (especially being the birthplace of rail; history has its ups and downs and rail history is no exception) and like you said, it did its job for lines that would've otherwise be given the Beeching treatment. That being said, our national railway system is far better lol, at least we know better than to put the body of a bus on top of a freight chassis.

I remember Northern Rail putting a Pacer in service from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester via Stockport in the middle of Winter when it was freezing and the heating system was not working.

I think the Pacers should be celebrated. They saved so many lines at a time when the Government was thinking of Beeching Mk2. Anyone remember the Serpell Report? It's the only report I know to measure passengers in tonnes but of course used that to set out options for cutbacks. (For example, the Valley Lines would be cut back to Pontypridd and Caerffili) But, the abject stupidity of the design was shown up when the original Leyland engine and the mechanical SCG gearbox was replaced in all of them by a Cummins rail engine and a Voith hydraulic transmission (same as the Sprinters). And the doors were replaced as they were a safety hazard. And then there was the installation of a fire suppression system. When you add all that up, they were no cheaper than a Sprinter (which was designed with a single car version but never built). Later of course the Class 153 did exactly that. So let's remember them as a saviour of the railways, at a time when railways weren't in vogue. After all the upgrades, including better seating, they weren't as bad as some people say, certainly for relatively short distance commuter services. (Yes I rode them regularly on my journey to work.)

Excellent video. Many thanks. I for one however, have NOTHING but praise for a vehicle that was borne out of necessity, did it's job admirably (the only class of train I was on that NEVER broke down), for FAR, FAR longer than was ever anticipated and probably saved more branch lines from closure than any single class of train before or since. In my experience, they only ever rode badly on jointed track, not welded and were incredibly reliable and cost effective. They were simply a victim of massive underinvestment in the railways, undertaken by both main colours of party by the way, that were forced to continue far past their intended life span, over which normally, such shortcomings that it did have, would have been dissipated by their soon to arrive replacements, that of course, unfortunately never came. Technology and quite rightly, disability legislation, moved on far more quickly and forcefully, aided by certain media, that then picked up the "pacers are crap old and not disabled friendly" torch to sell papers and so after that, the Pacers were, to some degree, I feel a bit unfairly, then basically "doomed." I'm glad they have quite rightly been preserved in such numbers as they can carry on keeping heritage lines open by providing a cheap mid week or out of season service, similarly to what they did when in network service. I miss them a lot and talking even after only a year or so from their demise, to people who really didn't like them much, I have already heard a few saying they'd actually quite like to see and ride on one again. The human psyche is very complicated. Everyone hated the Austin Allegro, but I bet if you saw on one the road, most people would say.. "Oh wow..look..an Allegro". I think we will come to regret seeing them.off the network and their popularity on heritage lines seems to bear this out. I for one will definitely be going to Locomotion and patting 142 001 fondly on the buffers. Good old friend 142.

“Train belongs in train museum” Truer words have never been spoken.

The Leyland National was once unloved but in Whiteheaven earlier this year a huge 50th celebration brought a huge number out.. Once unloved things become loved once they have nearly all gone quite like the Metrovick CoBo Beauty is in the rareness

Thanks for this. We have two Pacers at the railway I volunteer at. (East Kent Railway) and it's such easy and ideal train for a short line like ours. And it doesn't use much fuel which during the ridiculous fuel prices we had earlier this year has been a godsend.

As much as I hated every time a Pacer stumbled into view when getting on trains as a teen/adult, at the very least I can appreciate that their awful ride quality gave some fun memories messing around in the bendy bit in the middle on the way too and from Blackpool as a kid.

the Pacer earned the title of "An Train" it goes from A to B and it protects you from rain

It's been a few years since I last went to Locomotion - funnily enough, I'm pretty sure I arrived at Shildon station on a Pacer that day.

This was a common thing in the 1960-1980s. In my country, Czechia (then Czechoslovakia) they also made a railcar like that (Motorový vůz 810), with engine literally taken from an actual bus. Its internal design was very similar to the one of Pacer. While these railbusses receive a lot of hate, they also deserve praise as they contributed to preservation of many local railways that would be closed without them. Many of these older railbusses have been decently renovated in the 1990s and some continue to serve until today under many various brands. They have been the true workhorses of many Eastern European railways.

Comuted in and out of Manchester for years on 142's, hated every second of it. Overcrowded, noisy and the bumpiest I'd ever experienced. The old class 101's were so much better! Edit: and special mention of the wheel / brake screeching

I was brought up in Yorkshire, the Pacers and Sprinters were an every day train on the lines in the 80's and 90's growing up. Me and friends always used to get day rider tickets for Bus/Train and would always make our way to Bradford interchange so we could venture onto the trains. Yeah they were noisy with the rails, yeah they sometimes stank with diesel fumes and yeah they bounced more than the girls we'd sometimes meet on our travels.. But they were an essential part of our train travel then. And for them to last as long as they did.. Well, that is an exceptional accomplishment in itself. I will miss them because sometimes, quiet, soft and clean can be boring.

Nothing is as permanent, as a temporary stopgap...

As someone who lived around Manchester for 4 years, I hated these things when they were in service. Oh sure they were cheap and you could at least always be assured that there'd be a Pacer (though I pity the poor sods who were stuck in one from Piccadilly all the way up to Glasgow) trundling along to replace whatever train you were meant to have but my god did they suck. They were the most rickety things I've ever been on. Sometimes the doors wouldn't close, there were gaps around the windows meaning they were always cold, the rain got in them, they stunk of diesel fumes, the seats were crap, the list of problems just goes on and on. Yet at the end of the day they somehow did their job and got us there. I wont lie and say I'm sad to see the back of them but they definitely do have their place in the history of British railways. Now if only the older 150 & 153 Sprinters can follow suit and we can get more new rolling stock, then we'll be heading in the right direction.

Im sure that when i visited locomotion for "the great gathering" pacers we're running the line past the museum

If I had the time I would buy a pacer unit. So nostalgic

The problem with the pacers was the hideous ride quality. The older DMUs from the late 50s early 60s were so much better. You had a great view forward and to the sides. Seating was comfy and the ride quality was excellent. Slam doors were OK back then, but we seem to not like them now.

Stop gap measures have never really worked in this country, as they are just used as an excuse to not do the thing that actually needs doing. The Pacers stopped the widespread use of better trains, and the HST killed off or slowed down most electrification projects.

Why does it deserve a place in the National Railway Museum? As a warning to future generations, obviously.

Ah, pacers were the best! That bounce made journeys more fun, and the roar of that engine is like none other! I even got to drive one recently, video is coming out on my channel soon!

I drove the Class 142's from Manchester Piccadilly from 1989 to 2011 and covered thousands of miles. I was only a total failure once on a trip from Manchester Oxford Road to Barrow on a very cold snowy Sunday and even then I got as far as Carnforth. I have to admit that given the choice I would take a double powercar 101 instead if only for the extra power and the manual gearbox.

Just found this channel, I've subscribed! Keep up your great content mate.

I quite liked the pacer's myself, I'm surprised people hate it so much

If you think a Pacer ride was bad, evidently you didn't ride a Javelin when new; over a period of about three weeks, I rode on a 142, 143, 150, 156, 158, HST/loco hauled Mk III, and a Javelin, and the Javelin was by far the worst. I think it was the only time that I wanted to get off a moving train it was so bad! And that was on HS1 too. It's a shame that a 143 isn't in the museum; that was British Rail's first choice, but Alexander/Barclay couldn't build any more than were ordered from them in the delivery time slot, and so class 142s were ordered as well.

I used to catch a pacer from Aberdare to Cardiff for over a year, not the most comfortable ride, but back in the late 1990’s always thought that they were busses on rails. Thanks for confirming my suspicions 🙂👍🏿

Just discovered your channel. Keep up the good work 👍

HST125: Temporary solution. Pacer: Temporary solution.

Conclusion: train belongs in museum

Great Video!

Another great video. Thanks.

In 1999 I was 22 and was going out with a girl who lived in Manchester. On Sunday nights I was faced with a choice; either get the last train home - a Pacer which stopped at every tree, or leave an hour earlier and get a class 158 which was warm, quiet, fast, and would only stop at a handful of stations. Sorry Claire, the Pacer was just too much to bear.

Fantastic video

Worth saying that where Pacers replaced 1st gen diesels. London and the south east kept their 50s and 60s Mk1 EMUs until the mid 2000s. Except on the Lymington line which kept them until 2010. It seems that we love keeping trains until they are ancient. The Sprinters are now all well into their forth decade.

I remember when they came out, their availability was seriously reduced due to SCG gearbox failures and cracking wheels

Ah yes, I remember these old Pacers. Quite a bumpy ride lol, I used to rise these from Carlisle-Newcastle and back when I was little.

completely unrelated but I LOVE the fact you use tyne and wear metro sounds for your short intro

My childhood of train traval in Oldham was using pacers and as a kid it was an exciting ride that will always be a memory ile keep🇬🇧

This video made me sub ❤️ I loved the pacers especially the GWR livery ones 😭

That's the big thing about The Pacer: it turned up,. That there might be better trains going from London to Edinburgh doesn't really matter if you're waiting to get home in Stowmarket on a February evening. Those better kind of trains would never run on those lines: the choice was always going to be some clapped out old tin can or nothing. Look at HS2: there was an opportunity to invest in the rural network to improve service frequency but it all went on shaving a few minutes off inter-city travel. It's always going to be the same outside the cities: much better to have two trains like this an hour than just one an hour with plumper seats.

when I hear the word asbestos I think "applause" because in old cartoons when a stage curtain would close it said asbestos on it and people would clap

I’ve been on a Pacer. One with that exact livery on it (The purple one at the Locomotion museum). I took it from Newcastle Central to Sunderland Station. I nearly smashed my head into the walls of the train car. However I will admit it was way faster than taking the Tyne and Wear Metro home

Glorious machines and dearly missed

Almost expecting to see Gary Brannan gazing longingly at that pacer.

The Pacer - it should've been called the "Frankentrain" given its mixed rail and bus heritage! British Rail and Leyland threw the parts together, stood back, and declared: "It's alive!" And boy, did it live on for a long time.

Could you do : the complicated legacy of the PEP?

Am I the only one who loved them! Bouncy squealy good fun! :-)

its easy to forget the positive impact pacers had on helping BR keep trains running whist government spending on BR got less..

I saw the fly thing Scotsman and the pacer that’s there that pacer happens to be 142001 the first 142 to ever be built

One aspect of the Pacer was the design of the front end. The Leyland National bus had quite a handsome appearance, whereas the rail variant was pretty hideous.

I didn't mind pacers, and judging by the Livery that Pacer in the museum was the one used around where I lived. I'm weird, but yeah, they where rough, and even I will admit they needed to be gone 30 years ago.

hey, just letting you know i heard some gsm (mobile phone) interference from your mic around 0:34 and onwards you can mitigate this by moving your phone away or putting it on airplane mode while you record im surprised you still have 2g in the uk, i think its pretty cool! otherwise, for such a small youtuber im impressed at the production quality! well done!

The Pacers - A Warning From History

My first exposure to this channel - sticking around for sure \m/

That HST at the start is the one i started up

I think we had them in chocolate and cream livery here in Devon in the 80's with drafty rattling bus style doors.

I've never been one, as we're never used in the East of England, however the Nene valley railway has acquired a ATW class 143

Its a shame the Pacer 144e's never came to true fruition because of Covid, they looked very modern with the refurbishment and accessible toilets, still despite nevere riding them, maybe I will once I visist the UK, kudos to these pacers for providing connections on quiet branchlines.

I only rode on a pacer once (The normal trains I took whenever I did take them were Class 156s) and it was just awful. It was rattly, it smelled of diesel, it was loud. It felt like how a TVR was built, but on a larger scate and on tracks. But god damn do I miss them.

Pacers are still running on the Cumbrian coast line, to my utter dismay. They squeal like pigs, the seats are rock hard, they bounce and wobble which makes me feel sick, I hate the bloody things, especially as I had to ride 35 miles to work and another 35 miles back every day for two decades on the damn things. Oh, and they are cold and droughty in winter. Just rotten.

I think Chiltern should have received a further batch of 168s and release 165s to Great Western to replace Pacers, 150s & 153s removing the Pacers from Wales and the West Country by the early 2000s with the 143s being scrapped for parts and 150s taking over the Cardiff Valleys completely leaving the 142s / 144s only in Northern service and replaced by 156s / 170s displaced from Greater Anglia & 156s from ScotRail.

Why is there a Pacer in the National Railway Museum? _Because those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it_

Those are nice trains

Best train of all time. There's no contest.

I recently came across a photo online of two Pacers on two flatcars being transported through the Canadian Rockies on their way to Expo '86 in Vancouver, B.C. Once I got over the amusement of such a sight, I wondered what happened to those two. Did they make it back home? Anyone know?

If I could keep a Pacer for myself, I would probably repair the mistakes they did when buildings these trains, and maybe substitute their diesel engine with a class 150 engine, in summary, take all from the interior's floor to below it and put the same but of a class 150

Rail geeks when they are just train spooning and sees a pacer 😎

There's no argument for them being "cheap" even at the initial cost, as throughout the subsequent years millions was spent to enhance their safety and maintenance. In fact they spent more doing this than had they opted for Sprinters in the first place.

Shocked to see so many people saying ‘the pacer saved many lines from closure’ etc. Is that really an excuse for how dreadful the were as trains? So many people living in echo cambers in this comment section forgetting what they were like to use. Ear piercing noise, violent vibrations, strong smell of fumes, leaking and condensation in the winter, not accessible. The list goes on. They should never have been accepted by society and surely won’t be missed by 99% of commuters.

What’s the music in the background

my most favourite train in the UK is the pacer.

“Train belongs in train museum” 😂

Pacers: because nothing is more permanent than a temporary fix.

The operable word was "under-funding".

How did that pacer get there?

3:18 Sonic: Big oof.

I went on one of these trains on 2022

a Pacer definitely deserves a place in a train museum. Was it liked? no. hell no. was it a successful train? well... yes. for all it's faults, these bouncing, screeching, overheating lumps of cheapness kept railways alive in the north west and wales, on commuter and rural routes, and the hastily designed stopgap measure provided a cost-effectiveness and quantity of stock that made it worth having trains connecting a lot of these places at all. In that way they're a lesson to designers of the future, partly as an example of a successful failure... but mostly as a laundry list of things not to do :P and is it iconic enough to be in a museum? yes. certainly up here in the north west, the pacer was easily the most common train your saw, heard, and any other train felt like luxury after getting them almost every day.

Yep, a true icon of decades of underinvestment in railways in the North.

They are preserving them as a warning... :)

Idk never seen one before, they just look cute

Ah yes, the dangerous Pacer. EVERYONE hated them, including Geoff Marshall. I would wait for another train to take me to my destination, if a Pacer turned up, especially after the crash between one of those buses, and a loco not far from Crewe station.

Bouncing joy gone.. sad

Pacers were awful but their history is so fascinating. Love these silly bouncy Frankenstein trains

4:42 car #142069 nice

Pacer service was like a tapdancing poodle. It wasn't good But it was pleasing that it was done at all.

Is inccedible how british railways system abandoned in first place Railbus and classic train formations when all we know capacity is a problem and many closed lines should be reopened even to be serve hourly for only 100 passengers at time though.