Pacers on Long Distance Routes

[bramling]

Did the journey from Leeds to Morecambe on a 142 on the Bentham Line which was jointed track. Made the mistake of sitting over the rear wheel set in the first coach, unbelievably rough ride. The train was full, so I couldn't move to a different seat, and the jarring did nothing for my back!
I made sure I was sitting in the middle of the carriage for the return journey.

I’ve done Leeds to Morecambe on a 142 and sat as described. Definitely quite an experience. Fortunately it was on a bus-seated unit so there was a certain amount of padding, I can imagine a Merseyrail unit would have been unbearable.

I’ve also done Barrow to Carlisle on a 142 which I found fine, indeed more roomy than the 156 on the way back which filled up with Sellafield workers. There was an anxious minute at Barrow when the 142 appeared and the first thing was to look and think “please not be a Merseyrail unit”!

 

[satisnek]

Not the longest distance, but most definitely the fastest, I once rode a Pacer from Bristol to Worcester. I'm not sure if this was a 90mph Express Sprinter (Class 158) or a regular 75mph Sprinter diagram, but I would guess that a Pacer would struggle to keep up with even the latter when there's sustained running at maximum speed (because of increased friction on curves, etc.?). Needless to say, we lost time but not for want of trying. When I alighted at Shrub Hill the thing was red hot!

 

[John C]

I remember travelling on a 142 from Chester to Bradford as they were regulars on the new Leeds-Chester route prior to the introduction of the 195s, seem to recall it had a 153 coupled to it.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Great thread for a bit of nostalgia thank you

 

[InkyScrolls]

I travelled between Skipton and Lancaster many, many times on 142s/144s, and on one such occasion in 2017 we had a 158 at the front. After a rather livelier than usual experience on the WCWL I asked the conductor what speed we had been doing between Lancaster and Carnforth. 92 mph was the reply!

 

[Failed Unit]

Depends if you mean booked traction, or covering. Mancheter - Cleethorpes would often see a pacer cover the 158s. “Any train is better then a cancelled train“

 

[SteveM70]

Lincoln - Sheffield - Huddersfield on a Sunday a few years ago. Felt like forever

 

[Failed Unit]

Lincoln - Sheffield - Huddersfield on a Sunday a few years ago. Felt like forever

I bet it isn’t much better now on a 150. As someone said upthread there used to be a Leeds.- Huddersfield- Sheffield - Lincoln service, suspect something only done by a track basher. But from memory most of the long distance pacer journeys themselves were routes where you are unlikely to go from A-B throughout because of other means,

you example is definitely one without a viable alternative. Lincoln - Newark, Newark - Leeds then Leeds - Huddersfield probably wouldn’t save much time over the bone jolter.

The same with the North Eastern Middlesbrough - Carlisle ones (which I am not sure if they were covering 156s).

When they are trashing at 75mph for long distances it is kind of fun (occasionally)

 

[Mat17]

Pacers were fun between Barnsley and Meadowhall when it was all jointed track. It sometimes seemed as if the carriages were having a contest of sorts to see which could throw the other off the tracks.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I travelled between Skipton and Lancaster many, many times on 142s/144s, and on one such occasion in 2017 we had a 158 at the front. After a rather livelier than usual experience on the WCWL I asked the conductor what speed we had been doing between Lancaster and Carnforth. 92 mph was the reply!

I too have been on a Pacer that went rather over 75 due to it being driven from a 158 on the front and the driver presumably forgetting. Bouncy!

 

[Trackman]

If you raised them for a bike they locked in the up position. There were clips on both sides, push them and it'd come back down.

Well I never, a bit late to try it now.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I have ridden them on the Manchester to Southport route a few times. I got to quite like them as it wasn't a regular journey (maybe once every two years) but most of my experience on the Pacers was just short 10 minute journeys. For that I much preferred them over the 150s. The 142's had quite decent leg room and that is something that gets over looked. I am not that tall but I physically can't fit into some bus seats but the pacer was fine (no pun intended).

Towards the end of their life though and I didn't feel very safe on them if they were travelling at 75mph. I miss them for their charm, but I don't miss them smoking the platforms at Manchester Victoria although the Sprinters are not much better in this regard at least there aren't as many in service now (at least in the Manchester area).

I too have been on a Pacer that went rather over 75 due to it being driven from a 158 on the front and the driver presumably forgetting. Bouncy!

What are the rules in this case? Is it the maximum speed of the driving vehicle or the maximum speed of what ever has the lowest speed? In this case the 75mph.

 

[D6130]

I have ridden them on the Manchester to Southport route a few times. I got to quite like them as it wasn't a regular journey (maybe once every two years) but most of my experience on the Pacers was just short 10 minute journeys. For that I much preferred them over the 150s. The 142's had quite decent leg room and that is something that gets over looked. I am not that tall but I physically can't fit into some bus seats but the pacer was fine (no pun intended).

Towards the end of their life though and I didn't feel very safe on them if they were travelling at 75mph. I miss them for their charm, but I don't miss them smoking the platforms at Manchester Victoria although the Sprinters are not much better in this regard at least there aren't as many in service now (at least in the Manchester area).



What are the rules in this case? Is it the maximum speed of the driving vehicle or the maximum speed of what ever has the lowest speed? In this case the 75mph.

Always the Speed of the slowest unit in the formation.

 

[6Gman]

I’ve done Barrow to Manchester on a 142 during the late 80s, I do remember though that the ride quality on the west coast main section from Carnforth to Leyland was quite acceptable and the thing went like a rocket, the bad points were the seats (original) and the very high noise level. Also travelled on a 142 worked Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno via Knutsford service, fortunately only as far as Chester!

I did Chester to Llandudno on a 142.

It was vile.

Especially the fast section between Flint and Prestatyn.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In Northern Spirit days there was a Leeds - Lincoln via Huddersfield all stations that was regularly a Merseyrail 142! A 'mere' 102 miles but with seats that belonged in a primary school, and leg room to match, and much of the journey on jointed track, it must have been a nightmare. It wouldn't surprise me if someone did it throughout though.
A curiosity was there were that many stops it could potentially leave Leeds before they were all announced. I'm certain it would be at more stations if there were modern announcements.

That service was always booked for a 3-car 144, though you obviously did get substitutions at times. At Leeds it was usually advertised with a false destination of Dodworth, as there were quicker options from Leeds for Barnsley and all stops beyond.
One positive of the Northern Spirit franchise was that in the event of a TPE-branded 158 being unavailable there was usually something that could step in... even if it was a Pacer. Now it just gets cancelled.

During the 1990s there was one journey on the York to Blackpool run that was booked to be formed of 158+141. Often the 158 would be packed with only a few hardy souls in the railbus!

 

[Ash Bridge]

I did Chester to Llandudno on a 142.

It was vile.

Especially the fast section between Flint and Prestatyn.

Was that on the original seated version or one of the Merseytravel variants @6Gman?

 

[marsker]

Back in the day, I travelled on a (IIRC) 17:19 Carlisle - Saltburn, which ceased to be a through train when services were revised as the Metro opened through to Sunderland. It was a newly refurbished Northern Spirit Class 142 and was routed via Hexham, Newcastle (reverse), Durham and Middlesbrough. Carlisle to Marske took about 3 hours, far too long to be on a Pacer. At least, I was able to get a seat in a group of 4.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Living in London, I've never had the dubious pleasure of riding in a Pacer. Much as I have enjoyed riding in four-wheelers on the Bluebell Railway, and a full-length trip on the Ffestiniog Railway in a Hudson four-wheel wagon was great fun, I think that anything but a short run in a four-wheel DMU would not be something I'd like to do too often.

 

[HST43257]

I think there was the odd pacer-operated Sheffield to Scarborough, if not maybe Bridlington. Can’t forget Leeds to Lincoln via Darton and Sheffield. Cumbrian Coast pacer sounds like hell. Trying to think if I ever had one on the Whitby to Hexham/Carlisle service.

 

[Spartacus]

That service was always booked for a 3-car 144, though you obviously did get substitutions at times. At Leeds it was usually advertised with a false destination of Dodworth, as there were quicker options from Leeds for Barnsley and all stops beyond.
One positive of the Northern Spirit franchise was that in the event of a TPE-branded 158 being unavailable there was usually something that could step in... even if it was a Pacer. Now it just gets cancelled.

During the 1990s there was one journey on the York to Blackpool run that was booked to be formed of 158+141. Often the 158 would be packed with only a few hardy souls in the railbus!

I must have just been unlucky, I remember doing at least two Merseyrail 142s, and seeing them on other occasions. I was just doing it as far as Batley though. I remember it going from one of the low bays, 3 or 5 when it was headed out before the announcement finished, suspect that wasn't normal and was the result of a swap.

 

[Mat17]

I must have just been unlucky, I remember doing at least two Merseyrail 142s, and seeing them on other occasions. I was just doing it as far as Batley though. I remember it going from one of the low bays, 3 or 5 when it was headed out before the announcement finished, suspect that wasn't normal and was the result of a swap.

It wasn't unknown for it to be a single 153 either.

 

[DarloRich]

Darlington to Whitby was far enough. lovely views but very bouncy bouncy.

 

[Efini92]

I travelled between Skipton and Lancaster many, many times on 142s/144s, and on one such occasion in 2017 we had a 158 at the front. After a rather livelier than usual experience on the WCWL I asked the conductor what speed we had been doing between Lancaster and Carnforth. 92 mph was the reply!

I believe 96 was the all time record, in the days before black boxes.

 

[billio]

Darlington to Saltburn, a rough ride but have you all forgotten what these things were like in the winter, the draughts, the freezing cold, the damp ... virtually no heating,

 

[D6130]

Darlington to Saltburn, a rough ride but have you all forgotten what these things were like in the winter, the draughts, the freezing cold, the damp ... virtually no heating,

Yes, someone had the bright idea of putting the heating modules on the roof, with the heater vents in the ceiling.....and as everyone knows, hot air goes downwards (not!)

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, someone had the bright idea of putting the heating modules on the roof, with the heater vents in the ceiling.....and as everyone knows, hot air goes downwards (not!)

It does de-frost your shopping when its in the luggage rack though.

 

[JD2168]

Blackpool North to Manchester Piccadilly on a Class 142 with bench seats pretty much all stops towards the end of the Pacers was interesting & also quite dingy with poor interior lighting at night. It wasn’t as bad as the worst I have been on, a Class 150 from Hull to Sheffield which was cramped & uncomfortable.

 

[daodao]

I did Chester to Llandudno on a 142.

It was vile.

Especially the fast section between Flint and Prestatyn.

I made a similar journey in the reverse direction in the early 90s and changed at Chester for Hale on the ex-CLC line. Fortunately I didn't need to travel on the Pacer all the way to Manchester. It was definitely worse than a similar journey I made in 1986 from Llandudno to Manchester via Warrington in loco-hauled Mk1 stock.

 

[dazzler]

Darlington to Saltburn, a rough ride but have you all forgotten what these things were like in the winter, the draughts, the freezing cold, the damp ... virtually no heating,

Thanks, I'd managed to block out that memory!
Lancaster to Leeds in a 3-car Cl 144 in February, with snow on the ground! It was a sub-zero 75mph wind tunnel below the seats. I wound up kicking my shoes off and tucking my feet underneath me on the seat. It took until Gargrave for the feeling to come back.

 

[LMS 4F]

I travelled between Skipton and Lancaster many, many times on 142s/144s, and on one such occasion in 2017 we had a 158 at the front. After a rather livelier than usual experience on the WCWL I asked the conductor what speed we had been doing between Lancaster and Carnforth. 92 mph was the reply!

My recollection of Lancaster to Leeds on a pacer was how much the front carriage would rise above the height of the trailing one. Then of course it would drop by the same amount. Definitely most prevalent before Settle Junction.