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Most hated traction

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222ben

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Just wanted to know what traction everyone hates
For me it's the pacer 142s
 
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trash80

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Hard question to answer, i either like them or are indifferent. I suppose a grotty Sprinter thats long overdue a major refurb (or scrapping)
 

8J

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333's - can't stand them

Oh and 220/221's! :D
 
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47802

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Difficult choice but I think I would go for Northern 155's over a 142, they are clapped out dirty smelly, built by a bus company on a very bad day, god awful design with high windows, cramped seats, noisiest of all sprinters and generally a lousy medium distance train, and least we should be getting rid of the 142's while probably stuck with the 155 for another 10 years.
 

superkev

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Difficult choice but I think I would go for Northern 155's over a 142, they are clapped out dirty smelly, built by a bus company on a very bad day, god awful design with high windows, cramped seats, noisiest of all sprinters and generally a lousy medium distance train, and least we should be getting rid of the 142's while probably stuck with the 155 for another 10 years.

I'll second that along with the 153s. Designed for passengers with no legs.
K
 

AM9

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If I consider rolling stock as experienced on actual journeys then I'd put soggy MKIIIs (as in 23m versions) near the top of my list. For a 2+ hour journey they can be very tedious.
 

gimmea50anyday

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Voyagers followed by voyagers followed by voyagers

These could have been so much better had train builders designed them and not aircraft engineers! At the time tho, Railtrack didn't know what the gague of the railway was, so they were built to tilt within the smallest gague known.

Bad idea....
 

zn1

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flying scotsman - one big con of a rebuild...should have painted, plinthed and stood next to Lion....
 

Tracked

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142's. The only redeeming features of these are the big windows which are nice for the Hope Valley, and the straps on some of them for bikes, which are quite useful.

The main problems I have with Voyagers are the toilet smell & the overcrowding, if it weren't for that I wouldn't mind them so much.
 

furnessvale

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442 without a doubt.

Coming from the north I wonder if someone can explain why the 442 is so hated?

Based on a MkIII, air conditioned, plug doors, looks reasonable enough. Does it perform well? is it reliable? What are its running costs?

I would have thought removal of traction motors and excess electrical equipment would render them ideal candidates for converting into loco hauled sets, either diesel or electric.

Before anyone suggests it, I am not a troll, I am genuinely interested.

Neither am I a spotter so ideas like, "they are the wrong colour" or "they all look the same so there is no variety" go completely over my head.
 

pemma

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Coming from the north I wonder if someone can explain why the 442 is so hated?

Based on a MkIII, air conditioned, plug doors, looks reasonable enough. Does it perform well? is it reliable? What are its running costs?

I would have thought removal of traction motors and excess electrical equipment would render them ideal candidates for converting into loco hauled sets, either diesel or electric.

Before anyone suggests it, I am not a troll, I am genuinely interested.

Neither am I a spotter so ideas like, "they are the wrong colour" or "they all look the same so there is no variety" go completely over my head.

To me a 442 has always seemed like a DC version of a 158. Given 158s have better seating and are quieter than other Sprinters and that electric trains are supposed to be better than diesels, I see no reason why 442s should even be in the top 10.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
142s and Voyagers - joint equal!

A Voyager is a lot better than a Pacer. However, I accept if you're comparing 2 hours on a Pacer with 10 hours on a Voyager you could come to conclusion neither is good enough for a journey of the specified length.
 
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ScouserGirl

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it's going to have to be the pacers and voyagers for me!
I always try to avoid voyagers at all cost!
 

nicobobinus

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Voyagers, though I put the refurbished SWT/Southern 455s not too far behind.. there's just nothing to excite about them. I do have a fondness for Pacers in a weird way
 

Kite159

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390s

Nice enough trains to cover the distance they do, but it's mainly for the mostly airline style seating, twined with tiny windows which don't line up with the seats.
 

Peter Mugridge

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390s

Nice enough trains to cover the distance they do, but it's mainly for the mostly airline style seating, twined with tiny windows which don't line up with the seats.

390s for me, too - but only on the windows issue. I like airline style seating.
 

rf_ioliver

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158...just because they're boring, though the absolute worst has to be a tie between a Centro 150 I took between Shrewsbury and Telford years ago and the 442 from Victoria to Brighton last year - I guess in both cases the cleaners had forgotten of their existence...

Personally I quite like the Pacers...always an interesting ride, big windows etc...

t.

Ian
 

Lemmy99uk

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5 May 2015
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Northern Class 153s

When you're 6' 6" it is a nightmare trying to get comfortable in any position. At least on the pacers I can sit sideways with my back to the window because there's no fixed armrest.
 

matabiau

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16 Jun 2012
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Toulouse, France
I used to like Pacers when they were new, big windows, bus seating, etc. I had a nasty shock two years ago when I took a FGW class 143 from Exeter to Oakhampton, new seating with no legroom, leaking roof (=soggy seats) and freezing cold despite being the mmiddle of summer!
 
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