I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but on Question Time on 30/1, James Cleverley, the Conservative Party chairman, clearly stated that he got a Pacer to Buxton to attend the QT panel.
He didn't report the number but this must have been a rare sight because I didn't think they were still permitted to run to Buxton ; perhaps a Short Term Derogation for members of the political elite ... either that or he must have had a long walk ... or he might, heaven forbid, have been talking rubbish and not know his Pacers from his 150s.
(PS : He also claimed that Boris Johnson was responsible for getting rid of the Pacers)
I only listen to the radio, but on Radio 4 in the last few days I've heard;
Some politician from Manchester say 'when we jump on a train for the 2 - hour journey over the Pennines - it's a Pacer!'
and ( on R4 'Today', I think) a BBC transport expert reporting live from a railway station in the North saying 'and there's a Pacer leaving - you can probably hear it'; but I could only hear a Sprinter/Super Sprinter.
Of course, they're often described as 'old bus bodies on freight trucks'.
Possibly it's because 'Pacer' is a snappy name that's easily remembered even if you aren't any good at detail - an advantage to politicians and journalists.
What will the new bogey-man be when the Pacers are extinct? ,