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Pacers

Should Pacers be scrapped


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yorkie

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At the end of the day Pacers can only be scrapped if there is a suitable alternative, that has similar running costs.

NickW is right about the pacer doors being unreliable, and yes slam doors would be far more reliable, but the HSE won't like that, and without any despatchers it's not really feasible and is a pointless discussion anyway.

As for the "mini HST" idea, that is daft. HSTs are designed for high speed, and branch lines are not. A bizarre idea that requires no further thought.

Nick, I know you want to work on the railway, but if that's the case then I suggest you get some real experience of the railways. If you think you can just go to Uni, become a manager instantly, and then come up with ideas like this, you may be in for a shock. However I know you are ignoring the advice to volunteer at the NRR, which is a shame. Good luck with these ideas when you become a manager straight from Uni in 5 years time, you'll need it.
 
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Gareth Hale

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I agree and disergree with some of this topic.

I remember getting an e'mail off Northern and they said they will not be replacing the pacer fleet for a long time to come. They will be testing other stock on certain lines.
Pacers are fast, reliable and so what if they bounce, wobble or shake, they get you from A-B millions times quicker than walking.
Once a suitable replacement comes along, they will be replaced, most garantueed a few will be preserved.
Sorry to say, the Pacer will be around for some time to come.
 

Guinness

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Gareth Hale said:
....they get you from A-B millions times quicker than walking.

Depends on whether the train is cancelled or not. ;)

It sometimes can be quicker than car/bus depending on what route it's running on.

BTW Get a Spellchecker ;)
 

AlexS

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Slam doors suffer from failures - just different kinds to sliding or plug doors!

Catches failing so the handle wont return to the home position, door needs to be locked out. Droplight getting stuck, you can't open it from the inside. CDL interlock failure, have to fail the train (although that applies to motorised doors as well), slam doors snapping station employee's wrist, that requires ambulance attention delaying the train and and so on and so fooorth.
 

Jim

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Nick W said:
Which is why many commuters will drive to the nearest mainline station and overtake a branch line train on the way.
Thats wrong. They won't overtake a branch line train, as most are single/double track. Say in Cardiff area, get a Pacer to CDF CNTRL then HST to Paddington, for example. This whole idea is a load of crap...
 

Dennis

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On the way back to Trowbridge Saturday evening, had a Pacer from Westbury starting about 6mins late - made the 6 miles in under 5mins, fantastic! Never done the journey so quick, the whole thing was shaking and straining, even the guard had a job standing. It sure put a smile on my face and reminded me what a characterful unit the 143 is.

At Trowbridge, I congratulated the driver on the spirited running...he responded that yes, he was pushing it hard as he wanted to get home on time.
 

Lewisham2221

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Dennis said:
On the way back to Trowbridge Saturday evening, had a Pacer from Westbury starting about 6mins late - made the 6 miles in under 5mins, fantastic! Never done the journey so quick, the whole thing was shaking and straining, even the guard had a job standing. It sure put a smile on my face and reminded me what a characterful unit the 143 is.

At Trowbridge, I congratulated the driver on the spirited running...he responded that yes, he was pushing it hard as he wanted to get home on time.

Reminds me of a certain CT 156 last summer....on the way over to the East Midlands I thought it was pretty nippy, on my way back I had the same unit, a crew changeover took place at Nottingham and let's just say that the terms "rocket" and "**** off a shovel" were exchanged between drivers! ;)
 

ChrisCooper

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It would be interesting to know though if all those people who want Pacers replaced would be prepared to accept service cuts or even closures, fare increases or higher subsidy (which would come from more taxation or cuts in other areas), to pay for the replacements. Perhaps these would be combined with increases in journey time and poor reliabilty due to having unsuitable replacements (perhaps something too heavy, too complicated and geared for too high speeds). Either that or the replacements might end up worse than the Pacers, if the desision is made to save money and go for something on the cheap, the bottom end being a guided busway. The problem today is that people want something for nothing, and don't seem to live in the real world when it comes to economics.
 

Demps

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Why get rid of them?, whats going to replace them?, its just a part of human society to 'moan', so what ever they would be replaced by if they were scrapped (obviously not the reality, but just as a example) there would just be a load of other crap littering branch lines for ever more. In my view they should not be scrapped, think of the future, its likely for people too look back on this and think "i whish i did not want pacers to be scrapped back then, its a shame to so see nothing old on the railways nowadays". For gods sake man, what ever happens people are bound to moan.
 
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