Masterclass: ‘Pacers’
An unsung hero of Britain’s railways, the ‘Pacer’ proved to be a stalwart people mover. Richard Foster describes its humble origins.
Richard Foster recounts the tale of the humble ‘Pacer’.
Two trains, two very different farewells. It’s May 18 2019 and the platforms at London Paddington are thronged with well-wishers who want to give Great Western Railway’s HST fleet a final send-off. It’s not just enthusiasts who are paying their respects – the general public wants to say farewell too.
Weeks later there were howls of derision from passengers and media alike when Rail Minister Andrew Jones declared that the soon-to-be redundant ‘Pacers’ could be turned into cafés or community centres.
The ‘Pacer’ is not a hero like the HST. It’s been used as a symbol by politicians and campaign groups alike for all that’s wrong with Britain’s railway system.
Two trains, two very different public perceptions.
The irony is that both HST and the ‘Pacer’ were born at a time when British Rail was really struggling to make ends meet. Intercity faced stiff competition from motorways and air travel, while falling receipts and ageing ‘first generation’ DMUS meant that reports were published that recommended closing 84% of a network that had already been diminished by Dr Beeching. Intercity pinned its hopes on the tilting Advanced Passenger Train, but the project’s increased costs and rising technical challenges forced BR management to select the rival High Speed Diesel Train scheme instead. HSDT was simpler and cheaper than APT as it used more traditional technology, but its 125mph top speed (25mph more than the ‘Deltics’) combined with that striking shape was a masterstroke. BR’S claim that “Inter-city 125 really is for everyone to enjoy” worked and business was 15% up on the Western Region just months after the first train was introduced.
Here was proof that a cheaper, simpler ‘stop gap’ train could be a success.
As the 1980s began, BR’S multiple unit fleet, built in the 1950s and early 1960s by manufacturers that had gone to the wall, was getting a bit long in the tooth.
‘CANNED’
The branch line equivalent of APT was the Class 210 DEMU. This was a diesel-electric multiple unit based on the new Mk 3
‘142s’ from 142051 onwards featured three prominent roof ribs rather than ten. ‘142s’ now feature standard twin doors and some sport revised 2+2 seating). 142096, the last off the production line, reveals an additional ventilation system at Thornaby on January 30 2009. Judging by the livery, it has been recently transferred from Arriva Trains Wales.
HST and the ‘Pacer’ were born at a time when British Rail was struggling to make ends meet