Pacer (British Rail) — BrandWiki

Pacer (British Rail)

Overview

Pacer

background	#cc9966
imagesize	300px
service	1984–2021
family	Pacer
yearconstruction	1979–1987
yearscrapped	2020–present
numberbuilt	165 sets
numberscrapped	79 sets (141/142/143/144)
formation	2 cars per unit (140/141/142/143/144)/ 3 cars per unit (144)
coupling	BSI

Pacer was the operational name of the British Rail Classes, , , and diesel multiple unit railbuses built between 1980 and 1987. They were inexpensively developed using a passenger body based on the Leyland National bus on top of a chassis based on the HSFV1 research vehicle. The railbuses were intended as a short-term solution to a shortage of rolling stock, with a lifespan of no more than 20 years. As modernised replacements were lacking, the Pacer fleet remained in service on some lines until 2021, 37 years after its introduction in 1984.[1]

All Pacer trains were scheduled to be retired by the end of 2019, as the PRM-TSI requires that all public passenger trains must be accessible to disabled people by 2020; however, the Pacer units were given dispensation until the end of 2020. Only one Pacer (the modernised 144e) met this requirement and the remainder were, therefore, planned to be withdrawn by that date. Furthermore, a decision in 2015 by the Transport Secretary required that such railbuses be removed from service by 2020 for the then-new Northern franchise, stating that the "continued use of these uncomfortable and low-quality vehicles is not compatible with our vision for economic growth and prosperity in the north."[2]

At the start of 2020, 138 Pacer units of Classes 142, 143 and 144 were either still in service or storage with three National Rail operators: Arriva Rail North,

Class 141

The Class 140 was viewed to be an overall success, and thus BR issued an order for an initial production model, designated Class 141, to British Leyland during 1984 with production commencing thereafter. During its early years of service, the Class 141 experienced numerous issues, particularly with the transmission and ride quality; work undertaken at BR's direction resulted in the quick development of numerous improvements to at least partially address these shortcomings. When it came to ordering more railbuses, however, it was decided that instead of placing these follow-on orders for further Class 141, it would be more desirable to procure improved derivatives of the Class 141. Accordingly, BR placed orders for two new models of the Pacer family with separate manufacturers, these being the Class 142 and respectively.[10]

The prototype was joined by another 20 two-car units which formed the Class 141 fleet. The units were used mainly in Yorkshire, operating on predominantly suburban services. They had a capacity of 94 passengers per two-car set, and two Leyland TL11 engines gave a total of 410 bhp, resulting in a top speed of 75 mph. The Class 141s were built with standard Leyland National bodies, whose comparatively narrow width meant they could only be fitted with standard bus seating. The later Pacers had widened body panels to allow increased seating. Furthermore, in order to maximise cost savings, the manufacturers made use of road bus-standard electrical equipment, passenger fittings, and general cab layout wherever possible.[10]

During 1988, in response to reliability problems related to the electronics used, the entire class was briefly withdrawn and underwent a technical upgrade at the Hunslet-Barclay works in Kilmarnock. The reliability issue was largely resolved via the replacement of the original relay-based controller of the transmission with an alternative that was microprocessor-based.[10] The units were permanently withdrawn from British Rail service in 1997. Many Class 141s were sold to Islamic Republic of Iran Railways.[12]

Class 142

The next and largest Pacer class was the Class 142. As BR was considering ordering more railbuses, it was decided that, instead of placing these follow-on orders for further Class 141 vehicles, it would be more desirable to procure improved derivatives of the Class 141. Accordingly, BR placed orders for two new models of the Pacer family with separate manufacturers, these being the Class 142 and respectively.[10]

The Class 142 again was built by Leyland and BREL, in 1985. The body was based on a Leyland National bus, built at Workington in Cumbria. Many fixtures and fittings of the Leyland National could be found on the units. The new class had a greater capacity of 120 passengers per two-car set and the same engines were used. The first sets were used initially on Devon and Cornwall branch lines and on commuter services in the north west. The units from Cornwall were eventually moved to Liverpool and the north east, and the Class 142s became a common sight on services across the north of England.

The Class 142s received substantial upgrades during the early 1990s, which included the installation of more powerful Cummins engines, which gave a total power output of 460 bhp per two-car set. A number of units were then modified for use on the Merseyside PTE City Line on Merseyrail in the Liverpool region, which included dot-matrix route indicators, improved seating and Merseyrail PTE paintwork.

The Class 142s moved into the control of Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western at privatisation, and subsequently passed on to Northern Rail, Arriva Rail North, Northern Trains, Arriva Trains Wales, KeolisAmey Wales and Transport for Wales Rail. Eight Northern Rail units were temporarily withdrawn from service, replaced by a cascading of .[15] First Great Western received 12 units on loan from Northern Rail from December 2007 to November 2011 (five units were returned to Northern Rail in December 2008) to cover for refurbishment of its fleet and to allow most of its Class 158 fleet to be rebuilt as three-car sets.

Analysis

The Pacers have often been criticised as being of poor quality. Instead of the usual bogies, Pacers use a basic four-wheel two-axle configuration which often results in a ride which is noisier and less comfortable than other trains. The lack of articulation can result in a rough ride, especially over points, and a loud squealing noise around tight curves. The lack of bogies also results in a more basic suspension, which can result in a bumpier ride; this has given rise to the nickname "nodding donkeys" owing to the trains' up-and-down motion on uneven track. The basic bench seating can also be uncomfortable.[7] The early units, especially the, were also especially unreliable.[12]

The fact that Pacers have only been used in certain areas of the north and south-west of England, and the south of Wales, but not London or the south-east of England, has also created resentment.[7][12]

Concerns were raised about safety after the 1999 Winsford crash,[20] which involved a First North Western Pacer running as empty stock, which was involved in a collision with a Virgin Trains -hauled express after the Pacer unit had fouled the main line at Winsford, Cheshire on the West Coast Main Line.[21] The body of the Pacer was severed from its frame, to which it was attached by wire straps, causing severe internal damage; the unit was written off. Twenty-seven passengers and crew were injured, four seriously. However, all passenger injuries were on the other train, as the Class 142 was running empty at the time.[22]

Arguments have been made that Pacers were the saviour of some branch lines, with their low costs and relatively good fuel economy of 10 mpgimp[12] making them a pragmatic solution at a time when budgets were tight.[7] This has however been disputed, with the reasoning that since rolling stock costs make up a low proportion of the total cost of running a service, the lines would have remained open even without Pacers. Furthermore, given the modifications or upgrades made to the units' engines, doors, fire protection, gearboxes and brakes in the first decade of their service, the total build cost of the units in some cases exceeded those of an equivalent Sprinter unit.[23]

Replacements

As of 2020, the oldest Pacers on the national network were approaching 35 years old. All were planned to be withdrawn and scrapped by December 2019 as they do not comply with Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations. The first wave of class 142 withdrawal began in November 2020 by Northern, and a month later by Transport for Wales. and units also saw massive withdrawals in the late months of that year, the first 143 and 144 units being withdrawn in December 2020 by Great Western Railway and Northern. Transport for Wales were granted an extension of Pacer usage until May 2021.

CAF Civity

In July 2019, rollout of Northern's CAF-built units had begun on certain routes, which allowed refurbished Sprinters no longer needed on those routes to be used to replace Pacers instead.

Vivarail D-Train

These units are built out of upcycled London Underground D78 Stock, constructed between 1978 and 1981, which were in service on the District line until 2017. Conversion of the old stock to mainline railway use will involve re-using the aluminium bodyshells, traction motors and bogies from the D78 units and fitting them out with new diesel engines and interiors. The D-Train units underwent acceptance testing in 2015 and Vivarail pitched them to train operating companies (TOCs), especially those bidding for the Northern franchise.[24] While no orders were received from Northern, Transport for Wales will replace its Pacers with a combination of five D-Trains and rolling stock cascaded from other train operators,[25] and other TOCs have ordered D-trains to replace other outdated rolling stock: South Western Railway for the Isle of Wight's Island Line,[26] and West Midlands Trains for the Marston Vale line.[27]

Class 144e Evolution

The Class 144e (Evolution) was a proposed refurbished variant of the Class 144 which would bring it up to the requirements of the Persons with reduced mobility-Technical Specifications for Interoperability accessibility regulations.[28] The demonstrator Class 144e unit (144012) featured a number of upgrades such as the addition of new 2+2 style seating, a fully accessible toilet, two wheelchair spaces and spaces for bicycles and luggage,[28][29] as well as Wi-Fi and media screens.[28] Porterbrook, which owns the Class 143 and Class 144 fleets, refurbished unit 144012 in 2014 to comply with the new legislation so that it could act as a demonstration unit.[30][31]