Scotsman headline -
UK▸ ’s most hated trains to run on Waverley route
They are Britain’s most hated trains, condemned as “noisy, draughty, bouncy and outdated” by passengers, but largely spared from Scots – until now.
The notorious Pacers are finally being phased out from routes in England and Wales, only for two to be given a new lease of life on a heritage line in the Borders.
They are due to run on the Waverley Route Heritage Association’s (WRHA) track south of Hawick this summer – giving people north of the border the chance to judge the trains for themselves.
Pacers only operated in Scotland for a few weeks in 1986 when the Edinburgh-Bathgate line was re-opened to passengers, and occasionally between Dumfries and Carlisle.
The WRHA said it bought the Class 142 Pacers because it already has a prototype, but agreed with their poor reputation. Chairman Chris Donnelly said: “The criticisms levelled against them by passengers are fair –they are noisy, drafty, bouncy and outdated.
“However, we also need to remember that were it not for them, many rail lines might well have closed.
“From a preservation point of view, you get quite attached to the trains you look after. I’m sure that it will be the same with them.
“Although they are not historically associated with the Waverley Route, we are already the home of the Railbus demonstration unit, the forerunner of the class.
The photograph illustrating the article is of the single carriage prototype ... confusing at first ... and the article headline looks designed to draw in readers contemplating a downgrade of rolling stock from Waverley to Tweedbank.
Personal conjecture - I would put provision of a frequent, reliable service "even with pacers" ahead of running an infrequent service with better stock. If someone experimented by running a pacer on the TransWilts, alternating the current 165/166 service with the "old bus train", even with a warning in the timetable "rickety old train that bounces around and has the loos locked out of use and is 5 minutes slower", I doubt too many people would choose to use the Turbo if the Pacer timing suited them better.
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