Pacers have good points as well as problems – Yorkshire Post letters

THERE has been an awful lot written about “Pacer” trains in this newspaper recently, and a couple of examples in Saturday’s issue have compelled me to contact you (The Yorkshire Post, June 1).

Tom Richmond, who I usually think of as a competent columnist, describes Pacers as “buses converted into makeshift trains”, which is so silly as to be laughable.

Why Pacer trains should become a retirement home for Chris Grayling – Tom Richmond

Then, in your letters page, 
ME Wright refers to “cut price to the bone buses on a cattle truck (!) chassis”.

He has his “Sprinters” and his “Pacers” mixed up here – the former are much longer units on bogie chassis, so his comments can only refer to Pacers.

The common assumption among the uninformed public at large is that Pacers are based on buses, which is not actually the case.

The “bus” part is purely down to the use of Leyland National bodywork panels for the exterior of the railcar (and then only on the prototypes), but the chassis and structure were pure railway engineering.

Yes, they are out-dated 
and overdue for replacement, 
but it should be said that they have given good service, 
and there are those who will point out that did have some good points.