Well I never knew they tried this (Bus body ala Pacer, Mk1 Underframe)....

One made it to BR, 10617, allocated 50617 but the number was never applied. It ended up on the Horwich branch

 

Cheers. For some reason, I had in mind the last two weren't scrapped until BR days. Can't find the reference, so it may well just be me losing the plot, Although very much a '2nd gen' unit, LNER 'Sentinel' 2136 Hope made it to Feb 1948. Whether it actually ran any service for BR I couldn't say.

 

IIRC, that one didn't work out because of electrical interference regulations - if they'd kept the original motor generator it would have been covered by grandfather rights but wouldn't have had enough power to run everything. If they'd uprated it then that would have led to a lot more work updating the rest of the electrical system. Probably found themselves wishing that 1963 stock had been built with two motor generators per unit, like the early EPBs.

 

I'd prefer the account of someone who'd actually ridden in it, though the Carriage Survey entry suggests the consensus opinion.

I've a very low opinion of this kind of re-engineering as anything other than an attempt to avoid spending money. When, in the late 90s, I saw the prototype Electrostar bodyshell on an MK1 underframe, my reaction was then immediately hostile - that the disadvantages of Mk1 ride would be perpetuated, but without the comfort of the seats in the Mk1 units. Nothing I've seen experienced in the subsequent 20-odd years has left me in any doubt I was right on the fundamentals.

You actually quoted a post where I commented about Pacers in response to a comment about pacers, not this prototype carriage. The growing consensus within the industry is that the Pacers were not what myth alleges them to be. They were cheap to buy, required significant rework to make fit (new drivetrains, replacement of brakes), were bad for track (rougher riding), carried fewer people, and were unattractive to travel in.

Finally, you compare this carriage to a Voyager, and assert that it would be better than a Voyager. I think your emotions are getting the better of your reason. 10-15 years ago, I used to travel occasionally between Telford and Newcastle. While I did actively try to avoid Cross Country, that was nothing to do with the Voyagers themselves, and everything to do with Cross Country having leased far too few. One of my preferred alternatives was actually to go over Shap, and then take the Tyne Valley. A couple of times, this gave me a direct comparison between the two types, and the Voyager won hands down. In particular, the declassified first class carriage (laid out in traditional 2x2 table format) was a lovely carriage to travel in, smooth riding, tolerably spacious, and with lovely large windows ideal for enjoying the WCML over Shap. The Pacer across to Carlisle, on the other hand, was not a welcoming experience.