Dimensions of train seating

[whole diary]

[Trowres]

Here's a guide to dimensions of Chinese train seating:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/seat-size.htm

Now where's the equivalent information for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)?  I would like to see a comparison of current rail vehicles with some of the older stuff - Mk1, Mk2^▸ (Mark 2 coach), early MK3 and so on.

Some informal data was presented at http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36190&page=1. I wouldn't recommend reading past the first post as the thread is heavy on personal insults and off-topic stuff.

[chuffed]

Agree that the data is a bit dry and dusty, but those other contributors on that forum, make us lot in the coffee shop look like absolute angels ! As Dr Spooner may or may not have said, what makes this forum so special, is the shining wit one so often encounters. Not like the other kind on that other forum !

[grahame]

For our knowledgeable passenger focused interest, the original post there is very interesting - though it does lack FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area specifics.   I had never before considered whether pitch should be measured with the seats unoccupied, or with typical cushion depression added in when someones' seated. ("How soft is your seat cushion?")

I was on an East Midlands HST^▸ (High Speed Train) yesterday, and certainly noticed the difference between that an the FGW HST that I was on 40 minutes later.   But then I got seats on both, and had the FGW train had the same pitch as East Midlands, I think I would have been standing.

[Rhydgaled]

I had never before considered whether pitch should be measured with the seats unoccupied, or with typical cushion depression added in when someones' seated. ("How soft is your seat cushion?")

I seem to recall Roger Ford in Modern Railways writting something along the lines of 'seat pitch' being a specific measurement between a particular point on each seat, not effected by the cushion depression. 'Legroom' however was noted as being dependant on squishy cushions and hence was found to vary within a single vehicle to the extent that the measurements were unhelpful. Something like that anyway.

Something else pointed out in Modern Railways was the ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) technical requirements for rolling stock report. Here's an extract:

3.3.4 Seat legroom should be designed to accommodate a 95th percentile male (based on the latest anthropometric data available for the GB^▸ (Great Britain) population)

Code:

Note 1: The current 95th percentile male figure would result in a dimension of 688 mm for airline seating. For absolute clarity, this is the dimension between seat back squab and the rear face of the seat in front and is therefore not ^seat pitch."

The code block was the nearest thing I could find to an indent.

[ChrisB]

Yep - seat pitch is from the back of the seat cushion where it meets the upright back to the back of the seat in front. Same as on an airline.

I don't think legroom is defined per se, but generally the distance between the front of the seat cushion & the seat in front. No so important, as if the seat itself is a deep one, the pitch distance can be decent, even if the legroom is a couple of inches.

[TaplowGreen]

Yep - seat pitch is from the back of the seat cushion where it meets the upright back to the back of the seat in front. Same as on an airline.

I don't think legroom is defined per se, but generally the distance between the front of the seat cushion & the seat in front. No so important, as if the seat itself is a deep one, the pitch distance can be decent, even if the legroom is a couple of inches.

.............I just thank the Lord that I'm a shortarse, with legs to match!!! 

[chrisr_75]

Yep - seat pitch is from the back of the seat cushion where it meets the upright back to the back of the seat in front. Same as on an airline.

I don't think legroom is defined per se, but generally the distance between the front of the seat cushion & the seat in front. No so important, as if the seat itself is a deep one, the pitch distance can be decent, even if the legroom is a couple of inches.

Airline seat pitch is actually from the back of one seat to the same point on the seat in front (or behind) and doesn't take into account cushion thickness. So a 32" seat pitch with a nice modern thin cushion will give you a fair bit more room than a 32" pitch with a thickly padded old fashioned type.

[ChrisB]

Eh? how can seat cushion thickness effect the distance between (front of) seat back and (rear of) seat back?

[chrisr_75]

Eh? how can seat cushion thickness effect the distance between (front of) seat back and (rear of) seat back?

Because it is measured from the same fixed point on each seat, therefore a thicker seat cushion takes up more of the space between those fixed points...seat pitch ignores how thick the padding is on the seats, at least on airlines. What I'm saying is that the padding (and supporting structure) thickness does not affect seat pitch, but does affect available legroom.

[ChrisB]

yes, that's what I was intimating too

[thetrout]

You get more leg room on an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) in Standard Class than you do on some Southeastern and Southern Class 375/Class 377 First Class seating...

Also First Class in most Class 375 and Class 377s have identical seats to those in Standard Class. Either different colours, 2+2 instead of 2+3 and/or a headrest colour.

I also agree, the size and padding of a seat can affect the legroom significantly. Just look at the 2 different seating styles on our Class 158s for example. Some seats are designed with the journey time in mind. However the seating on Class 150/1s is not at all appropriate for the GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains) (Gloucester) - WEY (Weymouth) trains which are well in excess of 2 hours journey time. A shorter journey of say Westbury - Bristol Temple Meads such seating may be appropriate. But alot of the trains on FGW Soil are not adequate for the journeys the offer.

Class 150/1 and Class 150/2 for Holiday Makers to Weymouth and Newquay are ridiculous when you look at the amount of suitcases that are brought onboard.