Seating on a train - which do you prefer.

[whole diary]

[Richard Fairhurst]

It depends on the train. On an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) I’ll generally try for a non-table window seat. But if it’s a Voyager and I’ve got a laptop, it’s a table or nothing - where “nothing” might mean sitting on the floor in the vestibule. One of the reasons I try and avoid CrossCountry wherever possible!

[grahame]

If we're in rose-tinted-spectacles mode, give me the seat behind the driver where you could see through the glass out the front of the train, and learn the route and how to drive a train too.  

[1st fan]

For GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)

On an HST^▸ (High Speed Train):
In 1st It could be any seat with a table: a single (24 - buffet car only), double (1 and 6) or a four seat.
In Standard coach A (73) first choice otherwise it was pretty much a free for all.

On a 165/Thames Turbo*:
In 1st any seat as they were equally comfortable but preferred rear facing seats.
In Standard any seat so long as someone wasn’t sitting next to me.

On a class 8xx with my cushion:

In 1st it’s a large table or if very busy seat (59) in the kitchen carriage which has a larger table from memory.
In Standard again a table is preferred but if busy anything with a window will do.

*I’d still rather have the 1st seats out of a Thames Turbo than the seats on a class 8xx.

[PhilWakely]

Back in 1978, myself and a university friend joined a weekend excursion from Euston to Inverness - travelling up on the Friday night and back in the early hours of Sunday. We were allocated seats in a Mark 1 compartment of 8. Ever tried sleeping in a full compartment? Not a hope!

[Surrey 455]

I prefer an airline seat. My legs have more space. Sitting opposite other people, I often have to fold my legs underneath my seat.

[Hafren]

I find airlines are best for the leg space. Not so much for the legs themselves as for space to place a bag with them. Doesn't work too well on a 153 though. I wonder if TfW's Active Travel upgrade will do anything about that!

[eightonedee]

Having been negative in my previous post in this thread, here are my criteria on contemporary trains (assuming travelling standard class)-

1 - Any zone or coach that is 4 not 5-across seating where there is a choice.
2 - A window seat, preferably forward facing and by a window that aligns with the seat rather than a pillar.
3 - If travelling with someone else - in a group of 4 facing seats, otherwise "aircraft style" fine.
4 - It eating, a table (which can be a folding one if travelling aircraft style - those on the last refurbishment of GW^▸ (Great Western) HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), GW Electrostars and XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Voyagers are all fine) - also useful if working, BUT as I often was reviewing documents that needed to be treated as confidential before I retired, a table between a group of 4 was no help. I think I mastered the art of working discreetly on documents on a train, but was sometimes mildly horrified at fellow passengers who would nonchalantly open their laptops on tables allowing any nosey fellow passenger to peek at what they were reading or typing.
5 - If travelling on a Turbo with a down-graded first-class zone at one end - use that area. The first class seats on Turbos were the opposite end of the comfort spectrum to the standard class ones. In the absence of such seats, then the groups of 4 around tables in class 166s used to be next best. It was a shame that most of the tables were removed and much of these were sacrificed when disabled loos and wheelchair areas (with no fold up seats for use when not used for wheelchairs - a serious omission as well) were provided. Also on Turbos - avoid the area around the loos.

[Marlburian]

All my journeys in the past three years have been very local and I have aimed for a seat away from other people because of Covid. If going into Reading from Tilehurst or vice versa I don't mind standing, though off peak the trains are all but empty.

When I did long-distance journeys, I would aim for a seat with a good view out of the window, not that I would peer out of it all the time. From 1999 to 2005 I travelled to Torquay once a month or so by several routes (and even welcomed the odd diversion such as when I went via Warminster) and was happy to see again some of the scenery from my cycling days.

I try to avoid facing non-table seats because of my dislike of passengers putting their feet up on them.

[grahame]

I find airlines are best for the leg space. Not so much for the legs themselves as for space to place a bag with them. Doesn't work too well on a 153 though. I wonder if TfW's Active Travel upgrade will do anything about that!

From Facebook as the caption to a picture:

Lots of passengers with their luggage boarding the 1649 Cardiff-Manchester train on 23rd February 2023. The journey should have been provided with a Class 67 loco hauled train with Mk4 carriages but had to travel on a two car train consisting of diesel railcars 153926+153369 designed for short trips on lightly loaded rural lines. The guard dreaded the prospect of having one of them on Saturday (Wales v England). At least this train completed its 4 hour plus journey pretty well on time, in contrast to a couple of other journeys earlier in the week which were terminated at Crewe or Wilmslow! TfW are getting smart new Class 197 DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s soon (assembled at the CAF factory in Newport in fact) - none too soon.