Comments on: Europe by Train

By: Michael Jennings

Michael Jennings — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 20:44:49 +0000

That’s an interesting point: I don’t think I have ever ridden on a British train with a walkover seat, although I had never thought about this until just now. They are very common in Australia.

By: Patrick Crozier

Patrick Crozier — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 03:28:19 +0000

Actually, having all seats facing forwards is not as impractical as it sounds – they do it in Japan (guess, you knew I’d say that). Each double seat pivots. I couldn’t believe it when I heard of it and still had difficulty when I saw it in action. What happens when the train gets to the terminus is the cleaning staff just switch every seat round. It’s fantastic to watch.

Of course, you need the seats to be spaced some distance apart. So, it couldn’t possibly happen here.

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:39:02 +0000

Walkover seats sound like the seats in the 1930s Blackpool trams. These aren’t needed most of the time, since the Blackpool tram route has a return loop at each end, and at some intermediate locations where trams regularly reverse.

The rotating seats still doesn’t sound like a terribly practical idea; it would still require staff and extend turnround times to turn all the seats round.

I think European riders have had 150+ years to get used to half the seats facing each way; the extra costs of rotating seats wouldn’t gain enough extra riders to make the worthwhile.

By: Stephen Karlson

Stephen Karlson — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 16:38:00 +0000

A walkover seat has a seat back with cushions on both sides. It has pivots where the seat back joins the seat bottom. It can be flipped to face in either direction. Metra’s commuter train coaches, including the latest deliveries, all have them. Thus Chicagoland commuters can ride facing forward in either direction (even though the locomotives are all on the down end of the trains) or form groups of seats into facing pairs (great for families or for card-players.)

Long-distance coaches tend to have pivoting seats, simply depress the pedal on the floor and give them a spin. (You have to start turning them from one end of the car to obtain pivoting room.) On some commuter rail properties, the older cars with this feature now run with half the seats facing in each direction so as to reduce wear on the mechanisms, many of which are old and out of production.

The walkover seats would be no less comfortable than the seating provided on many of the DMUs favored by Central Trains. More on Central Trains to come at my site …

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 12:37:56 +0000

No. What’s a walkover seat?

By: Stephen Karlson

Stephen Karlson — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 01:51:54 +0000

Tim, thanks for the link. Ever hear of the walkover seat?