Recent content by RAGNARØKR

Such a long list of complaints, and it is not just a problem in Britain. It seems that each generation of new trains is worse than those they replaced. This has been the case to some extent since the end of the 1950s. It doesn't just apply to trains. I would suggest that there is something...

A survey would mean you had offered some alternative. If your acquaintances had been used to some other types of trains then an equiry about their preferences would have been meaningful. If a Pendolino is compared with, say, a Boeing 737 then it looks light and spacious. Judged as a train, it is...

They will probably acquire "art" even before the trains start running. 1639577727 Unless a survey has been done, nobody can possibly know what people's preferences are. Nor can anyone estimate the effect of having more comfortable trains. Rooms with very small windows are routinely provided in...

I was answering your hypothetical question in response #151. Articulated vehicles seem to be about 16 metres long eg the centre cars in the Danish IC3 3-car sets.

A vehicle with bogies spaced 25 metres apart, or a 25 metre articulated vehicle, would have to be 2.3 metres wide between the bogies. You can check it out for yourself with the formula on the spreadsheet. A 20 metre vehicle with bogies spaced 14.17 metres apart can be 2.82 metres wide. A 23...

Evidence, based on preferences between two alternatives? The cabin space is small, the seating layout is cluttered, the windows are small and lot of the bodyside length is not glazed. Even tube trains let in more light from the outside than a Pendolino; after the City and South London Railway's...

2.3 metres wide!

Good points, about vehicle length and the use of door pocket spaces. Pocketed sliding doors are not a bad thing as long as the reduced width space inside is used sensibly. Longer vehicles need to be narrower. The attached spreadsheet file enables you to play with vehicle lengths, bogie spacing...

They can, but are normally next to the doorways, where they lead to delays as people block the gangways when taking their luggage off the shelves. They also mess up the seating layout. In the case of the 800 series, the main spaces are between the doorways and the vehicle ends, in the part of...

The Swedes are much more reserved than the English. People in Scotland don't seem to be at all reserved. I noticed that once when the train stopped. Yakety-yak all over the carriage. The dedicated racks are near the doors where owners cannot watched their property. Stuff can and does get...

That means no luggage spaces between seat backs. According to a Swedish study, preference for facing bays is about 2/3rds. Airline seats are not what are wanted when passengers are travelling in groups of more than two, and not much good if you prefer to face someone you are trying to talk to.

The optimum dimension for seating bays is between 1.85 and 1.95 metres; otherwise the seats end up being cramped, or misaligned. The class 180 has a 1.90 m seating bay dimension. Mark 1 is 1.93 m, Mark 2 is 1.95 m, Mark 3 is 2.1 m. Electrostars etc are 1.8 metres which is a bit on the tight side...

Given the ongoing problems with Hitachi I am a little surprised that any more orders are forthcoming until the cause is definitively tracked down and remedied. If the bodyshells are the same dimensions as the 800 series we can look forward to more misaligned seating. There is no excuse for this...

Push-pull loco-hauled operation avoids the need for run-round at terminals. Class 365 sets might be be suitable candidates as they have 2+2 seating.