About 25 years ago, when I was nobbut a whippersnapper, my Dad took me on a day out on, I think, a one off promotional 'Network Day' where you could travel the whole of Network South East for a day for a tenner or something.
Anyway we got to Marylebone to take the train to Banbury. One of these old DMUs (I can't tell you class numbers because I don't have a clue) was in the sidings ready to make our train. The platform was pretty busy, with a group of what you could call 'bigger' boys, evidently on a Network Day out too, quite excited and jostling around us wanting the front seat for the drivers eye view. Dad (and me by extension) wanted it too!
My Dad stood me very precsiely at a point on the platform and said "stay right here, and the front door will stop right in front of you, and then you can get on first and we'll get the front seat. I'll make sure these lads don't".
So the train draws in, and before it has come to a stop people naturally start moving towards the doors, which are, naturally, still moving towards us. The general drift of people was back towards the bufferstops, and my Dad subtely encouraged these lads to drift by making a show of moving around them and looking like he knew where the door would stop. The lads followed him, I stayed where I was, the train stopped with the front door right in front of me, I get on and bag the front seat to much gnashing of teeth from 5 unhappy young spotters! Then we had a drivers eye view for the whole 2hour(ish) jurney to Banbury. Bizarely the only thing I can remember about the whole journey was seeing the abandoned flyover at what I susbsequently found out used to be Ashendon Jn.
Even now when I get on trains, I wonder at what part of human nature it is that causes people to drift gently in the direction a train is moving, sometimes by a whole coach length, before it comes to a stand.