Windows on train bathrooms - Yes or No?

[32475]

On old stock years ago before the introduction of retention tanks you would see a sign in the toilet cubicle saying ‘Do not use the WC while the train is standing in a station’ (or some such wording). Therefore if the train wasn’t moving you needed a frosted window with a clear peep hole to see if the train was stopped at a signal in the middle of nowhere or actually at a station. That way you could work out if it was safe to flush or not. It was an unspeakable crime to leave a pile of poo and Izal toilet paper on the tracks for the commuting public to see!
Nowadays a window isn’t essential but natural light from a window is so much more pleasant than artificial light plus a window makes the space feel larger and less cramped.

 

[Giugiaro]

Good morning everyone.

I'm sharing the results from the poll on three different locations. Thank you for your help!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Interesting consistency.

One question: what are GT&IC and SSC_PT please?

 

[Sorcerer]

It seems my initial idea of some people not being comfortable with train windows in toilets due to a sense of reduced privacy was wrong. I imagine there probably will be some out there who feel that way, but 81% either saying yes to windows or that they didn’t care means that they would very much conclusively be in the minority.

 

[Giugiaro]

One question: what are GT&IC and SSC_PT please?

GT&IC stands for Global Transit and Infrastructure Central (Discord Server).
SSC_PT stands for the Skyscraper City Forum (Portuguese section).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

GT&IC stands for Global Transit and Infrastructure Central (Discord Server).
SSC_PT stands for the Skyscraper City Forum (Portuguese section).

Thank you.

 

[maniacmartin]

Natural light is nice but for me, the main benefit of a window that opens a little is ventilation to stop smells building up. I guess a big vent could have a similar benefit. I remember old train toilets didn’t really have such a bad smell but were always freezing cold in winter!

PS the term I’ve heard most often in the USA lately for public toilets is “washroom”. Maybe it depends where in the US you go.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Thanks, I thought that the use of 'bathroom' for toilet originated in the U.S. It's just very odd; we have a lot of words for a lavatory in this country and only one word for a room with a bath in.

Having a bath isn't an activity that one needs to euphemise (insert your joke of choice about a rival city where bathing is said to be a less popular activity ), but the activities one performs on the toilet are.

To be honest calling it a bathroom or washroom is one of the few Americanisms I'm in favour of. Saying "toilet" or "lavatory" in front of complete strangers feels gross to me. Perhaps the happy medium is to adopt the Australian slang and officially refer to toilets on trains as "the dunny".

 

[Giugiaro]

Italians often (usually) refer to a toilet as 'bagno' (literally 'bath[room]') so maybe it's a Southern European thing.

In Portugal, we refer to both the toilet room and the bathroom as "bath house" (casa de banho) or "bath room" (quarto de banho).

We never refer to the bathroom, even if it doesn't have a bathtub or a shower, as a "toilet". That term is only reserved for the throne.

With signage though, we universally use "WC" for Water Closet.