West Highland window / seat positions

[endecotp]

0822 dep. Glasgow this Thursday, towards Mallaig.

Looking at the seat selector on Trainsplit, it doesn’t show the window positions.

Does anyone know where the windows are on whatever class 15X this will be? I don’t want to be sat in one of those awful “wall” seats!

 

[Bletchleyite]

It'll be a 156 (assuming it isn't the active travel 153). There's a seating plan for the original layout here:

156 - Interior Layout

super sprinter

dysgraphyk.madasafish.com

...though I don't know if the layout has been changed substantially for the refurb. I don't *think* it has, I seem to recall the vehicle ends were changed slightly to add priority seats but the layout of the table seats (F and B for face and back) is about the same. I think.

Note that it reverses at Fort William.

 

[endecotp]

Thanks. Looking a bit closer at the image I posted it seems confused about the A/B/F codes. Looking at the top row it should surely be 13F not 13A, and 17A not 17F, based on the orientation of the seat symbols.

Hmm, it seems to let me reserve in any of the 6 carriages - though 2 must be going to Oban.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is possible some of them have been changed to airline to accommodate priority rows. Certainly Northern's 158s, while mostly in the original layout, have created priority seats by changing some table seats to airline.

If you book table seats the tables are mostly aligned (though not all of them). Might be worth searching for interior pictures of 156s online as a guide?

I'd ignore the orientations shown on Trainsplit, they aren't always correct (e.g. for TPE they are always wrong). The A, F or B should be correct though.

I'm fairly sure the partition (formerly separating smoking and non) in the middle of the coach on the pic I linked to is immovable, so the two table bays either side of that should be aligned if you're OK with a table. Or just take your chances on the day, I can't see a Thursday early morning being that busy.

From looking at Realtime Trains the front 2 appear to go to Oban, though I don't know what the coach lettering is!

 

[endecotp]

Yes front two to Oban. So you think I should trust the A/B/F in the seat code more than the symbol?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes front two to Oban. So you think I should trust the A/B/F in the seat code more than the symbol?

Yes, definitely I'd trust the A/B/F more than the direction it is shown in on the Trainsplit plan.

 

[endecotp]

Ugh, this makes no sense at all. Note the “direction of travel” indication on the screenshot, at the right hand side. Then look at 17B and 17F. Surely they face each other across a table, right? In that case, the train is travelling the other way! So how much do I trust the “direction of travel” compared with the A/B/F? Or do I not trust that 17B and 17F face across a table?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ugh, this makes no sense at all. Note the “direction of travel” indication on the screenshot, at the right hand side. Then look at 17B and 17F. Surely they face each other across a table, right? In that case, the train is travelling the other way! So how much do I trust the “direction of travel” compared with the A/B/F? Or do I not trust that 17B and 17F face across a table?

17B and 17F definitely face each other across a table. Which actual seat is which depends which way round the unit is - when you board the train you will just see four seats around a table, two of which are numbered 17 and two of which are numbered 18. Ignore the direction of travel shown, it is often wrong. This is the old BR style numbering which guarantees you get the direction you asked for regardless of whether the unit is the right way round or not - airlines could be either way.

Notably someone booking from FW or further on would get them the opposite way round - facing or back is based on when you board.

If you can't quite get your head round this, try looking at the plan I linked above to give you an idea.

 

[endecotp]

OK, I’m going to book 17F and 18F, in the hope that they are facing forward, on the left, at a table, and not next to a wall. (They are available for all 3 stages of the split-ticket journey; some of the other more obvious choices aren’t.) Wish me luck - I’ll report back!

 

[Bletchleyite]

OK, I’m going to book 17F and 18F, in the hope that they are facing forward, on the left, at a table, and not next to a wall. (They are available for all 3 stages of the split-ticket journey; some of the other more obvious choices aren’t.) Wish me luck - I’ll report back!

They could be either side of the train (as which way round it is isn't guaranteed, and they just flip to the opposite side of the table so they're still forward facing if it is reversed) but it does appear that whichever way round it is they will be window aligned, and they will definitely be forward facing as far as Fort William (where the train reverses) as they can't not be - that's how the old BR numbering works.

 

[_toommm_]

Even with how sparse the service is on the West Highland Line, you'll pretty much always find a pair of unreserved seats, and probably find a pair in the direction and on the side of your liking. I spent a few days up there late last August/early September after doing the WHW, and I got my seat of choice 90% of the time.

 

[endecotp]

They could be either side of the train

Yep. The “direction of travel” indiction on the diagram was wrong, so the seats turned out to be on the wrong side. We sat elsewhere.

It boils down to, there’s no point reserving specific seats - but the booking sites insist on you doing so, and I don’t want to make reservations that I won’t use that discourage others from using those seats on a train that will get pretty budy.

 

[cstewa38]

WHL 156 seat numbering and shows window positions too (From a FOI request to Scotrail). Avoid seats 39, 40, 43, 44, 47, 48 in the coach with the toilet; from experience these have the worst legroom on the train. The three rows at the inside end of each coach also don't have opening windows so can be stuffy on a warm day.

 

[endecotp]

Thanks - that could be useful next time!