Unidentifiable train seats for sale online - What train are they from?

[GWVillager]

I’m not sure if this is better in the Memorablia/books area, but seen as this might be of relevance to rolling stock, I decided to put it here. Feel free to move it.

I saw this tweet (https://x.com/Off_The_RailsUK/status/2092528684301242734) which shows a pair of what look to be Fainsa ‘ironing board’ seats for sale on eBay. My question is - what on Earth are these from?

My first thoughts were the Northern demonstrator seats when they were specifying the Civities, but they look a thinner fabric than moquette and the colour is wrong. I’m assuming they were from a demonstrator refurbishment of something, as happened to a lot of stock in the mid 2010s, but which one exactly? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

[SuperLuke2334]

I’m not sure if this is better in the Memorablia/books area, but seen as this might be of relevance to rolling stock, I decided to put it here. Feel free to move it.

I saw this tweet (https://x.com/Off_The_RailsUK/status/2092528684301242734) which shows a pair of what look to be Fainsa ‘ironing board’ seats for sale on eBay. My question is - what on Earth are these from?

My first thoughts were the Northern demonstrator seats when they were specifying the Civities, but they look a thinner fabric than moquette and the colour is wrong. I’m assuming they were from a demonstrator refurbishment of something, as happened to a lot of stock in the mid 2010s, but which one exactly? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

View attachment 210407

Could it be Heathrow Express? Looks fairly similar but not totally sure!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Doesn't look like HEx. It's a different colour and the HEx refurb used the thicker cushions.

View of Heathrow Express seats, from https://londonmymind.com/heathrow-express-review/

I don't recognise the colour at all, could well be example demonstrator seats which were just salvaged from a skip or something.

 

[GWVillager]

Could it be Heathrow Express? Looks fairly similar but not totally sure!

Definitely not Heathrow Express - those seats have a much tougher fabric, ridges, leather headrests and armrest spacing.

 

[ainsworth74]

They remind me of Thameslink seats with the lack of armrests and no seat back tables but they're the wrong colour. Was there a Class 700 demonstrator?

 

[GWVillager]

They remind me of Thameslink seats with the lack of armrests and no seat back tables but they're the wrong colour. Was there a Class 700 demonstrator?

There was a mock-up, but its seats looked less like these than the production sets’, in my opinion. They were a slightly richer blue and still had that fleck effect.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The colour scheme looks a bit "Barbie" era FirstGroup, but I don't think it's exactly the same. I'm sure I've seen it on a bus though. It might just be a generic moquette that is supplied to small bus companies who lack a specific requirement, hence potentially them being demonstrator seats.

 

[Darandio]

Look like bus seats to me.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Look like bus seats to me.

The actual seats are Fainsa-Compin "ironing boards' which were never used on buses (probably not certified for that use), but the moquette definitely looks like one I've seen on a bus before.

 

[GWVillager]

The colour scheme looks a bit "Barbie" era FirstGroup, but I don't think it's exactly the same. I'm sure I've seen it on a bus though. It might just be a generic moquette that is supplied to small bus companies who lack a specific requirement, hence potentially them being demonstrator seats.

Yes, it’s similar, but not the same, as one of the two First Barbie moquettes. I can’t say I’ve ever seen this exact one on a bus, though. It reminds me more of the SWR cloth in a different colour.

 

[sh24]

They moquette looks a bit EMR-ish to me.

 

[185143]

They aren't from a 230 are they?

 

[Towers]

£200 seems incredibly cheap for two sets of brand new train seats! Folk wanted more than that when well used ex HST seats were being flogged all over the place!

 

[ainsworth74]

£200 seems incredibly cheap for two sets of brand new train seats! Folk wanted more than that when well used ex HST seats were being flogged all over the place!

Sure but the HST has more of an emotional attachment which drives up the price. Versus some random seats which don't look very comfy and we can't even work out what train they're from!

 

[Bletchleyite]

They aren't from a 230 are they?

Doubt it, I don't think 230s use the Fainsa Compin seat, they use a similarly shaped one from a different manufacturer.

 

[py_megapixel]

It might just be a generic moquette that is supplied to small bus companies who lack a specific requirement

That seems plausible - in which case is it possible this Ebay seller has got the frames from somewhere and had them upholstered with a generic design?

 

[GWVillager]

That seems plausible - in which case is it possible this Ebay seller has got the frames from somewhere and had them upholstered with a generic design?

It’s possible, but I doubt it. The seller would have to be an extremely skilled upholsterer to do such a tidy job of it.

The colour scheme looks a bit "Barbie" era FirstGroup, but I don't think it's exactly the same. I'm sure I've seen it on a bus though. It might just be a generic moquette that is supplied to small bus companies who lack a specific requirement, hence potentially them being demonstrator seats.

On this again, are there any photos of the bus moquette? I can’t find nor think of any.

 

[DanNCL]

What moquette did the 144e have? Wondering if these seats might be from that.

 

[GWVillager]

What moquette did the 144e have? Wondering if these seats might be from that.

I thought of that - they’re not from it. The 144e had much darker moquette with white patterns, as well as armrests.

 

[Peter0124]

They look like electrostar seats