A Formula For Window Alignment?

[hwl]

Up to the very last Mk2 variants they all had 8 seating bays with 8 corresponding windows in standard class coaches but only 7 in first class, also aligned with the seating bays.




Since the 1980s full length bonded glazing with narrow pillars has been almost universal for road coaches. Of course road coaches are manufactured in a competitive market with buyers who also operate in a competitive market where the facilities and quality of the experience provided to their passengers is a very important selling point. Anyone who produced a road coach with window/seat spacing and alignment akin to many current rail designs would not be able to give the things away.

It is exactly the same as the reason modern train designs get away with being unpleasant spartan plastic tubes with nasty cheap seats, the least important criteria is the comfort of the people paying to use them.

Bonded Glazing takes a long time to replace when broken so train manufacturers have listened has gone back to quick to replace glazing.
The structural criteria for coaches are also much lower.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Bonded Glazing takes a long time to replace when broken so train manufacturers have listened has gone back to quick to replace glazing.
The structural criteria for coaches are also much lower.

Though it seemingly is possible to build trains with decent-sized windows - even the newer non-bonded Electrostars and Aventras have decent-sized ones.

There's also what Siemens have done on the 700 - just have very large windows, then there are fewer deadlights in the first place.

 

[AM9]

Though it seemingly is possible to build trains with decent-sized windows - even the newer non-bonded Electrostars and Aventras have decent-sized ones.

There's also what Siemens have done on the 700 - just have very large windows, then there are fewer deadlights in the first place.

Although the remaining deadlights need to be thicker.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Although the remaining deadlights need to be thicker.

True, but that does mean you potentially just have one row with no view rather than several.

To me it makes sense, though, to base it on the Standard class bay width as per Electrostars, Aventras and Class 350s (and not cram in the extra row that ruins it in places on the latter - remove I think 8 seats per unit and you'd have the lot fully aligned on a 350/1).

 

[AM9]

True, but that does mean you potentially just have one row with no view rather than several.

To me it makes sense, though, to base it on the Standard class bay width as per Electrostars, Aventras and Class 350s (and not cram in the extra row that ruins it in places on the latter - remove I think 8 seats per unit and you'd have the lot fully aligned on a 350/1).

Maybe, one day windows will strong enough to be part of the structure, as with car windscreens.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Maybe, one day windows will strong enough to be part of the structure, as with car windscreens.

Bonded ones are to a fair extent hence the very small pillars on Class 170s etc. The problem is that if one gets broken the unit is out of service for a day while the glue dries.

 

[hwl]

True, but that does mean you potentially just have one row with no view rather than several.

To me it makes sense, though, to base it on the Standard class bay width as per Electrostars, Aventras and Class 350s (and not cram in the extra row that ruins it in places on the latter - remove I think 8 seats per unit and you'd have the lot fully aligned on a 350/1).

I think users would prefer 8 extra seats per car over view issues.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think users would prefer 8 extra seats per car over view issues.

Not 8 seats per car, 8 seats per unit. I think. Might be 10, might be 6, but not all the centre sections have the extra row crammed in.

Where they have done it the legroom is very tight, too.

Actually TPE can help us out here:
https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travelling-with-us/onboard-facilities/seating-plan

...it's actually 10 seats per unit (assuming the LM 350/1 layout is the same as the TPE 350/4 one in the centre sections, I think it is).