Carriage Design
Good interior design of train carriages should be a mix of form and function.
The railway carriage developed out of the stagecoach in the 1830's when there was only one class of travel, but due to the demand for segregation, first, second and third classes were developed. First and second classes were enclosed with first class having upholstered seats. Third class passengers were only provided with benches in open wagons. Luggage was carried on the roof, and the guard sat on the roof on the end of the coach. (Salmon, 2005)
Classes
Interiors
Ergonomics
Since passenger trains began, there have be classes - a segregation between those who can afford luxury and those who can't. Even now, in what we know as an equal society, trains have a first class carriage with more space allocated per person and a higher level of service. The images below show the difference in class on a Virgin Train:
Fig. 100: Standard Class
Fig. 101: First Class
There are some passengers who would like to have wider seats on trains to make them more comfortable.
The design of seats and their layout is widely recognised as ergonomics in which dimensions are taken of the people expected to use the seat. Ergonomists will also look into other characteristics of who will be using the seats, how long they are expected to be in the seat, what they may be doing and how the seating relates to the other facilities in the carriage. How all these may change with time must also be considered. (Bellamy, 2011)
When all the factors and constraints have been taken into consideration, recommendations can be made to design a carriage that is fit for purpose to meet the needs of the passengers, the train operators and the relevant legislation. (Bellamy, 2011)
These diagrams show the seating and sleeping arrangements of the Shatabdi Express, an Indian sleeper train:
The diagrams show segregation between first and second class similar to the commuter trains found in the UK. First class has more space, less sleepers per room, and chairs rather than benches to ensure comfort and privacy.
The sketches show how train carriage design has changed over time.
In the 1930's the windows and carriage exterior was ornate and intricate in comparison to todays utilitarian design. The seating layout used to be spacious and luxurious, whereas nowadays the layout is antisocial and functional to ensure maximum capacity within the carriage. It seems that priorities have changed over the years and what was once an experience is now just a means of transportation.
Fig. 102: Shatabdi Express (Trainweb, 2014)
The locomotive has shaped and parted nations, tamed wildernesses and built empires. On the inside, passenger accommodation ranges from the tasteless and the tasteful to opulent to opulent luxury and designer minimalism. (Lovegrove, p.7)
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Luxury train travel was discovered in the late nineteenth century when George Mortimer Pullman conceived the 'hotel on wheels'. The rather basic sleeping cars that he had whilst travelling led him to experiment with train carriage interior design. He was confident that rail travellers were prepared to pay for extra comfort, and therefore he planned the construction of an entirely new vehicle. (Lovegrove, p.26)
Critics dismissed the result as extravagant, while moralists joined the outburst against such exotic, hedonistic ideas. It was deemed impractical and regarded as too large and heavy and consequently uneconomical. Skeptics underestimated the travelling public's readiness to pay more for luxury.
But, against everyone's judgment, demand for Pullman's sleepers, parlour cars and diners over the next 15 years boomed.
As style and fashion changed, so did locomotive design taking influences from Bauhaus and graphic designer Otto Kulur. Interiors became more sleek and functional combining innovative design with new technologies to increase investment. The streamlining of the train body resulted in a less flamboyant, commercial design and were viewed by Kulur as 'badly conceived in their outline and their shrouding and covering' and that 'the inherent beauty and the personality of the steam locomotive was lost'. (Lovegrove, p.57)
Identity, design and culture depicted through the materials used, service provided and passenger experience has created the nostalgic, romantic definition of rail travel we have today.
Service
In the early years of train travel in Britain, before the arrival of on-board catering, the passenger either packed a picnic hamper or made use of the numerous station restaurants.
Culinary globalisaton contributed to the demand for a selection of food to be supplied on trains, however initially the Victorians' attitude to eating in public was one of modesty, and most passengers preferred to retire to their own compartments to eat. This resistance to the concept of the on-board dinner began to change after the success of a multi-class diner introduced by the Great Eastern Railway. (Lovegrove, p.86)
Pullman's formula for on-board customer care focused on attention to detail and manuals were issued to staff to ensure consistency of excellence.
Today, an offer of luxury service is still available on trains such as the Orient Express. On-board food, although a secondary consideration to personal comfort and arriving on time, is an increasingly important cog in the marketing machine. (Lovegrove, p.104)
Fig. 99
Fig. 103
Fig. 104