Gresley Standard Coaches - what about the arm rest?

[gdb]

Newsome comments that, from circa 1932, new build Third Class carriages were provided with folding arm rests - I take that comment to mean that the seats were provided with arm-rests which could fold into the back of the seat. Generally, the use of folding arm rests would reduce the number of seats per side by one - hence if the compartment was meant to seat four-aside with arm rests folded into the seat then one would expect the seat to be provisioned with two folding arm rests. What was the situation with carriages build after this improvement in passenger comfort?

The comment makes specific reference to new-build - what would happen to Third Class carriages, built before 1932, when an overhaul included re-trimming of the uphostery? (I guess that the options are [a]no change to seating or provision of folding arm rests).

thank you, Graham Beare

[65447]

Harris, LNER Carriages, Atlantic p.32, when discussing seating notes that it was 3-a-side for 1st class compartments and 4-a-side for 3rd class from 1923 (There was also 3-a-side 2nd class on certain services). From 1930 some East Coast stock was 2-a-side 1st and 3-a-side 3rd, then 3-a-side 3rd class was introduced for selected services (unspecified) during 1932-34, and thereafter generally.

Older vehicles were converted to 3-a-side from 1936.

Apart from increased passenger comfort, fixed numbers of seats allowed seat reservations and train capacities to be determined in advance; when the maximum numbers of passengers/seat/compartment could be variable this clearly posed problems. These two factors probably explain why the East Coast vehicles were changed first, then selected services (that probably had all or mainly reserved accommodation), and finally general service stock.

Folding arm-rests permitted maximised seated passenger numbers when over-crowding was inevitable.