Safest Seats On A Plane?

 View from a Singapore Airlines plane window. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

You can sit by the window for a view and photos. But you can ask the window seat passenger to take a photo for you. 

You can sit in an aisle seat to get into your seat fast on boarding, and out fast on departure. And out to the toilet easily during the flight.  And no disturbance from anybody else wanting to get out to the toilet. 

But which is the safest seat? Most experts, as well as passengers commenting, say sit at the back. They argue,  humorously or seriously, planes don't back into mountains. 

The rich sit in the front. Or take private planes and small planes which crash more. They also take off in bad weather. They are risk takers.

Serious and Sad Answers

Most planes from high have no survivors. You would lose consciousness before you had time to brace. The plane which splits in two gives you no better chance at the back. At the back you would be doused in gasoline.

Humorous Answers

Sit on the black box. Sit on the wing. Sit in the airport lounge. Sit at home. You could avoid travel and take a boat, so long as no planes fly into your boat. The worst seat is next to a two year old. If a plane crashes the safest place is not in it Nor underneath it.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11718755/Seat-seat-scientists-reveal-risk-dying-airplane-crashes.html#comments

York Railway Museum, UK, WWI hospital trains and the first class railway journey there

 

UK flag

York is known for its city walls, its grand cathedral, The Shambles shopping alleys, Yorvik Viking centre and the Railway Museum. My family has just returned from a trip from London to York by train, staying overnight.

The morning train from London arrives at York's historic station, which features in photos and on jigsaw puzzles. My family met up with friends under the clock which hangs overhead on the upper level of the concourse. 

The afternoon was spent walking along the city walls, whilst the sun was out. The weather was a bit chilly in September, but it was a sunny day. 

Next day, exhausted by the walk outdoors, my husband went indoors to the railway museum. It is next door to the railway station, built around a large turntable on the ground which used to turn the trains. (The Roundhouse in London in Camden was similarly a railway building.)

At weekends you could have tea in a railway carriage in the Railway museum. The museum is free. The set tea costs 25.50.

Here's the answer to the question, what was the speed? 126 mph.

Railway Museum. You can't miss it. Photo from Wikipedia. More details of the photo there. Under York Rialway Museum.

Here is the turntable in the middle of the ground floor.

He indulged in paying an extra fiver for the experience of the Mallard train breaking the speed record for a steam train - a record still unbroken. You sit in what feels like the Mallard watching a recording. 

Exhilarating. "Worth it!" says my husband. He's a biker, motorbikes. He likes that sort of thing. Sensation of speed. 

His other favourite train to board was the WWI hospital train. Trains were travelling wards. Reserved for those well enough to survive the journey because of physical injury. Those with mental problems were put into padded cells on the train. The nurses did triage - dividing soldiers into those beyond hope, those with minor injuries, and the core who were badly injured, but could be saved if given sufficient quick treatment and long term care. Or short term care to be sent back to the front. 

The train(s?) had only 2 nurses for 500 people. The nurses were tough, career nurses who chose to do jobs in the heart of the action. It was their vocation. The staff had their own sleeping quarters.

The trains had been planned in 1912, and could be built in 18 days. Trevor said, "The Railway Museum is worth visiting just for this."

Trevor, being a Singapore Permanent Resident, also liked the Chinese train. It was required to have strong pulling power to go up slopes, uphill, but also to be light. The solution was several large wheels to spread the load.

Other sections of the museum are decade by decade. You learn a lot of history. Trains were nationalized before WW2 to co-ordinate transport. In those days railways were essential for moving troops and civilians. They had fewer private cars. Railway staff had special badges to give them status, designated to do useful and essential work for the war effort, so that members of the public would not berate them for being cowards who were able bodied but not fighting at the front. 

Other exhibits include lanterns from the royal train. Much more is in store. No room to display it all at once.

Useful Websites

https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/visit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Railway_Museum

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer, blogger and author. She is a member of several Toastmasters clubs, Harrovian Speakers in the UK, two advanced clubs in Singapore, Braddell Heights Advanced and Tampines Changkat Advanced, and an online club, Singapore Online Dynamic.  Clubs have websites and Facebook pages as well as being on Toastmasters International find a club.

More photos and text will be added tomorrow. Come back for more. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Airlines Want To Charge More - Would You Pay?

Window seat. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

Problem
Airlines are considering 'dynamic pricing', meaning they charge you more for tickets based on your income and lifestyle, rather than whether they want to fill the plane.

Answer
Plane seating is already divided into Economy, Business and First class.

People in business have budgets. That's how they stay in business and don't go bust.

Ryan Air runs a business which charges you less.

If you go to India on business and the Indian company is paying your fare, they book the ticket and hotel because otherwise you are charged more as a foreigner and the locals would end up footing a bigger bill.

If you are given a rise at work, you think you have more money. Then prices double and tax doubles so you are gaining nothing.

If you are rich, it will end up being cheaper to buy your own plane.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Cycling in Wales, Welsh signs, Welsh trains, cycling and fly-biking worldwide

Great Western, First Class carriage

Welsh cakes on train. £1.50 for two cakes in packet. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
I had never thought of cycling in Wales. It looks too hilly.

Answers
On the other hand, you get:
lots of exercise
great views from the top,
recover on the easy way down.

Bikes on Trains
Can you take bikes on trains? Yes and no. Arriva trains' website says they can take only two bikes on every train (not much good for a family of four, or group of four friends, fine for a twosome - providing somebody else hasn't booked their bike in first. You must make a booking to be sure of getting a space.

They suggest you make a booking for your bike, which is free. Do that at least 24 hours in advance.

Some days there are only one or two trains a day on some routes if you are making a connection using two trains on a long journey.  Even on a summer Sunday on the Great Western line from Paddington in London to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea in Wales in July 2017, I had only one train after 9 a.m. You also cannot take your bicycle on an Arriva train in peak hours.

Train Tickets
You may hear the announcements that you can upgrade your seat to first class on Great Western. One lady I know chose to do this. She said that the First Class ticket upgrade on one section cost less than £5 and included a voucher for tea or coffee and biscuits from the counter between the first class and the next carriage. You have to allow time to run all the way along the platform to first when boarding. Alternatively, have a backpack or small luggage to walk all the way along the train through the narrow aisle from the other end of the train.

Cycling Worldwide
You can hire cycles in cities in other countries, too. For example: London, England; Bucharest, capital of Romania. You might want to fly-bike, rather than fly-drive.

Luggage / baggage
On a long trip, or going to a special occasion such as a wedding, you might want more luggage at a destination. You can go on a group holiday which has a van to take everybody's luggage to the overnight stop.

For transporting luggage when you are travelling independently, see next post.

Tips
Cycling
http://www.cyclingwales.co.uk/welsh.html
https://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Bicycles/

Luggage
This company's website says that sending luggage can be cheaper than paying airline excess baggage charges.
https://luggagemule.co.uk/
Here are some more websites:
https://www.sendmybag.com/
If you prefer a company whose name you recognize:
https://www.pickfords.co.uk/baggage-ppc/luggage-shipping-service

Story
I've been so long on Welsh websites and writing Welsh words that the automatic spell check suggests that my name should start LLAN!

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Teacher of English and other languages.

Food on the train from England to Wales: bara brith

You can find out in advance whether your train will have a trolley or a buffet car. Some tickets say any route.  But if you have a reserved seat this may complicate the situation. If you have documentation confirming passenger assistance, you may have to specify whether you are in a wheelchair or simply need help transporting luggage.

I received literature specifying where I was receiving assistance and the train times and seats reserved On the back was the explanation of symbols showing whether each train had a trolley or buffet service. As I was travelling with two suitcases on wheels, a bag and an umbrella, I knew  that once I was seated I was unlikely to want to walk along the carriages, either without my luggage, or dragging it all behind me.

If you have a reserved seat far into the carriage, but have to leave one of your suitcases in the luggage area by the exit doors, you may want to keep any valuables such as a computer in your shoulder bag or a bag small enough to keep with you. You might also want to lock your luggage. Alternatively to leave an old phone or out of date laptop inside it with 'find my phone' operating, in the hope that if you luggage goes missing, you can see where it is.

I can't say it helped me. When my shoulder bag went missing from over my shoulder as I got off a bus in Singapore, my phone simply registered phone turned off. So neither the phone nor the bag it was in could be located.

As a result I am not keen on trusting my bag out of my sight. Not sure the insurance covers it anyway. I did know that I would not be keen to change carriages leaving a bag behind.

If you switch routes, you may find the food service on your train is different. On some trains passengers are allowed to buy food from an area within the first class carriage even though they are travelling in a different class.

The food may be provided for the first class passengers in their ticket price but cost extra if you are in another class. If you expect to drink a lot of coffee, it could be cheaper or better value for you to pay for an upgrade to first class on a certain section of the route, and get free coffee, rather than travelling second class and paying for several coffees (or other food and drink, depending on price and route.

You are likely to hear an announcement after you have boarded the train telling you the cost of upgrading for different sections of the route.

Bara Brith
On a train I took to Wales, the buffet trolley included bara brith. I looked this up on the internet and found it was Welsh fruit cake. I enjoy the opportunity taste local food. The journey becomes part of the adventure, before you reach your destination.

Bara brith can be not merely a fruit cake (in a square shape so known as a fruit loaf). It is known as speckled or mottled bread. The speckling comes from the currants or raisins I suppose. It can be made with candied peel as well, and enriched with tea, orange or lemon juice, honey or other ingredients. Check the packet before or after buying to see what you are getting. An English fruit cake is eaten on its own. The Welsh fruit cake is traditionally eaten with butter, Welsh butter.

http://www.visitwales.com/explore/traditions-history/recipes/bara-brith
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bara_brith_33441
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bara_brith
Angela Lansbury, travel writer.