Forward or Backwards

Just a curious poll:

Do you prefer to ride facing forward (direction of train movement) or backward (oposite of train movement) {had to put those discriptions in to avoid smart remarks }

Me I prefer to ride face forward because I like being able to see something we are approaching down the tracks and know it is coming so I can be preapred to see it next to us.

either way I face Im fine with it! As long as I'm on a train. I like going forward though.

Long Train Runnin said:

either way I face Im fine with it! As long as I'm on a train. I like going forward though.

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Ditto

I prefer riding forward, although I hear that it's safer to ride facing backward. If you're involved in a train wreck, your head won't fly forward. The force will push you towards the seat instead.

Just put me on a train! I'll even ride side ways! (Hey, that's the same as I drive! )

Like the others, just put me on a train! Unlike the others, though, I STRONGLY prefer riding forward. When I must ride backward, I find myself craning my neck so I can see forward--not terribly comfortable! Like the OP, I like to see what's coming so I can be prepared to see it when it comes.

I much prefer riding facing forward. Although, it is not for the reason others mentioned, it keeps me from getting motion sick!

savoirfaire said:

I much prefer riding facing forward. Although, it is not for the reason others mentioned, it keeps me from getting motion sick!

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Same here.

I'm always surprised when I get a sigh or funny look from dining car staff when I make the request -- as if they'd prefer that I vomit onto my seating partners!

Murjax said:

I prefer riding forward, although I hear that it's safer to ride facing backward. If you're involved in a train wreck, your head won't fly forward. The force will push you towards the seat instead.

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Doesn't this depend on the nature of the wreck?

If your car rolls to the side, it likely won't matter. And, if the train is rammed from the rear, you might be better off in the forward-facing seat.

savoirfaire said:

I much prefer riding facing forward. Although, it is not for the reason others mentioned, it keeps me from getting motion sick!

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Ginger is a sure-fire cure for motion sickness. You can buy capsules of powdered ginger in the supplements aisle at your drug store; that's what I do. Take a couple with each meal and you will be fine.

I'm not making this up. And if you don't believe me, "Mythbusters" did a segment on cures for motion sickness, and ginger was the only one that kept the subjects (Adam and Grant) from vomiting.

I'd go with forward, and a window in front of me, if you catch my drift.

ScottC4746 said:

Me I prefer to ride face forward because I like being able to see something we are approaching down the tracks and know it is coming so I can be preapred to see it next to us.

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Me too, and for the same reason.

sechs said:

If your car rolls to the side, it likely won't matter. And, if the train is rammed from the rear, you might be better off in the forward-facing seat.

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I don't think so. A moving train is always traveling forward, and that forward momentum will decrease (stop), regardless of the cause of the accident. And the most violent accidents are head-on.

I strongly prefer to ride facing forward on all modes of transportation. I don't mind facing backwards if the situation calls for it.

This conversation made me think about the first time I rode on one of those loop-the-loop roller coasters many years ago. The coaster accelerated very quickly down a slope and then into a loop. It leveled off, paused for a few seconds and then it was the same thing in reverse. Of course, you could see the loop coming up and all of sudden you were facing the sky and then the ground. Going in reverse was much different. You knew the loop was coming but you find yourself relying upon your sense of orientation before your sense of sight in "processing" the motion of the coaster. Of course, I also knew where I was in the loop by how tightly my girlfriend was squeezing my arm

I prefer facing forwards because it is the direction of travel, but trains are one form of transportation where sitting backwards is really not bad at all.

Murjax said:

I prefer riding forward, although I hear that it's safer to ride facing backward. If you're involved in a train wreck, your head won't fly forward. The force will push you towards the seat instead.

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However if you read reports from major crashes most of the time the seat doesn't stay bolted to the floor and piles up at the end of the car so you could still loose either way. Granted it would be a nasty crash to have the seats do that.

I usually prefer forward. However, it doesn't matter to me.

I always prefer facing forward. I get an upset stomach if I face backwards for a long period of time.

Another part to this question is if you are a traveling couple, who gets to choose which seat?

The determining factor with my wife and me is where the 110v socket is; I sit on that side so I can have power to all the paraphernalia I pack along. She doesn't mind which way she sits, so it works out for us.

PetalumaLoco said:

Another part to this question is if you are a traveling couple, who gets to choose which seat?
The determining factor with my wife and me is where the 110v socket is; I sit on that side so I can have power to all the paraphernalia I pack along. She doesn't mind which way she sits, so it works out for us.

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But if you use a surge protector (which you should ) with a 4 or 6 foot cord, why would it matter? :huh:

the_traveler said:

PetalumaLoco said:

Another part to this question is if you are a traveling couple, who gets to choose which seat?
The determining factor with my wife and me is where the 110v socket is; I sit on that side so I can have power to all the paraphernalia I pack along. She doesn't mind which way she sits, so it works out for us.

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But if you use a surge protector (which you should ) with a 4 or 6 foot cord, why would it matter? :huh:

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I do use one. I just don't want to bother her with it.

the_traveler said:

But if you use a surge protector (which you should ) with a 4 or 6 foot cord, why would it matter? :huh:

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The only reason to use a surge protector on the train is to turn one outlet into many. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you have a surge protector, an outlet strip, an extension cord, or plug in directly.

Backwards is nice for me because it sometimes works better for the camera...

I was thinking forward. I have no idea about taking better pictures, but just seems I would be more ready to click the button if I saw it coming. Now if I had ridden the same route more than once I might know when to be watching for that great photo opt.

ScottC4746 said:

Just a curious pollo you prefer to ride facing forward (direction of train movement) or backward (oposite of train movement) {had to put those discriptions in to avoid smart remarks }

Me I prefer to ride face forward because I like being able to see something we are approaching down the tracks and know it is coming so I can be preapred to see it next to us.

Click to expand...

I set my paperwork down so that I can work facing the majority of my passengers, and since we're a push-pull trainset that means I'm facing rearward out of LAUPT, forward on the way to LAUPT. Generally when at the desks, my back is to the locomotive.

As mentioned in another thread, I'm somewhat familiar with the territory on which I run, and about 14 minutes out of LAX when headed toward San Diego, I hold on, waiting for the lurch and ker-thunk! that signals we're at Eastern.

Travel light!

~BJG