Passenger Seat Lock Initiative

Many classes of electric and diesel multiple units use a two cushion seating arrangement (squab and backrest) mounted on a seat shell. The backrest is held in place by the seat squab which in turn is held down by a very simple spring arrangement.

Its fair to say that in most cases this arrangement is now inoperative, leaving the squab and backrest loose and prone to vandalism, such as the depositing of undesirable objects left for maintenance staff to find, and the removal of the cushions altogether. More importantly however is the resulting hazard to passengers of sliding forward due to the momentum of the train during acceleration and deceleration.

Pickersgill-Kaye have addressed this problem and developed a more robust retention system predominantly made from stainless steel. The retention system rigidly locates the backrest which is then retained by the squab. The complete assembly is then retained by a spring loaded budget lock located under the front of the seat shell. The budget lock is easily accessible and designed to be released with a BR carriage key.

Prototype manufacture of this new system has now been completed and discussions are ongoing with various Train Operators regarding field trials.

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