The Pendolini and the Voyagers were the only two types of stock where every seat doesn't line up with a window. Apparently. It must be true because I've read it so many times on here...
What I find amusing with the 390s is how the general hate for them seems to be changing now that people are faced with IEP - in the way that the beloved Mk3s were once "modern tat" but became much loved.
It's called nostalgia. It's a strange sentiment.
I was shocked at how many people ventured out in the early hours of the morning to see the Pendolino on the ECML. Ironic isn't it. Pendolino's up and down the WCML all day but move them just next door to the ECML and people flock from miles around to see one. Weird.
I have no problem with the tilt mechanism on a Pendolino.
I have no problem with the seating alignments on a Pendolino.
I have no problem with the seat density on a Pendolino.
I have no problem with the window size on a Pendolino.
I have no problem with the smaller body shell size of a Pendolino.
In fact, I have with no problems with the Pendolino, at all.
I genuinely believe that most people who curse the Pendolino are just nit-picking purely because we live in a free country, they're on a public forum and their human rights enable them to complain. Do these people really believe, in all honesty to the holy lord god, that when the consortium of Virgin, Alstom and Bombardier sat together at the drawing board they said "lets build a train as despising, uncomfortable and inconvenient as possible ". No, you're right, they didn't. Get over it.
I have the same opinion in regards to Voyagers, they're fine apart from one thing - the length. They should of been constructed to at least as six or seven carriages long from build. I'm Glad that MML opted for a variation of up to nine carriages for the Meridian project.