Possibly a stupid question about train journey

[TellerTuesday]

At the weekend I went via train from York to Kings Cross.

Now I don't travel by train very often but I have given far too much headspace to this and I still don't understand at all so wondered if someone could enlighten me.

There were 3 of us travelling. On the outward journey person A sat travelling forwards and B & C (me) sat travelling backwards. We sat at a table on the right hand side of the carriage and saw various other trains on travelling in the opposite direction through the window on that side.

On the return journey we travelled in the same direction, same layout of seats and I just don't understand how that is possible.

You were going in the opposite direction, on the other tracks, so the trains passing you would still be travelling on your right

Don't understand which part?

Just think of it like a car and when you are driving. You are sitting on the right of the car watching cars come past you on the right. Do a u-turn and you are still sitting on the right with the cars passing by your window on the right.

Are you sure the train went In the same direction?

You were not travelling in the same direction.

You weren't travelling in the same direction. You were going the opposite way. You may have sat in the same seat configuration but you would have been on the other side of the train.

Trains may have been passing on what appeared to be the same side if there were several tracks - which is highly likely on a main route like York to KC

I know it sounds ridiculous, I understand the push-pull thing and that they can go in either direction. But we honestly sat the same way and travelled in the same direction. I just don't understand it.

Badly drawn diagram attached. This was the exact same situation on both journeys.

Diagram:

Flip your diagram over so it follows the ‘other trains’ (and see my post about the car analogy). On the way back you were the other train. On the way there you were going north to south on the up line and on the way back you travelled south to north on the down line.

You can’t have been going in the same direction on the way back as you’d hit France!

How do you cope on a motorway OP? It's the same point.

The central reservation and oncoming cars are ALWAYS to your right. In the UK anyway. Regardless of what direction you're going in?

When you get to King's Cross, that's it. That's as far as the train goes. There are no more southbound tracks. Trains have to go back the other way.

If they don't, there's going to be one hell of a mess.

Yes they were

This is what I mean.

Maybe I'm not explaining it very well though.

Of course I understand the motorway etc but in that case you are travelling in a different direction and we weren't. I would expect B & C to be travelling facing forwards on the return journey but we weren't, we were still backwards.

Imagine you’re on a motorway, then you have a roundabout and go all the way round and back the opposite direction. The driver is still sat facing forwards and opposing traffic is still on the right. It’s the same with the train.

@TellerTuesday

If you weren't going in the opposite direction how do you think you got home?

It's just the way the seats are configured.

On your outgoing journey, if you were facing forward, and you stayed on the train without getting off or moving seats, and the train started it's return journey, you would be having backwards

When I’m driving I always face forwards, am always driving on the left… it’s the same premise. Is it trains passing always on the same side that has foxed you? Because it can’t be the seating configuration or who was sitting forwards or backwards, because that’s obvious.

On first train did B & C have their backs to the direction of travel? And person A was facing the direction of travel?

On second train did b&c still have their backs to direction of travel? Was person A still facing direction of travel?

Then it's exactly like PP said.

Say person A is the "driver". They'd always face forwards - regardless of direction of travel.

B and C always sit opposite A. If A is always facing forward to "drive". B and C will always face backwards. Regardless of direction.

But you're clearly not traveling in the same direction? York to London is North to South. London to York is South the North.

If you always get into a carriage facing direction of travel and always sit on a table to your right and always have A forwards and B and C opposite A you'd always, always be in the same configuration.

Just like if A always drives a car and B snd C always sit in the back. Regardless of direction you're always in the same position.

Surely you must get it now OP after all the responses?

Are you assuming the train doesn’t turn round, because it’s on the tracks?

Do you mean you were sitting in the same seats but don't understand why you weren't going backwards? I would wonder this too as the trains don't turn around.

Came on to say this! There is no way you travelled both ways in the same direction! Unless you went via Ely. Which is a special case.

Nope, I honestly still can't get my head around it.

I obviously know that we didn't travel in the same direction geographically as we made it back to the other end of the country.

What I'm saying is that we didn't turn around and we had the same seats so why was I travelling backwards on both journeys.