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{{Infobox crimson and cream maroon carriage

|years1 = 1984 1982

|years2 = 1991-93|events2 = Heavy overhaul

}}4550 E4550 is a '''BR Mk Mark 1 Tourist Second Open ''' (TSO), commonly referred to as an 'Open Second', and later re-named as '''Tourist Standard Open''' when BR rebranded Second class as Standard class during the 1980s. The ‘Open Second’ designation "Tourist" referred to the use of 2+2 seating either side of a central aisle, as opposed to the 'ordinary' Standard Open (SO) which had 3 seats 64 passengers at tablesacross, arranged 2+1 with an offset aisle. In practice the TSO was BR's default Open Second design with three cross-vestibules to enable speedier loading relatively few Mark 1 SOs being built, mainly for use as Second/Third class restaurant cars.<ref group="note">The TSO designation remained in use for Mark 3A and unloading of passengersMark 4 Open Standard carriages, although no 'ordinary' SO coaches were constructed after the Mark 2a in the mid 1960s.</ref>

The 'Open Second' includes 8 'bays', each with two tables seating 4 people, giving a total capacity of 64. One end of the coach has a larger cross-vestibule than the other in order to incorporate two toilets, with the external doors at that end being inset from the end of the coach to accommodate these. A third cross-vestibule was included midway down the coach to enable speedier loading and unloading of passengers. ==4550 in serviceService==4545 4550 was built at York in 1957 to diagram number 93 (AC204), lot number 30243. It went into service on the North Eastern Region in March 1957. Carriages in that region initially shared the Eastern Region E prefix, receiving their own "NE" prefix during the 1960s, where it remained apart from a brief allocation before reverting to the Northeast region "E" prefix when the North Eastern and Eastern Regions were amalgamated in 1968. E4550 became NE4550 between September 1967 and January 1968.<ref name=Longworth>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2013)]] ppp.9,57.</ref> It was eventually withdrawn from service in 1982 at Heaton, Newcastle.<ref>SVR Stock Book 9th edition</ref>.

4550 arrived During 1982-83 the SVR acquired six TSOs in anticipation of the extra traffic which would be generated by the [[Kidderminster]] extension.<ref>SVR News 66</ref><ref group="note">The other TSOs were 4509 and 4690 in 1982, and 4545, 4584 (no longer resident) and 4399 in 1983.</ref>. E4550 was the third of the six, arriving on the SVR from Heaton on 6 December 1982. It was a replacement for another TSO, E4305, which had been acquired from Yarmouth but then damaged at Toton while en route to the SVR. All six TSOs were in December 1984working order and needed only minimal attention before entering service, still carrying their BR blue and grey livery.<ref name=SVR102>SVR News 102</ref> Three of the TSOs including E4550 were all repainted into [[Carriages#Set_M|BR maroon livery]] during September 1985. All were finished in the late 1960s version of that livery with red ends and gutters and cream end doors, although they did not immediately receive the BR 'cycling lion' badge, the C&W Department having run out of the transfers at the time.<ref>SVR News 2378</ref> It  In autumn 1986 E4550, [[BR 3103 First Open|3103]] and [[Carriages formerly resident on the SVR|4584]] all underwent minor repairs after they "…''decided to lay a 2-year heavy overhaul track of their own during shunting at Bridgnorth ''".<ref>SVR News 81</ref>. By autumn 1988 E4550 had a number of holes in 1995its wooden doors, with another medium level repair at Kidderminster in 2003gaining it the nickname "the Nottingham Lace TSO". The seat covers were renewed It was also in 2001 using need of re-upholstering and required a moquette pattern originally produced for set of tables, its own tables having been re-distributed among the standard Network South East interiorother five TSO's to replace their missing originals.<ref>Notice in the carriageSVR News 89</ref>.

The photograph shows 4550 in service in March 2015 as part of ===Heavy overhaul 1991-93===By the BR Maroon set. It was moved into early 1990s all the Kidderminster Carriage Works for attention TSOs had seen regular heavy use and were in September 2016 in what turned out to be a major repair to one similar need of the toilet floors, to doors attention. After [[BR 4509 Tourist Standard Open|4509]] and paintwork[[BR 4399 Tourist Standard Open|4399]] underwent their own repairs, which E4550 was completed eventually withdrawn from traffic in February 2017late 1991 for a heavy overhaul at Bridgnorth. <ref>SVR News 101</ref>

All windows were re-bedded and the panels below replaced where necessary. Internally, all 64 seats were reupholstered and the frames re-varnished. The ceiling was re-painted in gloss white, while the luggage racks were stripped and cleaned. A replacement set of tables was assembled from a collection rounded up from various scrapyards over the years. As these did not have legs, new legs were made using mahogany off-cuts donated by a local double-glazing works and finished with new leather-cloth covers in blue to match the upholstery.<ref>SVR News 103</ref> Tell-tale rust holes in identical positions to those on 4399 suggested that structural work would be required at both ends of the carriage. The south end required 'extensive amputation' followed by major repairs to the main pillars and sheeting, a substantial patch on the roof and replacement of the entire vestibule floor, including new 6x2" timber framework. The north end also required some large new sections. The damaged wooden external doors were replaced using aluminium doors recovered from various scrapyards including CF Booths at Rotherham.<ref>SVR News 103</ref> By Christmas 1992, all the welding on the west side was complete, including the end sheeting and replacement door edges. During 1993 work continued on the east side. The overhaul was completed in September 1993, including repainting in late 1960s maroon livery. After a visit to [[Carriage Repair Works|Kidderminster mechanical workshops]] for a check-up and new batteries, E4550 was temporarily marshalled into the [[Carriages#Set_C|crimson and cream set]] in time for that year's [[Christmas services|Christmas duties]], before returning to the maroon set in the following spring.<ref>SVR News 109, 110</ref><ref group="note"> A notice in the carriage giving its history states that it "…had a 2 year long heavy rebuild at Bridgnorth by volunteers in 1995". The dates given in this article from contemporary SVR News reports suggests that notice is incorrect.</ref> During 1997 SVR news reported that "''Other public entertainments recently have been re-glazing broken windows during run-rounds, due to the high number of breakages at [[Foley Park]] this year. The record stands at 55 minutes to change a droplight on 4550 ; it should have taken an hour, but the train was 5 minutes late arriving!''"<ref>SVR News 125</ref> In autumn 2000 E4550 was stabled at [[Highley]] while the seats were re-covered by two of the volunteers. The new seat covers used a moquette pattern originally produced for the standard Network South East interior. The work being completed in time for a return to service at Easter 2001.<ref>SVR News 136</ref>  ===2003 medium repair===Although still in reasonable mechanical condition following the 1990s heavy overhaul, E4550 entered Kidderminster paint shop for a 'medium repair' in 2003. Three windows were removed to allow welding to areas affected by rust, while four days of cutting, welding and bending on one of the roof eaves was required to cure a 'miniscule leak on a lavatory cistern vent'. A broken communication cord had been caused by water becoming trapped in a channel above one door, needing another three days of fabrication work. All the doors were thoroughly overhauled. The carriage's paintwork had never been stripped until that time, with successive layers applied over the original 1956 primer which had become very brittle. The repair therefore included a complete strip of the sides and ends to bare metal before repainting. The chassis floor support rails, which had also not been repainted since 1956, were wire brushed before repainting. The total time taken was thirteen weeks.<ref>SVR News 144, 147</ref>  After returning to service, E4550 was lightly used as much of the rest of [[Carriages#Set_M|Set M]] was in need of attention. However during 2004 it was used on a diesel driving course, where it unfortunately suffered flats due to wheel skidding. The entire coach was sent by road to Toton for tyre turning on their ground-level lathe, this option being considered cheaper than lifting the coach off its bogies and removing the wheelsets.<ref>SVR News 149</ref>  ===2016-17 repair===The photograph above shows E4550 in service in March 2015 as part of the BR Maroon set. E4550 was moved into the Kidderminster Carriage Works for attention in September 2016, including repairs to the door locks and a repaint, before a planned return to service for that year's Santa trains. However it turned into a more major repair after a cleaner's broom went through a toilet wall. Investigation revealed that the bottom foot of the wall, the vestibule floor, toilet floor and most of the six-inch by two-inch joists were all scrap. The repair work, including a complete repaint, was eventually completed in February 2017.<ref>SVR News 197, 199</ref> E4550 is owned by [[The 75069 Fund]].

[[Category: Carriage Type TSO]] [[Category:Featured articles]]