Second Open or Standard Open (coded SO) is a British
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
designation for open-saloon second class (later standard class) coaches with 2+1 abreast seating, usually seating 48 passengers. Second class coaches with more conventional 2+2 abreast seating were designated
Tourist Standard Open (TSO) seating 64 passengers.
There were a number of variations. The majority (95) were built using the same body shell as the
Mark 1
Mark 1 is the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It recounts the proclamation of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus Christ, his temptations and the beginning of his ministry in Galilee.
Text ...
SK and TSO. When production started, these were classified as third class. There were also 15 "true" second-class coaches, also known as "Boat Seconds" as they were used on
boat train
A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__
Notable named boat train ...
s for continental destinations (European mainland railways still had three classes). These rare vehicles had an interior layout to almost first-class standards with 2+1 seating (total 48 seats) and a central door without vestibule.
When the European railways agreed in 1956 to abolish third class, British Railways simply reclassified third-class vehicles as second class except for the special "Boat Seconds" which after some deliberation were finally reclassified as first class carriages in 1959. There was also a one-off experimental 39-seat SO built by BRCW as part of the Mark 1 new prototype scheme. In 1965 the new Mark 2 designs incorporated a small run of just 28 Mark 2a SO carriages.
Image:Interior of Mk2 SO.jpg, Interior detail of a Mk2a SO.
See also
*
Open coach
An open coach is a railway passenger coach that does not have compartments or other divisions within it and in which the train seats are arranged in one or more open plan areas with a centre aisle. The first open coaches appeared in the first ha ...
References
British Rail coaching stock
{{UK-rail-transport-stub