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Background Information
Cora is a fictional narrow gauge tool van created by the Rev. W. Awdry. She belongs to the Skarloey Railway but was originally owned by the Mid Sodor Railway.
She first appeared in The Railway Series book, The Little Old Engine, which was published in 1959. Her last appearance was in The Railway Series: Surprise Packet published in 1972.
Front of Cora:
Rear of Cora:
Cora is based on a brake van from the Corris Railway that now runs on the Talyllyn Railway.
With permission from Christopher Awdry, Cora was featured in the Corris Railway's newsletter, known as the "Corris-Pondent". Cora is depicted as a brake van who worked on the Corris Railway but moved to the Talyllyn Railway.
Behind the Scenes
Awdry's models
Wilbert Awdry had two OO9 scale models of Cora: one in Skarloey Railway condition, and one in Mid Sodor Railway condition.
Her Skarloey Railway model was modified from an Egger-Bahn 2201/2202 box van. Changes made to the model include the addition of a window at each end and a chimney added to the top of the roof. This model is now on display at the Talyllyn Railway's Narrow Gauge Museum in Tywyn, Wales along with the other Skarloey Railway engines and rolling stock.
Cora's Mid Sodor Railway model, meanwhile, was made from a cut-down Triang TT scale T175 Meat Van, heavily modified to closely resemble the Corris Railway brake van preserved on the TR. This model was originally used as the brake van for Duke's train, the Picnic, on the Mk2 version of Awdry's Mid Sodor layout. The model is currently under the care of the Awdry family.
