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Background Information
The Railway Series
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:
Add a photo to this galleryRear 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.
Television Series
Cora was not introduced in Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Her role in the television adaption of Home at Last was omitted. However, 4-wheeled narrow gauge vans and brake vans sharing the same basis their first appearance in the fourth series. These vans resemble Cora, minus her guard's compartment.
While all the narrow gauge coaches and vans in the Railway Series were female, any instance of the coaches in the television series being referred to in gender-specific pronouns were removed and omitted. This could have been a result of sexism allegations centred around the fact that the engines were almost invariably male, while the coaches were always female which surfaced in the 1980s. This could be the reason why Cora never appeared in the television series.
Behind the Scenes
Awdry's model
The Reverend Wilbert Awdry built OO9 scale model of Cora. Her model is now on display at the Narrow Gauge Museum in Tywyn, Wales, UK located near the Talyllyn Railway along with the other Skarloey Railway engines and rolling stock[1].
A model of a grey van resembling Cora was featured on Awdry's Mid Sodor Railway layout. It was formerly on display at Reverend Teddy Boston's Cadeby Light Railway. It is possible this van is a representation of how Cora appeared on the Mid Sodor[2].
References
