The Mid Sodor Railway owned at least twenty-six coaches before the railway closed down.[1] No less than eight of the bogie coaches have been rescued and restored at Crovan's Gate Works.[2]
Cora and one of the Saloon Coaches were former carriages of the Mid Sodor Railway, which were later rescued, restored and repainted by the Skarloey Railway. Gertrude and Millicent were also built on the chassis of two former Mid Sodor Railway bogie coaches.
Notable Coaches
The following Coaches have their own separate pages:
Mid Sodor Railway Coaches
The Mid Sodor Railway had several bogie coaches.
Technical Details
Basis
The coaches illustrated in The Railway Series are based on the bogie coaches from the Ffestiniog Railway's Victorian era; specifically the Pioneer Bogie Carriages, "Bowsiders" and Ashbury Bogie Carriages.
Livery
The coaches are painted dark blue.
Appearances
The Railway Series
- The Little Old Engine - Home at Last (mentioned)
- Duke the Lost Engine - Bulldog and You Can't Win
Companion Volumes
- 1976 - Famous Engines
- 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
Trivia
- In the fifth illustration of You Can't Win, a brake coach is illustrated with a sleeping face.
Curly Roofed Van
The Curly Roofed Van was a passenger brake van on the Mid Sodor Railway.
Technical Details
Basis
This van is based on the original Vans 1 and 3 from the Ffestiniog Railway, familiarly known as the "Curly Roofed Vans" by enthusiasts. The original Van 1 was scrapped in 1921, while Van 3 followed in 1955 due to its poor condition. Though both original vans were scrapped, a replica of Van 1 has since been built at Boston Lodge in 2004 and currently runs on the preserved Ffestiniog Railway.
Livery
Like the regular Mid Sodor Railway Coaches, the Curly Roofed Van is painted dark blue.
Appearances
Bogie Observation Coaches
The Bogie Observation Coaches were used for Stuart and Falcon's boat trains.
History
The coaches were built at Arlesdale Works especially for the boat train services. When passenger traffic on the Mid Sodor Railway ceased in 1936, all of these coaches were sold on to keep the company's head above water.[2]
Technical Details
Basis
The coaches are not known to have been based on any particular coaches, however bear a notable likeness to the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway's observation-end coaches. Wilbert Awdry's models of them are made from cut-down Mike's Models OO9 bogie coach kits.
Livery
These coaches were painted light blue. They had yellow lettering with the numbers "1" and "2" beneath their windows, indicating first and second class seating.
Appearances
The Railway Series
- Four Little Engines - Sir Handel (indirectly mentioned)
- The Little Old Engine - Home at Last (mentioned)
Companion Volumes
- 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
Parliamentary Coaches
The Parliamentary Coaches were a pair of third class coaches used for the Parliamentary on the OO9 scale Mid Sodor layout. They were usually pulled by Albert.
Technical Details
Basis
These coaches are based on the Talyllyn Railway's coaches Nos. 1, 2 and 3, built by Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd. between 1866-67. Agnes, Ruth and Jemima share the same basis.
Unlike their basis, both Parliamentary coaches lack buffers - in accordance with the rest of the Mid Sodor Railway's stock - and have vents on their roofs.
Livery
The Parliamentary Coaches were painted light blue. They had gold lettering with the company's initials, M S, on the sides.
One coach had the red lettering with the numbers "1" (two compartments) and "3" (one compartment) on each door, indicating first and third class seating. The second coach, meanwhile, had yellow lettering with the number "3" on each door, indicating it has fully third class seating.
Bug Boxes
The Bug Boxes were small, low-slung coaches on the Mid Sodor Railway. These were sometimes used by Tim on workmen's trains. They were purchased second-hand from the Ffestiniog Railway.[3]
Technical Details
Basis
These coaches are based on the Ffestiniog Railway's Small Birmingham coaches, also known as "Bug Boxes" due to their diminutive size. The coaches were built by Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd. of Birmingham between 1864 and 1867 and were the earliest form of passenger-carrying vehicles on the Ffestiniog Railway.
Livery
The Bug Boxes were painted light blue. They had red lettering with the company's initials, M S, on the sides.
Zillertalbahn Brake Coach
The Zillertalbahn Brake Coach was a four-wheeled coach used on the OO9 scale Mid Sodor layout.
Technical Details
Basis
This coach is based on a Zillertalbahn four-wheeled coach with added lookout duckets. Wilbert Awdry's model was made from a Liliput model of one of these coaches. Coaches of this type can be seen on the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway in Wales.
Livery
This coach was painted light blue with brown window frames and black balconies. It had gold lettering with the company's initials, M S, on the sides on a red background. It also had gold lettering with the number "3" on the passenger end, indicating third class seating.
Mk1 Parliamentary Coaches
The Mk1 Parliamentary Coaches were a pair of third class coaches used for the Parliamentary on the first version of the OO9 scale Mid Sodor layout. They were usually pulled by Albert.
Technical Details
Basis
As written in Wilbert Awdry's notes for the Mk1 version of the Mid Sodor layout, these coaches were a pair of Egger-Bahn four-wheel coaches, each cut down by one compartment to fit on a Lone Star wagon chassis. The coaches used were the P43 Second/Third Class Coach (dark blue) and P44 Luggage/Passenger Coach (green) respectively.[4]
Livery
The full third coach was painted dark blue with gold window frames and a grey roof, while the brake coach was painted green with white window frames and a grey roof.
Mk1 Boat Train Coaches
The Mk1 Boat Train Coaches were a set of three four-wheeled coaches used for John and Jennings' boat trains on the first version of the OO9 scale Mid Sodor layout. They were later replaced by the bogie observation coaches.
Technical Details
Basis
These coaches are not known to have been based on any particular coaches. Wilbert Awdry's models of them are made from a Tri-ang TT gauge suburban brake composite coach, cut into three sections and heavily modified. Each runs on a Triang TT gauge wagon chassis, with each axle regauged to OO9.
Livery
These coaches were painted light blue.
Refreshment Coach
| This article is about the Mid Sodor Railway coach. You may be looking for the Skarloey Railway coach. |
The Refreshment Coach was a special coach for serving food and drinks used by the Mid Sodor Railway. It was attached at Arlesburgh Harbour to the last 'up' working (Arlesburgh to Peel Godred) of the day, hauled by Duke. When the train reached Arlesdale, the coach would be taken off the train to save weight on the climb up the Mountain Road.[3]
Technical Details
Livery
It is likely that - as per the rest of the Mid Sodor Railway's coaches - the refreshment coach was painted light blue.
Trivia
- Despite being mentioned in the transcript of the Mid Sodor layout, no model of the refreshment coach was ever built because it was never intended to be used on the section of the railway that the layout represents.
Other Coaches
In Thomas & Friends, the Mid Sodor Railway shared the same coaches as the Skarloey Railway.
Coaches in the Television Series:
In the 2001 annual story The Good Old Days, the Picnic consisted of three orange-brown coaches with dark grey roofs. In the 2000 magazine story A Special Story About Duke, the Picnic consisted of three olive coaches with yellow-window surrounds, black fronts and roofs.
References
| Locomotives | Duke | Stanley | Falcon | Stuart | Albert | Jim | Tim | The Mine Engine | Alfred* | Gerry* | John* | Jennings* | Atlas* |
|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | Cora | Mid Sodor Railway Coaches | Saloon Coaches |
| Trains | The Picnic | The Parliamentary | The Horse and Cart |
| People | The Mid Sodor Railway Manager |
| Stations | Arlesburgh Harbour | Arlesburgh Bridge Street | Ffarquhar Road | Marthwaite | Arlesdale Green | Arlesdale | Cas-ny-Hawin | Ulfstead Road | Ballamoddey | King Orry's Bridge |