Cornwall Railway Society
  • LATEST INPUT , NEWS & OLD PICTURES ETC.
  • INDOOR & OUTDOOR MEETINGS PROGRAMME
  • Submit your photos and news
  • CORNWALL RAILWAY SOCIETY GENERAL INFORMATION CONTACTS & WEBMASTERS MEMBERSHIP FORM ETC.
  • Railtour Calendar
  • CORNWALL GALLERIES
  • DEVON GALLERIES
  • North & East of TAUNTON & HONITON
  • ​Extracts from the diary of a lifetime enthusiast - Michael L. Roach
  • Features - 2025 Part 1
  • Features - 2024 Part 2
  • Features - 2024 Part 1
  • Cornwall Resignalling Programme 2024
  • FEATURES, MAIN INDEX & OUTDOOR EVENTS REPORTS.
  • Military and Industrial Tramways & Light Railways
  • Pleasure Tramways & Light Railways
  • RAILTOURS, AERIAL VIEWS ,MISCELLANEOUS
  • Railtours 2022 to July 2023
  • Railtours August 2023 onwards
  • CORNISH RAILWAYS WAR DIARY
  • LOCAL YOUTUBE
  • Historical Outdoor Events INDEX
  • ARCHITECTURE
  • INDEX TO ARTICLES WRITTEN BY COLIN BURGES
  • ARTICLES SECTION.
  • ENGINEERING PLANT DIARY
  • News reports Jan to Aug 2012
  • Links
  • MAPS, PHOTOS, AERIAL VIEWS
  • Official Documents available to the General Public
  • Public notices and posters collection

9th November 2019

9/11/2019

 
Exeter St Davids
Ron Kosys

Picture
1070 Western Gauntlet arrives at platform 2 at Exeter St Davids with the down Cornish Riviera Express on the 18th July 1971. Copyright Ron Kosys.
Tribute to 
Charles Fennamore

Edward Hooper, Mike Roach & Trevor Tremethick
An additional note from Mike Roach.  You might mention in the tribute that Charles lived on the outskirts of St Agnes for many years while he worked at boxes like Roskear, Penzance and others in Cornwall.
Picture
Charles enjoys a mug of tea between trains at Combe Junction Signal Box. Copyright the Charles Fennamore Estate.
Picture
Yeovil Junction. Shows Charles aged 23 in typical pose watching and observing everything that going on dressed in his normal style and complete with duffle bag. 23rd November 1963. Copyright Mike Roach
Picture
Longdown - Copyright Charles Fennamore Estate.
Charles sadly passed away a year ago on 09 Nov 2018, a day after his 78th birthday.

Above is one of his photos of Longdown on the Teign valley Line. I would be grateful if you could share it on 9th November.

Charles would have been the first to admit that it wouldn't win any prizes, but his memories of the line make for interesting reading:

"A lovely line, and easy on our pockets, because you could get a day return Ply to Exeter, and they'd let you come back via the Teign Valley. I went on the last train, which was a very sad occasion......the 55XX labouring away up to Longdown with 5 or 6 coaches. On our first trip, it was a 14XX plus 2 car auto, with the loco in the rear, and the driver in the front vestibule left his door open so that we could see the line ahead. Longdown a very spooky place between the tunnels, and crowded in by the woods.....never any passengers, but staffed by a porter signalman. When I worked on the Relief at Newton Abbot, a colleague was Dave Bright, who had worked at Longdown occasionally. He used to travel on his motor-bike from Paignton, and often did a late followed by an early, and slept in the booking office. One night he was phoned by the Exeter supervisor who told him that an escapee was believed to be in the area, and could be walking the line. Dave said that was the end of his doss....he got on his motor bike and legged it off home."

With best regards, Ed Hooper Nephew of CBF
Thank you Edward for sharing these memories of Charles with us and also including his irreplaceable photographs.

Picture
14.51 stands at Christow with an Exeter bound service while a Prarie brings in a train bound for Heathfield and Newton Abbot. Copyright Charles Fennamore Estate.
Picture
1451 again, this time at ide Halt near Exeter. There don't seem to many passengers as the guard awaits time to give the right away. (Or maybe he was waiting for fellow railwayman Charles to rejoin the train after taking his picture. Who knows? Copyright the Charles Fennamore Estate.
Picture
And finally one of Charles pulling the levers at Totnes. This picture courtesy of Totnes Image Bank. Copyright.
Unfortunately I never met Charles but did from time to time correspond with him, he was always most helpful and informative. I know that he was a keen cyclist and kept to his bike exploring long lost lines right up until  recently. His knowledge of railways in general and signalling in particular was well known, he was and still is sadly missed.  KJ

A Postscript received from Trevor Tremethick half an hour ago is well worth a mention.
Many thanks Trevor.

Good morning gentlemen
I have just read the piece on Charles Fennamore and thought I would send my own few words.
Charles visited me a couple of times for a get-together with one of my neighbours who had been a Princetown girl and knew the old line from Yelverton well. I had been in touch with a gentleman who had been a fireman on that branch and so we had plenty to talk about.
Charles' knowledge was immense and, to top it all, he would bring a delicious cake that he had baked himself. So, his talents were not just confined to railway matters!
Much missed.
Best wishes to all
Trevor Tremethick


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011