Karl Friends of Penmere Introduction

[whole diary]

[Karl]

About Me

Hello

Now that I have a spare few minutes, I have eventually
managed to get around to producing an introductionary
messege.

My name as you have guesed is Karl, I work for a
voluntary group called "The Friends of Penmere".
We are a group who care for Penmere Platform, which
is station on the Falmouth branch in Cornwall.  The
group was formed in July 1993 and started active
work in September 1993.  Originally there were five
of us including myself, but sadly one of our members
Jeff Nichols passed away just leaving the four.  Over
the years we have had three or four others who
have lent a hand, but unfortunately it always seems
to be the four founder members that keep it going.
The group have spent many years of blood, sweat
and tears in sun and snow, clearing away in some
places 20 feet spears called brambles, then landscaping
it and planting to what you see today.  Plants genousily
donated by locals and garden centres/shops have helped us
along the way with odd few that were planted by the last
station master being rescued from chocking by weeds.  The
group has some prize specimens including a Cactus, now
how many railway stations have one?

Over the years the group have steadily tramsformed
it back to what a station should be, a safe, clean,
tidy environment with highly floral spectacular
gardens with friendly helpful voluntary station
masters that are there to help passengers with
their enquiries and deal with chavs!  Also the
group have help of Phil, who is one of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s
Environmental Team, which Penmere is on his
patch.

The groups has been entered for many awards,
from local "Britian In Bloom" to Community Rail
Awards run by "ACORP^▸ (Association of Community Rail Partnerships)".

This year we will continue to upgrade the station
with some more heavy duty bits, but I will keep them
a surprise for now!

History of Penmere Platform

Penmere Platform was built in 1924 by the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for
Silie Cox who owned Famouth Docks, but it didn't
open offically until 1st July 1925.  Looking at old
photos and what remains of the original bits and
bobs, Penmere was built a bit on the cheap, but
served its purpose well to transport dock workers
from their homes to their employ; a job it still
does today.  It only ever had one platform compaired
with other stations along the line, but it did boast a
main wooden station building with toilets, waiting
room and a parcels dept.  There was a regular station
master and wife team, Penmere also had its own bee hive
and we have been told that the station masters wife
sold the honey in the booking office!  As train
crew and our regulars will notice there was once
another track, this was a loop controlled by Penmere East
and West ground frame's (either end of the station).
As you pull out heading towards Falmouth, on the right you
can just make out some old GWR spear top fencing, this was
where four sidings were built in 1940 for the war effort.
Oil was piped up from Swanvale oil depot to the sidings,
then it was taken by rail to its destination mainly the
docks.  This ceased to operate on 16th November 1967.
As mentioned some bits and clues remain of this, the best
being the bridge at the Falmouth end.  When coming down
Penmere Hill its an old traditional stone bridge, but the
other side is very different being cast section added for
the later sidings.  A twist to this tale is when the group
were diging next to where the cycle racks are situated, we
hit something very matilic, after futher digging out came
in one piece the original GWR "Penmere West Ground Frame"
sign, which I'm in the process of restoring.

In the 1960's steam was replaced by DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s and the pay
train was adopted by BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) and c1969 the buildings were
demolised.  Then in 1993 we came along and have gradually
undone what should never of happened.  And the rest is
really history!

Regards

Karl.  

[Conner]

Penmere is in my area and having travelled or passed there many times, I must say it is a really well kept and well presented station.

[Graz]

Very well done Karl and others down at The Friends of Penmere. I'll go down and take a look sometime on a trip to Falmouth if only there were more people like you around.

[Tinminer]

At the risk of sounding slightly patronising, you and your Group are a true credit to both the town of Falmouth and the Maritime Line - well done Karl!
The station is by far the best maintained on the line, and probably the best kept (with St. Erth and Calstock?) in Cornwall.
It will become busier next year when the 2tph gets off the ground (Penryn Loop), making the line more 'user friendly'.

Slightly off topic, the history of the Swanpool oil depot is interesting - check out Google Earth and you can still see the circles in the soil. The Depot was bombed by the Nazis, and there was a 'river of fire' stretching down towards the sea after a German bomb got a direct hit.

[gaf71]

[quote author=Tinminer link=topic=2518.msg18986#msg18986 date=1208779865
The station is by far the best maintained on the line, and probably the best kept (with St. Erth and Calstock?) in Cornwall.

[/quote]
Think you mean St Erth and Bere Ferrers?

[Tinminer]

[quote author=Tinminer link=topic=2518.msg18986#msg18986 date=1208779865
The station is by far the best maintained on the line, and probably the best kept (with St. Erth and Calstock?) in Cornwall.

Think you mean St Erth and Bere Ferrers?

Er, no!
Bere Ferrers (or, Bere Ferris as the platform sign would have it) isn't in Cornwall.

Calstock looked fab last Spring (2007) when I was there. Is it not so good now then?

The reason for my question mark was because I was pondering whether it was Calstock or Lostwithiel which appeared more attractive.

[oooooo]

I dont find Calstock station very attractive at all!! Penmere is definately the best kept Cornish branch station in my opinion. Beere Ferrers is nice, but in Devon, the signal box sign is actually BEER Ferris....

[Karl]

Morning

Thanks for the comments so far!  I not sure what
happened to the paragraphing in my original document,
it was tidy when sent.

Yes the Germans did score a direct hit on Swanvale
Old Works and indeed it was well alight.  Funally
enough it was an American soilder, that nicked a
earth mover from a nearby building site and managed
some how, to put earth onto the flames and extinglish
it.  What is it with Americans and oil fields?
I don't think it was quite as dramatic as described
though!  The oil field is indeed very visable and you
maybe able to catch a glimpse of the three mounds, when
crossing the road bridge (by train), at Penmere.  There
are still some road tanker activities today from Swanvale,
so its still hanging on just.

Also of interest a PW^▸ (Permanent Way) coach was blown off its boiges in
another attack and was damaged with the Priarie tank
(I think a 45XX), that was hauling it, but fortunately no
casualties.

I also forgot to add in my messege, about the other stone
bridge that quizes a lot of people at the Truro end of the
platform.  This is an old cattle/occupation bridge and a
footpath also used to run along and down the embankment,
to the site of the old station building which the modern
one sits in the middle of.  It was built to serve farms at
Panance, Penmere, Budock and Penmere Manor all now long gone.
This bridge went out of service in the late 60's we believe,
in fact a few years ago a gentleman stopped and asked me what
had happened to access for it as he got lost.   I told him
that two houses one each side now block the old path, it was
his first visit back to Penmere for a number of years!

Anyway the group does have quite a collection of old and very
rare pictures in its collection.  We got in contact with the
"National Railway Museum" and they only had one of it, in
about c50,000 images!  A very good one also showing the bee
hive mentioned in my previous messege.  Well known photographer
Micheal Mensing has also kindly supplied us a few prints as
well.  The best one was a gentleman who turned up at Penmere one
day when the group were there, blatantly would not give us
any details of who he was and wouldn't take any thanks for the
envolope he gave us.  In it was a dozen pictures of the
arrival of the zoo train at Penmere 1936, showing elephants
and all sorts walking down the main footpath with the cattle
trucks in the background.  Also an early picture taken the
other side of the road bridge from the station, and just
visable is the Penmere Platform sign dated 1929, only four
years old!  Also got some pictures taken inside the oil
discharge sidings as well.  We hope one day that the group
will be able to make a webpage and put up these pictures to
view.

Regards

Karl.

[Tinminer]

Fascinating stuff about the american putting the fire out with soil.

My only knowledge about the fire was from a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/97/a4551897.shtml

[Tinminer]

I dont find Calstock station very attractive at all!! Penmere is definately the best kept Cornish branch station in my opinion. Beere Ferrers is nice, but in Devon, the signal box sign is actually BEER Ferris....

Yes, I'd forgotten that!

Curious isn't it?

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~owend/interests/rail/stnpages/bereferrers.html

[oooooo]

It is indeed curious.... Also interesting is the signalbox is actually from Pinhoe station I believe...

[Karl]

Indeed the signal box at Bere Ferrers is
originally from Pinhoe.  Could it be a bit of a
practical joke with the spelling, believe there
is a rail ale trail for the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line!  Although
in a picture dated 14th August 1969 there is
double track but no signal box, was that
originally behind the bridge?

Looking at the website the one picture that did
get my attention, is the camping coach pic at
the very bottom of the webpage with the black
shunter on front.  First I thought being mainly
LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) coaches there, it was a Thompson sleep
which any Thompson coach not yet discovered now
is as rare as hens teeth.  Then I thought it was
either a BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) MRK 1 or a LMS^▸ (London Midland Scottish - 1923 to 1948) sleep.  Looking
further especially the design of the windows and
a square shaped toilet window just visable, I
think its an LMS one, or a BR built one to an
LMS design which did happen but can't be 100%
sure.  If I could see the underframe would be
able to tell you.  Any of them are quite rare, as
said any Thompson is news, LMS would be rare and
even BR MRK 1 ones are not common.  Some made it
into preservation in the early days as volunter
accomodation, but I believe they suffered with
higher amounts of asbestos, more tham the common
MRK 1's and most were scrapped.

Regards

Karl.

[Karl]

Morning

Now that things are finalised, I can now reveal
the suprises that were mentioned in my first
messege to the group; plus before I forget my
sign in and login details!

The hardware that should be arriving soon are:

3X "Penmere Platform" totems in chocolate and
cream, (they are the sausage shaped enamel station
signs that are usually seen at preserved
railways).  Penmere never had them originally,
but Falmouth did.

1X "Way Out" sign with arrow, again in chocolate
and cream.

1X Penmere Platform running-in-board Truro end,
as per current one, this also has the slight
detail differences from the other one as per the
original.

Removal of the old Friends notice board and
moving the metal one behind this which is at top
end of the footpath to this position, repaint in
chocloate and "Friends of Penmere Station"
enamel in chocolate and cream attached above
glazed front as per Liskeards.

Also we have a friends meeting which is done in
time old steam tradition 'in the boozer', with a
pint or two!  Hopefully we are going to discuss
a new new train in flowers, which many locals and
a few train crew have spotted as missing.  The
third rebuild of the original got vandalised for a
third time and the frame was deemed beyond repair.
So the new one will be fabricated metal, hopefully
this will last and will be made in a shape of a
57XX Pannier tank, which will keep locals and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)
fans happy.  We will endevour to try and have some
form of plaant in this being a train in flower,
we have a white pant that we hope to grow out of
the chimney and shape it to form steam effect.
Thats if the chavs and alcies in Falmouth can
keep there hands off it!

Must say thanks to Richard Burningham at "Devon
and Cornwall Rail Partnership Group" and "FGW^▸ (First Great Western)"
for part funding and allowing the group to addotp
the heritage theme and allow these above signs
to be put up .  Also thanks to "Parc Signs" in
St. Austell (which did Liskeards signs), for
there help and assistance.

Regards

Karl.   

[Conner]

Wow, that will make the station look even better.
Karl please tell us when everything is set up and I will pop down and have a look.

[Graz]

Karl, when everything's finished could you take some photos and post them here? I'd love to see. Many thanks!