Without much railway merit, the line to Falmouth was not much of an attraction to me, and apart from necessity once or twice while at college, I never otherwise used it. I can remember as a young child seeing the unusual signal box on legs over a track at Perranwell, and the occasional Sunday afternoon drive would take me to the town.
The station with the peculiar signal box – Perranwell – that I am thankful my father pointed out to me on a Falmouth visit as a youngster. This view is towards Truro in 1936, and vans are parked under the ‘box that is necessary to access the goods shed, and signal the passing point on this once broad gauge width, but now standard gauge, single track line. 36###AE01-PRW-STATN-VI__E
Ponsanooth – one of the many wooden Brunel viaducts in Cornwall, that sufficed well for the needs of the time, but were latterly replaced with masonry structures. The lightweight fan-vaulting worked well, but the beams inevitably took their toll from the Cornish weather. A 45XX tank hauls a clerestory roofed coach, three with lower rooflines and a horse box. #####AY01-UNK-VIADT-VISTA
3-car unit P434 is paused at Perranwell on its shuttle journey between Falmouth and Truro on 23rd February 1982. This is how I best remember it, with prolific growth of rhododendrons and ivy, the “bus-shelter”, an overgrown opposite platform, and the goods shed now in private hands. Photo: John Vaughan. 820223A01-PRW–P434-PAS_I
With its headcode displaying its fleet number, D1056 “WESTERN SULTAN” tails a train away from Truro towards Falmouth, just approaching Carnon Viaduct near Perranwell. The cutting was made wide enough for double-tracking one day, but that actually never materialised as Plymouth superseded Falmouth for packet and ocean-going business. David Wood (see ‘Links’) says the train is the famous Western China Clay railtour of 4th December 1976. D1056 had just been attached to the rear of the train at Truro so that it could haul the tour back up the branch to Truro, there being no run-round facilities at Falmouth by then. D1023 Western Fusilier leading at the far end, hence Sultan displaying it’s red rear marker light. Once back at Truro D1023 was detached leaving Sultan to take the train on to Newquay alone, including a runaround at Par. After lunch Sultan brought the tour back to Par then on to Lostwithiel where Fusilier backed onto the train for the run down to Carne Point, with Sultan remaining attached for the run back up. On arrival back at Lostwithiel Fusilier was detached and left behind as Sultan took the tour forward to it’s destination, Paddington. It is considered by many to be the greatest of all the Western railtours, possibly because of the unexpected involvement of a very scruffy and un-railtour-like D1056. 761204A01-PRW-D1056-PASGR
The terminus at Falmouth as it was in the early part of the last century. Loco No. 216 is getting ready to leave on a passenger service towards Truro as goods are loaded and checked by railway staff. The curved awning at left is all that remains of this site today. 09###AA01-FAL–S213-PAS_I
This retouched and colourised postcard of Falmouth from Castle Drive shows interesting detail of the town, posted at early in the 1900s. There is a road each side of the track separated from the railway by a wire fence, and a Goods Shed is opposite the track at the end of the platforms dipping towards the docks towards the right. 090703A01-FAL-STATN_VI_NE
Passengers board the branch service to Truro at Falmouth Station on 24th April 1960, with 5538 surrounded by buildings and other facilities soon to be “rationalised” away – only the platform on the left with its curved top awning were to survive. The jibs of dockyard cranes are discernable in the background, as are a plethora of framed signs on the station wall. 600424A02-FAL-s5538-PAS_I
A view from a Swindon DMU drawing towards the terminus at Falmouth Station. The strange shelter, platform and basic trackwork are all that remain of a once more extensive network. The line to the docks is at the left. 730601A01-FAL-DMUX3-PAS_O
This was a familiar view to me, as my Dad often parked where the picture was taken from, in order to see the huge boats that were visiting the docks. I can remember the steam engines puffing around these tracks very well. 7####DS01-FAL-STEAM-SHUNG
On its return journey to Truro, the obliging driver of P587 waits at ‘The Dell” for the photographer to clear the track before proceeding. Aka ‘Falmouth Town’, there are two other stations ‘Falmouth Docks’ and ‘Penmere’ close-by. 7####AF01-FMT–P587-PAS_I
In a view little changed for many years, Class 118 unit B467 (‘B’ for Bristol) stands at Falmouth on 2nd July 1982. Much “rationalised”, all that remains is this rather uncommon awning from Cornwall Railway days, and the track behind to the docks. Concrete posts imposed into the platform carry a wire boundary fence, and ballast before is empty of track. 820702A01-FAL-B467-PAS_I=S0668
The Eric Curnow Collection 