Chris Foren .. Chris F

[Barry O]

Just received the sad news that Chris Foren has passed away. 

 

He will be sadly missed by all who have been in contact with him over the years.  He added a lot of value on both RMWeb and also in various other societies he was a member of. His knowledge of diesel multiple units will be sadly missed but also his willingness to travel to exhibitions and events all over the UK, and to actively seek out friends, colleagues and people asking for help with questions will be missed.

 

The Early Risers will miss Chris a lot and in particular his "drivelling".

 

I leave it to others to write more.. but my thoughts are with @88C and his other relatives in these sad time.

 

Rest in Peace Chris.

 

Baz

[grandadbob]

Well said Baz.  Chris was one of the first people from the forum that I met several years ago and then many times since at exhibitions and always got on well with him.  He always amazed me with his ability to identify coaching stock even from the smallest of photographs.   If things had been slightly different 60 odd years ago we would have been schoolmates as I was going to go to Huntingdon Grammar School until my parents decided to move to Surrey. 

RIP Chris.

 

[Phil Bullock]

12 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Just received the sad news that Chris Foren has passed away. 

 

He will be sadly missed by all who have been in contact with him over the years.  He added a lot of value on both RMWeb and also in various other societies he was a member of. His knowledge of diesel multiple units will be sadly missed but also his willingness to travel to exhibitions and events all over the UK, and to actively seek out friends, colleagues and people asking for help with questions will be missed.

 

The Early Risers will miss Chris a lot and in particular his "drivelling".

 

I leave it to others to write more.. but my thoughts are with @88C and his other relatives in these sad time.

 

Rest in Peace Chris.

 

Baz

Thanks for the heads up Baz

 

Although I didn’t know Chris personally his thread on Class 116 DMUs on here has to go down as one of the most detailed and informative threads I have used.

 

I hope a manufacturer announces one soon …. It would be a fitting tribute.

 

Thinking of all his friends and relatives… a sad time, hope there is some small consolation in knowing how he was perceived in this community.

 

Rest in peace Chris

[New Haven Neil]

A sad loss to our little community, both on here and elsewhere.

 

I always enjoyed the extended captions he wrote for DMU photos in magazines, his knowledge of such things was indeed encyclopaedic.

 

I will miss you, Chris.

[Miss Prism]

Terrible news, and a real loss, and I always liked chatting to him at shows. Chris was my number one go to for BR(W) coach livery matters, where he had an enormous knowledge.

 

[RedgateModels]

Sad day, rest in peace Chris. I did wonder when he did not make his usual appearance at my Warley demo stand. I’ll miss his chats.

 

Top bloke

[Tim V]

I've known Chris a number of years. His posts on FB, chronicling his increasingly desperate attempts to get back onto RMweb, while being plagued by 'adblockers', I hope this wasn't a contributing factor.

[10800]

Very sad news, he was always up for a natter at shows and his knowledge (albeit mainly on subjects out of my area) was amazing. I'll miss him. RIP Chris.

[Mark]

Sorry to hear this. We always had a good chat at various exhibitions. R.I.P

[bbishop]

Not unexpected.  His cancer was in remission for quite a while but seems to have returned with a vengeance.  I missed our "Brains Trust" meeting in September, but Flavio has commented he seemed to be tired.  Dishevelled obviously, we would not expect anything else, but Chris's dry wit was the life of any group.

 

My thoughts are especially with his cousin Brian (88c).  And best of luck to whomever has to clear his house,  there are any number of mislaid kits, magazines and bus passes buried in there.  And who will eat the strawberry?

 

RIP Chris, you will be missed.

[Oldddudders]

Shocked by this. Sherry and I last saw him at Taunton in the Spring, when we sat and enjoyed Welsh cakes together. A most humble man, yet bursting with knowledge. His public display of his orientation in recent years clearly took courage, too. I think it was Railex 2018 when Sherry and I shared a coffee with Chris and Brian (88c), and one suspects the cousins compared notes on Brian's fine layout construction. 

 

We are having a bad year for loss of stalwarts on RMweb. I'm still coming to terms with the loss of Mike Storey, whom I had known as a colleague for many decades. Perhaps 2023 will hold off taking any more, please. Please?

[County of Yorkshire]

I didn’t know Chris, but we once had a good long chat about GWR slip coaches in use on branch lines during the 1950s whilst stood in front of Farringdon at Scalefour North back in 2018. 
 

He was very generous with his time and advice, which as a relatively young and not-to experienced modeller I much appreciated. 
 

RIP

[AY Mod]

I was really sorry to hear the news early this morning; Chris has been a character on these pages since the early years and has been an ever-present attendee at various forum events as well as every exhibition he could reasonably get to from Bedford.

 

RIP Chris, you will be missed, particularly at events and my condolences to all his family and friends.

[Kelly]

A very sad passing. He will be much missed.

[Not Jeremy]

Oh no, this is really very sad news, Chris was a really very decent man and as others have said, a stalwart of both this place and numerous shows up and down the land - including Larkrail.

 

He was knowledgeable, funny, generous and brave. And someone who would put himself out for others and back up talk with actions.

 

Another familiar and friendly face that we will never see again.

 

Rest in peace Chris, you are missed by very many.

 

Simon

[The Fatadder]

Very sad to hear this, a catch up with Chris at a show was always a pleasure.  RIP Chris you will be much missed 

[Graham_Muz]

Such further sad news today (along with the news of the passing Adrian Shooter) Chris was always generous of his time, some might say too much on occasions :), humour and his knowledge but never afraid to ask others to increase his own understanding.  He will be sorely missed by all whom knew him.

[Timara]

Really sad news (I wasn't in a fit state last night to digest the news properly when I heard), especially having known him on a personal level for very nearly 30 years. It won't be known too much, but he was very much an honorary uncle figure to me and we did quite a lot of things together, especially with joint modelling projects and our shared interests in real ale and music. 

 

Rest in peace, dear friend 😢 

[Mallard60022]

I met Chris at the Donny show some years back. Lovely man. He and I chatted about the late Geoff Brewin and lovely Comet Coaches (that has thankfully survived with Andrew at MSE).

RIP pal, you added a great deal to my life experience on here and elsewhere.

Phil

[5 C]

I've just picked up this sad news from @Graham_Muz 's Twitter.

 

Being reasonably local to me, Chris was a regular and familiar face at the numerous exhibitions both large and small we are blessed with in this part of the world. In fact, no exhibition seemed complete until I'd seen Chris and exchanged greetings. I also spoke to him a couple of times when I was volunteering at Pendon.

 

A sad loss. I'll particularly miss the tales of his various battles with technology.

 

RIP Chris.

[jamie92208]

Chris was a good friend who I made through these pages and will be much missed.   I was fortunate to meet him on several occasions for drinks and a meal in London at the so called Brains Trust, organised by Flavio, aka Il Dottore.  The brave way that he faced a number of challenges in his life , without complaint, was an inspiration. His dry and wry humour was always present.   This picture may remind others of who he was. Here he is, 2nd from the left waiting outside the Princess of Shorditch in May 2017.   

He is n good company with Mike (Stationmaster), Dave (Unravelled) and John (John DMJ).   I did tease them about being so anxious to get in for a drink.

 

RIP Chris.

[BMacdermott]

Hello everyone

 

I am very sad to hear the news. Chris and I corresponded on railway matters many times and often enjoyed a chat at shows - where he was fairly easy to spot in the crowd!

 

I have attached below a posting from my Poll Team colleague, Nick Stanbury, who has asked me to post on his behalf.

 

Brian

 

Christopher Michael Foren

 

I have just learned of the sad death at 74 of Chris Foren, known to many modellers and railway enthusiasts for his detailed knowledge – freely given to all – of diesel railcars, WR coach liveries and many other things.  He will be sorely missed by the contacts and friends he made through his activities in a number of forums and clubs.

 

Chris and I were friends at grammar school together in Hammersmith 1960-62, until he relocated from Acton to Huntingdon when his father’s job changed.   We were both members of the school model railway club that I was instrumental in forming but which, despite our efforts, never got properly off the ground!   He was then a GWR/WR modeller in TT3 but later became involved in P4.   

 

After university, Chris joined the Civil Service and settled in Bedford.   We kept in occasional touch and always exchanged Christmas cards and news but I only recall meeting him again once, in 1974.   In addition to his active railway interests, Chris was a devotee of folk music and went regularly to concerts, where he doubtless also indulged his enjoyment of beer.   His Christmases were usually spent in Switzerland, although Covid and other issues had not allowed this of late.  Chris’s health had not been very good in recent years and his latest newsletter (dated 30 November), although generally upbeat, mentions that his incurable prostate cancer, diagnosed in 2015, was ‘under control’ – not exactly an encouraging situation.  

 

Nick Stanbury

[iL Dottore]

I've posted what I needed to say about Chris on ERs, so I won't repeat it here.

 

Suffice to say, it's a passing of an era: whether meeting up with @JohnDMJ and him in Brig every Christmas or meeting up with him and the other denizen's of the ER "Brain's Trust", he was always enjoyable company. There'll be no more Brig meetups ( @JohnDMJ has been quite unwell in 2022 and has pretty much dropped off the radar horizon) and although the Brain's trust will carry on - it won't be the same.

 

He'll be missed.

[Re6/6]

 You'll be missed Chris. You were a lovely, knowledgeable and brave chap.

 

Always a joy to meet him at exhibitions and chat about GW coaches with his great knowledge on the subject

 

 

[roundhouse]

Sad news indeed. Often saw Chris at shows and at various meets. I do remember the Shoreditch lunchtime meets well, making a quick dash out from work a lunchtimes to meet up.

More recently would often speak with Chris online and he will be missed.

RIP Chris.