REPORTS FOR 63RD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGukprsl.uk/ngrs/downloads/AGM/Mins of 3rd AGM-Draft v1...

(Draft) MINUTES OF 3rd AGM OF THE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY SOCIETYas a Company Limited by Guarantee

and the 68th AGM of the Society since its formation

Held on 11th May 2019 at 15:00 at Ruswarp Village Hall, 11 High Street, Ruswarp, Whitby, YO21 1NH

20 Members were present:

Irvine Cresswell, John B Holmes, Stewart Liles, Sydney Leleux, Mike Swift, Ian Yarty, Peter Nutbrown, David F Jones, John Davison, George Cash, Iain Logie, Malcolm Hindes, Andy Morgan, Shirley Bowler, Alan Bowler, Brian Palmer, Linda Palmer, Andrew Neale, Fred Pugh, Graham Fairhurst.

Proxy Votes: 29

5 Directors were present: Steve Barber (Company Secretary), Alan Burgess (Chairman/ The Narrow Gauge Editor/ Narrow Gauge News Overseas Editor), Mick Morgan (Webmaster), Chris Roberts (Facebook Administrator), Phil Thompson (Treasurer/ Sales Officer/ Publications Officer).

1 Officer was present: Johnathon James (NGN Miniature Editor).

The Meeting was chaired by Alan Burgess.

It was determined that a quorum (5 Directors and 25 full Members (in attendance or by proxy)) was present and the meeting could conduct business.

The Secretary determined that notice of the meeting had been properly given in accordance with the Articles.

A copy of the Minutes of the previous AGM was presented to the meeting, together with the Accounts, Officers’ Reports and Appendices, which had been made available on the Society’s website for several weeks and by request from the Secretary; these were also available throughout the day and distributed to each member at the meeting.

The Meeting was called to order at 15:05

Informal business and reports from Directors, Officers and other groups Apologies for absence Charles J Bicheno, David Billmore, John Lawes, Peter Lepino, Robert Griffiths, P M.Dickerson, Robert Watson (eBay Shop Administrator) , Harry Chandler, Andrew Roberts, John Browning, Norman Drake, Paul Webb, Chris Page, Alistair Parsons, Peter Deacon, Ray Stanton, David Sharp, John Berry, Lionel Kay, John Lawes, John Huxley, Lionel Kay, Bob Mason, Peter Lemmey, Mark Prescott, Mike Jackson (Visits Officer/ Video Archivist), Gerry Balding (NGN UK Editor),Graham Feldwick (NGN History and Archeology Editor), Leslie Tindall (Modelling Secretary), Lawson Little (Membership Secretary), Keith Gunner, Peter Kinnear, Malcolm Midgley, Dave Billmore, David Torrance. Rodney L. Thorne, Paul Bennett (NGN Editor), Iain McCall, Jim Hay (Librarian), Tim Hudson.

Minutes of 2018 AGM

See Appendix C.

These were approved as an accurate record of the meeting

John Davison pointed out that his name had been incorrectly spelt, The Secretary undertook to amend the Minutes.

Committee Reports

Chairman’s Report

The past year has been a rather quiet one for the Society, but one in which we have continued to strengthen the healthy position I reported a year ago.

The financial position is sound, as the treasurer’s report explains. We have a healthy bank balance that has enabled us to maintain subscription levels for the coming year with no necessity for an increase, and also allowed us to invest in improved services for members.

Membership has been strong with the total excluding associate, visit and complimentary memberships, hovering around 1400. Belonging to Societies such as ours is not cool with the younger generation, and I believe it is the quality of our journals that contributes to this healthy position. They are the principal source of contact with members, and the basis for joining and remaining with us.

We do, however, need to find innovative ways of attracting newcomers.

The page count of Narrow Gauge News has continued to grow, and there has also been expansion in the number and size of issues of The Narrow Gauge – which has also seen a change in format to A4, largely to give better exposure to photographs.

It is vital members continue sending reports to Narrow Gauge News and articles to The Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge News has competition and we have to maintain a solid level of news reporting – including, hopefully from lesser known locations not reported elsewhere.

There has been a decrease in the number of articles submitted for The Narrow Gauge, and while there is still a reasonable stock in hand, contributions would be welcomed. The quality and strength of our journals is only as good as members’ contributions.

The library continues to expand, but digitization is holding down space requirements. We are happy with our current location at Apedale, but aware of long-term implications if that site does not progress as planned.

Members’ visits continue to be highly successful and since they were revived relatively recently have become an important part of our programme, often taking members to locations that would otherwise remain closed. I hope this is an activity that might be expanded in the future, but more help is needed, particularly in the north of the country.Which brings me to the point that, as I think we are all aware, running the Society successfully requires a great deal of time and effort and the burden falls on a very few people. As ever we would like more volunteers – particularly at the moment in the area of publicity. If you think you can help, please volunteer – we can find something for you to do.I started off by saying that this has been a quiet year. But stability needs hard work, and I am glad of the opportunity to thank all my colleagues on the committee and the company board. Without them there would no longer be a society to enjoy.

Alan BurgessThere were no questions in respect of the Chairman’s Report.

Treasurer’s Report (Appendix A)

For the 2018 calendar year, the Society’s accounts show a profit before taxation of £2,751. This follows a somewhat embarrassing profit of £12,000 in 2017, when a number of costs fell below expectations and some areas of income were better than expected.

The results in 2018 were better than the budget for the year. On the back of the large profit in 2017, together with the budget, we reduced our 2018/19 subscription rates for most members by £2. This has given rise to a reduction of almost £2,200 in subscriptions collected.

As shown in the detailed profit and loss account, compared with 2017 a larger proportion of the 2018/19 subscriptions has been carried forward to cover costs in the final quarter of the membership year. This reflects the increased costs of printing The Narrow Gauge in A4 format from January 2019, coupled with an above-inflation increase in the price of Royal Mail’s Publishing Mail service (used for around 90% of our mailings) from 1 January 2019.

Overhead costs increased in 2018 by some £650 compared with 2017, mainly due to increased expenditure on publicity and promotion and an increase in the costs of running the 2018 AGM, compared with the previous year.

Despite the known increases in printing TNG and in the costs of using Publishing Mail, we decided to hold the subscription rates for 2019/20 at the same, lower, levels introduced last year. The budget for 2019 indicates a small loss as a result of the expected cost increases, but this is of little consequence given the profits in recent years and the extent of the Society’s funds.

2 3rd AGM Reports V1.309/05/19

In addition to “looking after the books”, I also manage the membership database, which uses a platform developed by Membermojo. This provides a number of benefits to the Society – it is accessible by all committee members; it is automatically updated when you renew online; it allows email communication with members; and data can be downloaded to prepare mailing address lists and other statistical information.

The majority of members find renewing through Membermojo to be straightforward. We try to find fixes and work-arounds for the occasional instance where members have found difficulties. I appreciate that some members do not like having to go through the PayPal system to complete their payment. I understand that Membermojo hopes to further develop during 2019, including the introduction of an alternative to PayPal. Fingers crossed this will be available for the 2020 renewals.

The graph below shows our total membership numbers (excluding Associates) at each of the last 21 mailing dates, as downloaded from Membermojo. Overall, our membership increased by 244 people between early November 2015 and early March 2019. There is also a consistent pattern to membership numbers during the course of a year. Membership at the March 2019 mailing increased by 2 people compared with a year previously.

Phil ThompsonThere were no questions in respect of the Treasurer’s Report.

Secretary’s Report

This has been the third year for the Society as a Company Limited by Guarantee, but I hope that you (our shareholders) have found this completely transparent, the governance and administrative changes are now complete (though legislation changes all the time) and the Company is running smoothly I hope that our members have not noticed any change.

I have organised the usual AGM and Committee meetings and prepared the agendas and minutes. In addition to my usual duties I undertook the initial administration of the wonderful trip to United Plantations in Malaysia and a short notice (free) visit to Ruislip Lido which fell outside the magazine publishing window.

Today’s AGM was organised at relatively short notice due to two previous locations falling through, I hope that you will enjoy yourselves as much as I hope to. In connection with which I must also thank all our hosts during this weekend for their enthusiastic response when asked if they would accommodate our visit and for the support they have provided in accommodating our requests.

I would like to thank my fellow Directors and Company Officers whose tireless enthusiasm, input and support ensures the largely smooth operating of the Company. The Directors and Officers are continuing to examine ways to modernise the Society and provide the best value for money to the membership.

Following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations we have published our privacy policy which is available on the Website (www.ngrs.org). I have received no queries in connection with this, so I can only assume that you are all happy with it. If you are asked to indicate your consent, we are not being difficult but complying with the law.

The Company is registered under the Society under the Data Protection Act.


http://www.ngrs.org/

I regret to report that a new lease for the Library facilities at Apedale remains outstanding, and we are currently proceeding under a rollover lease with the agreement of the Moseley Railway Trust. I hope that this will be formalised soon, however I said this last year as well.

I have again received/ replied to in excess of 1,000 emails this year, the majority being associated with Committee business, I now receive very few communications by post. If you are planning to email me please do use a subject line with more than just “NGRS” (e.g. NGRS Policy and the like) I receive many hundreds with this title and it makes filing and finding the relevant one very difficult.

May I also extend a warm welcome to all our new members, I hope that you are enjoying our publications and events. May I also include in that welcome several new Committee members whose input helps us to keep the Society relevant and vibrant.

As in previous years there continues to be Committee vacancies and I would encourage you all to consider if you are able to fill one of these roles or offer support in a smaller way, a number of Committee members are already undertaking more than one role and this limits how effectively the Directors/ Committee can operate. If you volunteer we are happy to provide assistance, guidance and encouragement. I assure you that it is both rewarding and fun, most of us don’t bite (unless we’re hungry), and I have made many friends I would not otherwise have encountered.

In summary another successful year, with a stable and secure Society; a trend I hope will continue for many years.Steve Barber

There were no questions in respect of the Secretary’s Report.

Membership Report

As shown by the graph in the Treasurer’s report, membership of the Society follows a consistent pattern during the year and was marginally higher at March 2019 than at March 2018.

The work of membership secretary is now shared between three members of the committee:• Phil Thompson looks after the “Membermojo” membership database. This is used to record name and address details, to record membership status, to generate mailing lists when distributing our magazines and to send out emails to members. Phil also deals with banking the membership cheques.• Lawson Little sends out copies of magazines and other information to new members. He also receives and records the cheques received for membership renewals. He compiles details of address changes to send to Phil periodically.• Robert Watson looks after direct debit renewals, maintaining our records and working with SmartDebit, our agent for direct debit collections.

Just a few years ago, virtually all renewals were dealt with by cheque, whilst pretty much all new members joined the society by completing a paper form and sending it, together with a cheque, to the membership secretary.

This has changed radically in the last five years. Up to 1 May 2019, for example, the renewal statistics were:• 29% of renewing members did so using a cheque sent in the mail.• 71% of renewing members used an online method – either paying through the membership database using a debit or credit card (35%), or by direct debit (25%) or by bank transfer (11%).

There are a number of benefits from offering different ways for you to renew – we can spread the work between more people; the work can be done at different times; some methods require less admin on our part (e.g. payment through the database and by direct debit) and some methods are cheaper (e.g. bank transfer costs us nothing, whilst direct debits are relatively expensive).

Excluding those people who join the Society at the Statfold Barn enthusiast events, around 80% of new members join online. A significant source of new members remains Narrow Gauge World, which kindly gives us a “plug” in its pages, regularly.

Phil ThompsonThere were no questions in respect of the Membership Report.

THE NARROW GAUGE Editor’s Report

I said a year ago that we would like to increase the number of issues of The Narrow Gauge distributed during the year to six. Eventually, we achieved seven, from 248 to 254, which I believe is a record. The total number of pages was 280 – bear in mind that until recently four issues of 32 pages each was the regular annual offering.


The reason that we managed to produce so much information was partly the major backlog of material which had been accumulating, and partly because of the availability of three special issues – on the Strand miniature railway, Roanoke locomotives, and the extraordinary beasts depicted in ‘Railways for Recreation ‘.

The situation at the moment is that I have just one special issue on file, and relatively few articles for ‘standard’ issues. Of course that can change quickly and I am aware of a number of projects currently being researched.

We are also aware that some members are critical of the high percentage of miniature and overseas railway content in The Narrow Gauge, particularly special issues. The answer is in your own hands: we can only print what is submitted. If anyone remembers this report from previous years, they will guess that I am now starting my annual appeal for more articles on current and historical UK subjects. There must be members with memories of industrial lines and the early days of preservation: please consider writing a piece for us.

Of course, we also changed the size of The Narrow Gauge from our traditional odd size of 240 x 175mm to the international standard A4. The prime reason was to allow more space for larger pictures. So far there has been no criticism, and the only comments have been favourable.

We are always willing to consider ideas for future articles and for special issues of TNG. Finally, my thanks to everyone who has provided articles for The Narrow Gauge. Their number is still few, but without them the magazine could not continue.

Alan Burgess

Brian Palmer asked how he should submit an article for The Narrow Gauge. The Narrow Gauge Editor responded that articles should be submitted to him at the contact address published in Narrow Gauge News.

Stewart Liles asked what word count was required for a TNG article. The Editor replied that this was a matter of balancing the photo and text content and therefore there was no predetermined word count.

The Secretary pointed out that anyone considering submitting an article or report should familiarise themselves with the Conditions of Publication which is available on the Society website.

NARROW GAUGE NEWS Editors’ Reports(a) Editor’s Report

Since the last AGM, six issues of Narrow Gauge News have been produced; once again I cannot thank too much my colleagues who edit sections of the publication; they are invaluable. The personnel concerned have changed a little over the year, however; Alan Burgess continues to edit the overseas section and Gerry Balding the British narrow gauge, but David Nicholson has retired from editorship of the miniature section. I am very pleased to report, however, that Jonathan James has taken this over; his contribution promises to be immense. Graham Feldwick took the History and Archaeology section under his wing last year and the results have been outstanding. After an offer from Les Tindall I decided to reintroduce a modelling section and Les is to be congratulated on that. Lawson Little and Gerry Balding have undertaken the burden of proof reading and succeed in finding my worst blunders.

There have been issues of 44, 52, 52, 64(!), 48 and 40 pages, quite an increase on the previous year. As I said last time, however, I cannot help feeling that many members still visit railways without sending in a report; we often rely on websites and press releases to keep us informed when a member's comment would be very welcome. The web edition has been produced for each issue, too. Thanks again to Mick Morgan for his careful presentation of the web edition.

The final editing of NGN still takes me about a week of work. The section editors do a great deal too. I am willing to continue for a while if the membership so wish.

Paul BennettThere were no questions in respect of the Narrow Gauge News Editor’s Report.

(b) UK and Ireland News Editor’s Report

To start, I would like to say that I’m really enjoying the role!

I would like thank everyone who has been so helpful over past year and to all those who have submitted reports and photos. Could I please ask all members that when visiting railways or special events to take the time to send me a brief report and photos for inclusion in the next Narrow Gauge News. It is these reports which are the lifeblood of the section.


We are well served by news and reports from English and Welsh heritage railways (although there are a few notable exceptions), and a welcoming feature over the past few months has been an increase of news reports from Ireland.

However, there are still relatively few reports received about industrial narrow gauge railways. I suspect this is mainly due to the very limited use of narrow gauge railways in industry these days, but it is something I would like to improve on and would especially welcome any reports on this area.

A number of railways have been very helpful in supplying reports and photos on request. This has proved fairly successful as they recognise the value of the publicity their reports and photos in Narrow Gauge News can provide. However the number of requests I have made to other railways for news and information which have not been responded to, let alone even not been acknowledged, is both disappointing and frustrating.

More reports these days are coming via Facebook and other social media. There currently seems to be a trend for reporting news on social media rather than by press releases or via websites. The news pages of some railways’ websites are woefully out of date, sometimes even by years!

A pleasing feature of the past year is to see some new projects starting to get off the ground; I wish them every success for the future and look forward to reporting their progress.

I look forward to working with you all over the coming year.Gerry Balding

There were no questions in respect of the UK and Ireland News Editor’s Report.

(c) Miniature News Editor’s Report

Report not currently availableJonathan James

(d) Overseas Editor’s Report

While the number of reports has continued at about the same level, one trend that is clearly discernible is the improvement in quality of pictures submitted. Having a choice of good pictures allows Paul to produce one or two-page features on a particular country – including some rarely covered such as Eritrea and Canada. I am sure these features focus attention better than inclusion of a report within the overall overseas news.

We do attempt to include at least some information from every report received, although there is inevitably a tendency to receive frequent updates from the popular lines in Germany and those near the Channel in France. It is important to prevent repetition, and contributors are encouraged to check back on recent news from a line and look for a different angle or something new.

I am very grateful to the members who do take a considerable amount of trouble to contribute reports and pictures – it does take a great deal of time, but it is fully appreciated. A relatively small number of people keep the overseas section going, and of course we do not have the benefit of press releases or house magazines as is the case in the UK. Thanks go again to Paul Bennett for making an excellent job of editing NGN, which continues to develop into what I would unhesitatingly recommend as the best read on the market in its own niche territory.

Alan BurgessThere were no questions in respect of the Overseas Editor’s Report.

(e) Archaeology & History Editor’s ReportWith a very long-standing interest in narrow gauge, and in particular early railways, industrial railways, handworked lines and preservation, I felt that it was time that I contributed something back to the NGRS, and agreed to take on the role of Archaeology & History ( A & H is more manageable) Editor just over a year ago. Definitely a good move! Being part of the NGRS Team is most enjoyable, and it’s very good to work with Paul and Gerry in the production of NGN. My thanks to all who have contacted me to introduce themselves and send me reports – we are most fortunate to belong to such a friendly and enthusiastic organisation, which produces excellent publications. If you are thinking of getting more involved I can definitely recommend it.

Like the rest of NGN, the A & H part is very reliant on the reports received, and please keep sending them in! There is a rich legacy of former narrow gauge and miniature railways out there, and there are many remains and reminders still to be found. Your observations, and photographs, are always welcomed, and I can always add a little more history if that is required for NGN. Please ask me too if you have come across something narrow gauge that you need information on, and I’ll do my best to help.

Graham Feldwick


There were no questions in respect of the Archaeology & History Editor’s Report.

Sales Officer’s Report

The Society sells its special issue copies of TNG to booksellers (for onward sale) and also makes direct retail sales of these special issues to both members and non-members, mainly through the website. We also have a number of items available for sale to members, including garments, binders and the auctions of second hand books.

The income and related costs of our various sales efforts can be further analysed:

Despite total sales being markedly lower in 2018 than in 2017, the net surplus fell by just £200.

During 2018, there were good sales of the special issue on the Bure Valley Railway and reasonable sales of the specials focusing on the Strand Miniature Railway and Roanoke Locomotives (all published in the year). The reprint of the special on the RHDR locomotives and rolling stock, published in 2017, also continued to be popular, as was the special on the Class A locomotives of the Barsi Light Railway. There was, however, a marked reduction in the general level of demand for our publications, continuing the trends of recent years.

There was continued demand for garments, together with small sales of NGRS badges. Book auctions were again very successful in 2018. However, most of the surplus books from member donations have now been sold and future sales are likely to be lower.

Phil ThompsonThere were no questions in respect of the Sales Officer’s Report.

EBay Shop Administrator Report

Not a lot to report from me…

My apologies for not being at the AGM but a family commitment has had to take precedence.

No eBay sales have taken place during the last year.

I have continued to undertake the admin. associated with Direct Debit payment of subscriptions. As well as the processing at renewal time, I have during the year looked at whether we could save on the service charges made by changing provider. Unfortunately, this is not currently possible without asking all our members paying by this method to complete new mandates.

Robert WatsonThere were no questions in respect of the EBay Shop Administrator’s Report.

Postal Auction Officers Report

Report not currently availableIan Ashby

Sydney Leleux asked if it was possible to get feedback when you have made a losing bid as this would enable him to make a more realistic bid should the item become available again.

The Committee undertook to consider what could be done to assist losing bidders in this respect.


Year to 31 December 2018 Year to 31 December 2017 Income

£ Costs

£ Surplus

£ Income

£ Costs

£ Surplus

£ Books sold to booksellers 2,020 (253) 1,767 3,663 (1,287) 2,376 Retail book sales 434 (67) 367 985 (197) 788 Cost of books sold - (503) (503) - (953) (953) Binders, garments etc. 843 (724) 119 229 (271) (42) Book & slide auctions 1,364 (352) 1,012 1,349 (354) 995 Advertising & inserts 247 - 247 70 - 70 Packing materials - (48) (48) - (60) (60) 4,908 (1,947) 2,961 6,296 (3,122) 3,174

Commercial Officer’s Report

See Publicity Officer’s ReportVacant Position

Publications Officer’s Report

I manage the commercial relationship between the Society and our printers and mailing house, WPG Limited. This includes placing orders, monitoring costs and trying to keep our editors happy with the service they receive.

Periodically, we receive approaches from other printers keen to take on our business. Generally, they do not appreciate the importance to us of a quality – and price-competitive – fulfilment (i.e. mailing) service. In the past, such approaches have therefore not progressed far.

Earlier in 2019 we did, however, receive an approach from a provider which appeared able to match both the printing and the mailing services we have enjoyed from WPG. Some cost saving might have been achieved but we concluded that the savings would not have been enough when compared with the potential disruption to the work of our volunteer editors. The comparison of two providers was, however, useful in providing comfort on the level of printing and fulfilment costs we incur.

Phil ThompsonAndrew Neale endorsed the final paragraph of the Publication Officer’s report and that the difficult balance between price and quality had been well managed to provide a product that was suitable for archiving.

Legal Assistant’s Report

Report not currently availableKen Matticks

Librarian’s Report

Report not currently availableJim Hay

Film & Video Archivist’s Report

Almost total lack of interest from the membership with only one loan during the last 12 months & no recent donations to the library or footage offered for transfer.

No progress with the proposals of transferring the existing collection, currently held on on DVD, to external hard drives or to make the collection available for downloads rather than DVD loans.

A public NGRS Youtube channel is not thought to be practical due copyright issues. With the current lack of interest in viewing the library a private Youtube channel or other methods of internet distribution rather than loan of DVDs have not been investigated.

The Video Librarian again offers to resign & hand over the video library to anyone who wishes to take on the job & the internet project which is quite beyond the current Librarian's meagre computer skills.

In the meantime the Librarian is prepared to continue his duties for another year.Mike Jackson

There were no questions in respect of the Film & Video Archivist Publications Officer’s Report.

Webmaster’s Report

No different from other years, this year has been routine so with adding, amending and deleting website pages, changing and adding documents, links and sundry pictures interrupted by servicing Committee Member’s and their PCs.

Membermojo has automated the issue of email notices to members and a further email will be sent out soon to advise members how to access Membermojo (MM) to check their addresses. This is because the original information we collected when MM started may be flawed as some email addresses have changed over the years Email accuracy is vital now that ALL members are emailed once every two months, not just e-Members, so it is vital that the addresses are correct.


I have received fewer contributions from Branches advising and promoting their meetings and other events of interest this year, which is probably due to longer term planning on their part. Thanks go to those who send them in as it does show the outside world, as well as ourselves, that the NGRS is alive and active in local areas, both for it’s members and potential members with similar interests.

There have been very few (no) member contributions of pictures, videos or articles for the website this year. They may be being made directly to magazine editors instead, or perhaps viewing and therefore contribution has moved from website to social media. Do consider sending in notes and/or pictures as both members and prospective members do find them interesting and useful. For information, the website address remains http://ngrs.org or http://www.ngrs.org

Regarding the Yahoo Group “NGRailwaySociety”, our membership has risen from 243 to 315 members over the year, but despite that, there have been no postings over the last 3 months. This is an un-moderated open site, not limited to NGRS members and anyone can have an input. The site does provide a flow of news, views and questions to a wide audience at home and abroad and advance announcements can be useful via this medium. However, it is clear that Yahoo Group audiences are very different to Facebook page audiences, which attract a younger, more vibrant group of people. A move to a different medium, such as Groups.io, is not currently seen as a useful exercise at this time . Do promote the group among your friends because the NGRS membership is a vast knowledge pool which should be shared with people of similar interests.

Looking forward, we have the first 100 TNG’s and 100 NGN’s online in an NGRS-Library cloud and once the access to them has been improved for visitors, I am sure members will be notified.

Mick MorganThere were no questions in respect of the Webmaster’s Report.

Facebook Administrator’s Report

The NGRS Facebook group continues to grow in popularity with very little input required from the admins. The NGRS Facebook page is only occasionally updated but remains there to be found by anyone doing an internet search and gives enough information to allow searchers to find out about the NGRS and how to join.

The group is where most of the interaction occurs, with almost 1900 members (as at 15th April 2019). In the last 28 days there have been 33 new members, 116 posts and 1389 members have been active within the period. Active means they have viewed, posted, commented or reacted to group content.

Since inception of the Facebook group, shortly after the 2015 AGM, group members have posted around 2600 photos and over 400 videos. 600 links have been added, to such things as on-line photo collections, railway websites and events etc. There have also been 1200 shares of posts. This is a useful way that people bring NGRS content to the attention of others who might not have seen it and helps fulfil the intended purpose of bringing the Society to a wider audience.

Chris RobertsThere were no questions in respect of the Facebook Administrator’s Report.

Visit’s Officers Report

13 visits were organised during 2018 & a profit was made on all visits.

Innovations during 2018 were charters on the RHDR & the SKLR which went well although the RHDR visit was a little restricted as it had to be operated within the normal timetable & the requested equipment, the BUG & the p/way train, were unavailable. The SKLR CHARTER went very well with two locos steamed but sadly mostly in monsoon conditions. It is hoped to repeat this charter later in 2019.

The Society will not b6 be offering to make bookings for Statfold Barn in 2019 as online or postal bookings are now available & entries without pre-booking can be made 'on the day' at a small premium.Similarly Southfield House, at Louth is offering a number of Open Days at no charge but asks that visitors let them know in advance that they are coming as this helps with the catering arrangements.Details for both locations have been publicised.

Nine visits are currently planned for 2019, five are already booking or have taken place & it is hoped to announce further visits in the May & July NGNs.It is regretted that no visits have yet been fixed north of the Midlands.

Inevitably visits to genuine 'industrials' in the UK are now almost impossible due to the very low numbers of lines in use.


The Visits officer wishes to step down at the end of the 2020 'season' & expressions of interest for a replacement will be welcomed.

Mike JacksonThere were no questions in respect of the Visits Officer’s Report.

Publicity Officers Report

Report not currently availableVacant Position

Area Group Secretary’s Reports

Lincolnshire Area

Report not currently availableTim Hudson

London & Southern Area

Here is the report from the London and Southern Area to the Society’s 2019 AGM.

As has been the case for a number of years, the Area’s activities have been focused on a series of monthly meetings held in London jointly with our friends from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. Our meetings season runs from October to April.

Attendance during the season so far has been generally encouraging, and we have been able to cover our costs at Keen House.

Speakers during the last year have included Edward Barnes, Adrian Garner, Julian Birley, Julie Eaglen, Jeff Harvey, Mike Jackson, David Mitchell, Richard Moules, Steve Sedgwick, James Waite and Donald Wilson. Their presentations, slides and films were all enjoyable, and in their different ways emphasised the enormous wealth of narrow gauge knowledge they share. We are grateful to all of them for putting the time aside to come and talk to us, and for all the preparatory work such high quality shows entail.

We would also like to thank Hugh Smith for hosting our meetings at Keen House on behalf of the Model Railway Club and for all his help.

Our thanks go too to Paul and Mick for advertising our meetings in NGN and on the Society website.

During the coming year we will be looking for a new area secretary as I shall be stepping down after the 2019-2020 season.

Peter LemmeyYorkshire Area

Report not currently availableRod Tickner


Formal business of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society as a Limited Company.

Upon motion duly made, seconded and carried the financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2018 and the accountants report thereon and the directors’ report was accepted (the Secretary to attach a copy to the Minutes.)

Proposed: Sydney LeleuxSeconded: Andrew NealeVotes: 49 (20+29 Proxy)

In accordance with the Articles, there was an election of Directors, each member present casting a vote. Following the unanimous agreement of the members present, the Directors were elected en-block. . The Directors standing were as follows:

Alan Burgess (Chairman & The Narrow Gauge Editor)

Steve Barber (Company Secretary)

Paul Bennett (Narrow Gauge News Editor)

Jim Hay (Librarian)

Mick Morgan (Webmaster)

Chris Roberts (Facebook Administrator)

Phil Thompson (Treasurer, Sales Officer & Publications Officer)

Robert Watson (eBay Shop Administrator)

No member had come forward as a Director to represent the interests of the Membership

Upon motion duly made, seconded and carried the foregoing persons were elected to serve as Directors for one year or until the next members meeting

Proposed: David JonesSeconded: Ian Logie

Votes: 49 (20+29 Proxy)

Other Informal BusinessDetails of the Company Officer structure and contacts details are in Appendix B

Company Officers

Vacancies Publicity / Exhibitions Officer Visits Officer North Visits Officer South Assistants to reduce the administrative workload on the Committee

None of the assembled members came forward to fill these vacancies

Any other Business.

The Secretary Asked Sydney Leleux if he was happy with the changes made to the Minutes to assist in differentiating between the latest and last year’s minutes, last year’s Minutes now being in a blue font with the pages numbered with letters. Sydney replied in the affirmative.

Andy Morgan requested that Membership Cards be issued to Associates

David James asked about the status of the database records bequeathed to the Society by David Holroyd, the Secretary responded that David Holroyd had kept these records as an individual, not on behalf of the Society. The Society is bound by the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations and it is considered that as the records contain personal information about the owners of locomotives they could not be made available without the consent of the


owners, however, specific requests (to the Librarian) may be considered, but any information provided would not include specific private locations or the name of the owner. (e.g. similar to: located in Yorkshire).

It was understood that others have proposed setting up a similar database in the public domain, The Secretary responded that the decision in respect of the David Holroyd records was to protect the Society’s interests. Any other person setting up such a database needs to give consideration to GDPR. Engineering data would not be personal, however the Society would always err to the side of caution when providing any information.

It was pointed out that there is a similar database in respect of traction engines. The Directors responded that information about road vehicles was held by DVLC and therefore the data is likely to already be readily available.

Thanks were offered to the Secretary for organising the events for the weekend, the Secretary responded that he had received considerable help from Mike Swift and Bob Schofield.

Mike Swift thanked the Directors and Officers for their hard work throughout the year and asked the members present to show their appreciation to the in a round of applause.

The following thanks were received in correspondence prior to the meeting:

Therefore please thank on my behalf all the office bearers for their diligent work over the Year. It is very much appreciated.

And of course my thanks to you, for all that your position entails.Norman Drake

I am unable to attend but wish to express my thanks to you and the Committee for all your hard work on our behalf.David Torrance


Appendix A2018 Accounts


Appendix BDirectors, Committee Members & Vacancies 2019

(Subject to approval of the membership)

Narrow Gauge Railway SocietyDirectors and Company Officers

Solid Shading indicates NGRS Company Director


NGRS OFFICIALS CONTACT LIST – 11/04/2019

Chairman Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Steve Barber Director “Hillbury Cottage”, 246 Hillbury Road, Warlingham, Surrey. CR6 9TP [email protected] Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] Membership Secretary Lawson Little 1 Archer’s Drive, Old Bilsthorpe, Newark, Notts. NG22 8SD [email protected] Jim Hay Director 16 Forestry Cottages, Eredine, Dalmally, Argyll PA33 1BS [email protected] & Video Archivist Mike Jackson 6 Coastguard Cottages, Upper Road, Dover. CT16 1HS [email protected] Editor Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Editor Paul Bennett Director 90 Stortford Hall Park, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5AN [email protected] UK Editor Gerry Balding 75 Vane Close, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk NR7 0US [email protected] NGN Miniature Editor Jonathan James 31, Beacon Road,Chatham, Kent. ME5 7BW [email protected] History and Archeology Editor Graham Feldwick 22A Ropers Lane, Wareham, Dorset BH20 4QT [email protected] NGN Event Diary Editor Lawson Little 1 Archer’s Drive, Old Bilsthorpe, Newark, Notts. NG22 8SD [email protected] Overseas Editor Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Officer Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] eBay Shop Administrator Robert Watson Director 24 Hillcrest Drive, Loughborough, Leicester. LE11 2GX robertngrs(@robertwatson.orgPublications Officer Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] Postal Auctions Officer Ian Ashby Valley Nurseries, Pershore Road, Evesham, Worcs, WR11 2PX N/AWebmaster Mick Morgan Director 29 Groby Road, Ratby, Leicester. LE6 0LJ [email protected] Administrator Chris Roberts Director 296 Torrisholme Road, Lancaster, LA1 2TU [email protected] Visits Officer Mike Jackson 6 Coastguard Cottages, Upper Road, Dover. CT16 1HS [email protected] Assistant Ken Matticks 1428 West Pine Avenue, MIDLAND, .TX 79705 USA [email protected] Modelling Secretary Leslie Tindall 47 Cliff Court, Currie Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 8NU [email protected] Publicity / Exhibitions Officer Vacant


mailto:[email protected]




















Society Officer Vacancies

Publicity / Exhibitions OfficersThe Publicity Officer attends Various Railways with the Society Stand and organises publicity to raise the profile of the Society and encourage new members. The Society would be happy to have many members undertaking this role on a local level

Visits OfficersThe current successful programme of Visits to sites of Narrow Gauge Interest has been instigated and managed by the Visits Officer. The Current Visits Officer wishes to stand down from the end of 2020 and a replacement is sought. Ideally, we would like two Officers, one to cover the North and one to cover the South. It is felt that this approach would both make the workload lighter and help through relatively local contact with railway owners. It would also be ideal if there was along overlap for the transition to the replacement Officer. Good administrative and communication skills would be beneficial

GeneralThe Directors are always pleased to be offered assistance with administering the Society. It should be noted that several of the Directors and Society Officers are fulfilling more than one role and it would be prudent to reduce their commitments.

Assistance in organising visits and AGMs etc. is also gratefully accepted and is usually required on a geographic basis.

If you believe you are able to help in any of the forgoing areas or you are prepared to give general assistance including assisting in cataloguing our library (books, images, moving images/ other) please do not hesitate to contact the Secretary or other Director or Society Officer for further information.


Appendix CMinutes of Previous Meeting

(Draft) MINUTES OF 2ndAGM OF THE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY SOCIETYas a Company Limited by Guarantee

and the 67thAGM of the Society since its formation

Held on 12th May 2018 at 15:00 at The Friends Centre, Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre, New Barn Road, Amberley, Arundel, BN18 9LT

33 Members were present:

Norman Drake, Iain Logie, John Davison, David Adams, Wendy Adams, George Cash, Penelope Panagi, Gordon Foster, Brian Hillsdon, Andy Morgan, Graham Feldwick, Lesley Feldwick, Nick Burton, Tim Sanderson, John Pitchford, Peter Lemmey, John Townend, Chris Richardson, Lionel Kay, Shirley Bowler, Alan Bowler, Michael Brigg, David Pritchard, Bob Valentine, Janet Beith, Steven Beith, Peter Trinder, Peter Smith, Gerry Cork, Lionel Beer, Nick Kelly, Iain McCall, Fred Pugh .

8 Directors were present: Steve Barber (Company Secretary), Paul Bennett (Narrow Gauge News Editor), Alan Burgess (Chairman/ The Narrow Gauge Editor/ Narrow Gauge News Overseas Editor), Jim Hay (Librarian), Mick Morgan (Webmaster), Chris Roberts (Facebook Administrator), Phil Thompson (Treasurer/ Sales Officer/ Publications Officer), Robert Watson (eBay Sales Officer).

1 Officer was present: Mike Jackson (Film and Video Archivist/ Visits Officer).

The Meeting was chaired by Alan Burgess.

It was determined that a quorum (5 Directors and 25 full Members (in attendance or by proxy)) was present and the meeting could conduct business.

The Secretary determined that notice of the meeting had been properly given in accordance with the Articles.

A copy of the Minutes of the previous AGM was presented to the meeting, together with the Accounts, Officers’ Reports and Appendices, which had been made available on the Society’s website for several weeks and by request from the Secretary; these were also available throughout the day from the Friends Centre and distributed to each member at the meeting.

The Meeting was called to order at 15:00.

Informal business and reports from Directors, Officers and other groups Apologies for absence : Ken Matticks (Legal Assistant), Lawson Little (Membership Secretary), Ian Ashby (Postal Auctions Officer), Robert A Mason, Peter Leadley, Peter Kinnear, John Berry, Mike Sarsfield, Bernard Gudgin, Sydney Leleux, Roger Griffiths, Charlie Wilson, Jonathan Clay, Malcolm Midgley, Iain Frew, Mike Swift, Ian Porter, Peter Fischer, David Jones, Malcolm Flynn, Robert Leadbetter, John Scholes, Graham Ludgate, Phil Cooper, John Maskell, John Scott, Thomas White, Dave Bilmore, Richard Pearson.

Minutes of 2017 AGM of the Society

These were approved as an accurate record of the meeting (Proposed: Norman Drake, Seconded: Peter Lemmey).

Company Officers’ Reports

Chairman’s Report

A year ago I noted in this report that we had been able to achieve a more optimistic position than for some time, and I think that the 12 months which have just ended saw us continue to move forward and strengthen the company, despite a small drop in membership.

Minutes of 2nd Annual General Meeting V2.215/08/18

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Our financial situation is healthy and as a result we have been able to lower our subscription rates by £2 – something of an achievement, I believe in an age of inflation – even at a low level.

We are also increasing our services to members by planning to increase to six the number of issues of The Narrow Gauge to be published in the coming year. Four is the normal number, although in the past two years we have printed five.

I will not go into details of our financial position here as Phil Thompson will deal with this fully in his report, but we have traded at a profit and have strong reserves, partly the result of bequests from members. The directors have to decide how to spend these bequests in the interests of all members.

Although the programme of summer visits has expanded, and winter meetings are available in three centres, our two publications are the primary source of contact with members, and the reason they join and remain with us. I hope you agree that Narrow Gauge News continues to make considerable progress in content, and looks better than ever thanks to Paul’s use of full colour in every issue.

As I have said before, it is essential members continue sending reports to Narrow Gauge News and articles to The Narrow Gauge. Narrow Gauge News has competition and can only survive as long as members feel it gives them well presented information not available elsewhere – from little known locations as well as the major lines. The quality and strength of our journals is only as good as members’ contributions.

The library is a key asset and it is not too bold to claim that it is the most substantial collection of information on the narrow gauge in the world. It continues to expand, boosted by legacies from members: it is very gratifying to know that so many members with excellent collections see the library as the ideal destination for their material. Ian Ashby’s regular slide and book auctions conducted utilising duplicated material we receive provide both an additional service to members, and useful additional income.I traditionally end this report with a moan about the burden of work falling on the Society’s officers. We are very grateful to those who have stepped forward to help in the past few months, but it remains unsatisfactory that the vast majority of the work necessary to ensure the continuation of the society falls on a very few individuals, some of whom are doing more than one job. If you think you can help, please volunteer – we can find something for you to do.

I am glad of the opportunity to thank all my colleagues on the committee and the company board. Without them there would no longer be a society to enjoy.

Alan BurgessThere were no questions in respect of the Chairman’s Report.

Treasurer’s Report (Appendix A)

The accounts included in this AGM “pack” cover 12 months of the calendar year of 2017. The figures for the previous year reflect 9 months’ activities, since they cover a period when there were no company transactions in the first three months of the 2016 calendar year.

In my report last year, I commented that “in my view, the Society should manage its financial affairs to avoid both large annual losses and large annual surpluses – the former would be damaging to the long-term stability of the Society whilst the latter serves no useful purpose. I would much rather spend any expected surplus either in improving the benefits provided to members or in reducing annual subscriptions”.

In keeping with this aim, my budget for 2017 showed a surplus of £2,500 – enough, I thought, to cover any unexpected costs whilst at the same time avoiding an excessive surplus.

So it is with a feeling of slight embarrassment that I have to report a pre-tax surplus for 2017 of some £12,000. This surplus arises as a consequence of a number of positive financial happenings, none of which were budgeted: The budget allowed for the costs of a special reprint from the library collection, but instead we decided to publish a

special issue of The Narrow Gauge – at a lower cost. We reprinted the special issue on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway; income from sales of this issue was

uncertain at the time the budget was prepared and therefore it was not budgeted. Donations from members exceeded expectations by a significant amount. The budget gave our editors the freedom to increase the page count of both Narrow Gauge News and The Narrow

Gauge, to accommodate extra material if submitted. Whilst the page count did increase, it was less than budgeted and so the costs of both printing and mailing our publications were lower than expected.

The costs of running the library were lower than allowed for. There were small underspends in many of our overheads.


b

Total subscriptions received of £36,508 show a healthy increase compared with £34,589 in the previous year. In the last two years, the Society has run a number of recruitment campaigns where new members are given the opportunity to join us at a reduced first-year subscription. This “works” financially because, in year one, the marginal costs we incur are covered by the marginal subscription income, and so there is no overall cost to the Society. In years two and following, our new recruits pay the same subscription as all other members and so the Society is in a better financial position. The sustained growth in membership has allowed us to reduce subscription rates for the current year.

Because our subscription year runs to 31 March and our financial year runs to 31 December, a proportion of the 2017/18 annual subscriptions is carried forward into 2018. The 2017/18 subscriptions have been split between 2017 and 2018 in the ratio of the actual printing and mailing costs incurred in the 9 months to 31 December 2017, compared with the forecast of such costs for the 3 months to 31 March 2018. This is consistent with the approach adopted in the 2016 accounts.

In addition to “looking after the books”, I also manage the membership database, which uses a platform developed by Membermojo - or “MOJO” as it has become known by committee members. The graph below shows our total membership numbers (excluding Associates) at each of the last 15 mailing dates. Overall, our membership increased by 242 people between early November 2015 and early March 2018.

Phil ThompsonCompany Secretary’s Report

This has been the second year for the Society as a Company Limited by Guarantee, but I hope that you (our shareholders) have noted little change; the governance and administrative changes are now complete (though legislation changes all the time) and I hope that this has been transparent for our members.

In addition to the usual AGM and Committee meetings and the preparation of agendas and minutes, we have again held an extra committee meeting this year, in an attempt to reduce the growing Committee workload. We held our meetings in the new meeting room at Pages Park, Leighton Buzzard, the only disadvantage being the lull in activity whenever a train appears outside the window.

I would like to thank my fellow Directors and Company Officers whose tireless enthusiasm, input and support ensures the largely smooth operating of the Company. The Directors and Officers are continuing to examine ways to modernise the Society and provide the best value for money to the membership.

The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations has resulted in a degree of research, and amendment to membership processes and preparation of some supplementary documents. However we are preparing an Action plan to ensure Compliance; please remember to indicate your consent when completing your membership


c

We have now come to rely on Membermojo as our membership database, and subscription recording tool. I hope that those of you that have used it have found the process painless, and in connection with this I have now registered the Society under the Data Protection Act.

I anticipate that by the time of the AGM a new lease for the Library facilities at Apedale will have been drafted, and will be being reviewed by the Moseley Railway Trust. I said this last year as well but I consider that we are now closer to getting this into place.

I have again received/ replied to in excess of 1,000 emails this year, the majority being associated with Committee business, I now receive very few communications by post. If you are planning to email me please do use a subject line with more than just “NGRS”: I have many hundreds with this title and it makes finding the relevant one very difficult.

May I also extend a warm welcome to all our new members many from the world of model and miniature railways who have taken advantage of our introductory membership offers? I hope that you are enjoying our publications and events.

I must also thank our hosts during this weekend for their enthusiastic response when asked if they would accommodate our visit and for the support they have provided in accommodating our requests.

There continues to be a number of Committee vacancies and I would encourage you all to consider if you are able to fill one of these roles. A number of Committee members are already undertaking more than one role and this limits how effectively the Directors/ Committee can operate. If you volunteer, we are happy to provide assistance, guidance and encouragement. I assure you that it is both rewarding and fun: most of us don’t bite (unless we’re hungry), and I have made many friends I would not otherwise have encountered.

In summary a further successful year, with a stable and secure Society; a trend I hope will continue for many years.Steve Barber

The Secretary was asked about the preferred subject line in email’s. He responded he was happy for “NGRS” to be included, together with an outline of the subject, but just “NGRS” caused him an administrative issue when filing them as they had to be renamed.

Membership Secretary’s Report

Total nett membership of the Society as at mid-April (nett = excluding Associate and Visits members) was 1,406, compared to 1,449 at the same time last year. At first glance this may appear disappointing, but it should be borne in mind that the average for the four previous years was only 1,312, so it does indicate a generally upward trend.

In confirmation of this trend, the average monthly total for 2017 was 1,405, compared to previous years of 1,246 (2014), 1,191 (2015) and 1,343 (2016).

Much of the increase may be attributed to the offer of special joint membership to various interest groups and, particularly, to Statfold visitors. In the past year we have gained 59 new members from the latter source, as well as 39 from the 009 Society and 13 from the 7.1/4” Gauge Society.

The number of members recruited from the 7.1/4”Gauge Society was lower than anticipated; the introductory offer to the 009 Society was more successful reflecting their interest in prototype modelling information and possibly the wider world of narrow gauge, so as to make their miniature constructions more accurate.

Mick Morgan and I (plus our respective spouses) attended Statfold in March and intend to do so again in September, so as to continue to take advantage of this rich vein of potential new members. In addition, the Hon. Treasurer will no doubt inform the meeting of plans for further joint membership schemes.

As a matter of interest, current renewals at the time of writing (mid-April), total 1,100, this figure being divided remarkably equally between web-site renewals (32%), direct debits (30%) and cheques (and the odd postal order!) by letter (30%). The remaining 8% were by Bank Transfer.

My apologies for not being able to attend the AGM in person, but subject to the effect of various health issues, I am happy to continue in post for a further year.

Lawson Little

There were no questions in respect of the Membership Secretary’s Report.

THE NARROW GAUGE Editor’s Report


d

During the last membership year five issues of The Narrow Gauge were mailed to members –so for the third successive year there was a bonus issue. Three were ‘standard’ magazines, all of 44 pages – it’s worth bearing in mind that for many years 32 pages was the limit.

There was, I hope, a varied content covering most members’ tastes and it would be unfair to single out any particular articles.

The two special issues were, firstly, the yearbook for 2016 detailing the visits organized by the Society for members during that year and written by Jonathan James. The visits service for members has grown rapidly in the recent past, and we felt it worthwhile pulling all the activity together in one place: the exercise has not been repeated this year, partly because there would have been a great deal of duplication, but we would not rule out another Yearbook in the future.The second special issue was Gerry Balding’s excellent account of the locomotives and stock of the Bure Valley Railway.

One aspect of The Narrow Gauge to which I draw attention every year with little discernible effect is the relative lack of articles on UK narrow gauge (as opposed to miniature) subjects. There is a bias in favour of miniature railways in the UK and of overseas railways – more covering the traditional narrow gauge in the UK would be welcome.

We are always willing to consider ideas for future special issues of TNG: at the moment I have three waiting publication which, with a healthy stock of material for standard issues means that we can plan six publications in the new membership year – fortunately our finances can cope with this additional cost.

Finally, my thanks to everyone who has provided articles for The Narrow Gauge. Their number is still few, but without them the magazine could not continue.

Alan BurgessThere were no questions in respect of The Narrow Gauge Editor’s Report.

NARROW GAUGE NEWS Editors’ Reports(a) Narrow Gauge News Editor’s Report

Since the last AGM, six issues of Narrow Gauge News have been produced; once again I cannot thank too much my colleagues who edit sections of the publication; they are invaluable. The personnel concerned have changed a little over the year, however; Alan Burgess continues to edit the overseas section and David Nicholson the miniature, but Philip Pacey has retired from editorship of the British and Irish section. It is, perhaps, an indication of the enormous contribution made by Philip that I report that three people have taken over the work he did! Gerry Balding has taken on the British and Irish section, a huge job in itself and the splendid work he has already done is clear for readers to see. Graham Feldwick has taken the History and Archaeology section under his wing; as an active IRS member he is well placed to do so and the section looks set fair to be very authoritative indeed. Lawson Little is supervising the events listing and Lawson and Gerry undertake the burden of proof reading. What a team!

There have been issues of 46, 52, 44, 52, 32 and 32 pages. This represents a continuing increase from previous years and the standard of reporting and photography remains very high. I cannot help feeling, however, that many members still visit railways without sending in a report; we often rely on websites and press releases to keep us informed when a member's comment would be very welcome. The web edition has been produced for each issue, too. Thanks again to Mick Morgan for his careful presentation of the web edition.

The final editing of NGN still takes me about a week of work. The section editors do a great deal too. I am willing to continue for a while if the membership so wish.

Paul BennettThere were no questions in respect of the Narrow Gauge News Editor’s Report.

(b) Narrow Gauge News UK and Ireland Editor’s Report

Since taking over from Philip Pacey last November, I have now produced two and a half BING submissions. I must admit that I am rather enjoying the role!

I would like thank everyone who has been so helpful over the last few months and to all those who have submitted reports and photos. Could I please ask all members that when visiting railways or special events to take the time to send me a brief report and photos for inclusion in the next Narrow Gauge News. It is these reports that are the lifeblood of the section.

While we are well served by news and reports from English and Welsh heritage railways, there has been a disappointing lack of reports and news over the past few months from Irish and Industrial narrow gauge railways. This is something I would like to improve on and would especially welcome any reports on these areas.


e

I look forward to working with you all in the future and hopefully over the coming few months I will be able to make visits to various lines.

Gerry BaldingThere were no questions in respect of the Narrow Gauge News UK and Ireland Editor’s Report.

(c) Narrow Gauge News Miniature Editor’s Report

Included within NGN Editor’s Report.David Nicholson

(d) Narrow Gauge News Overseas Editor’s Report

The past year has brought little change to the overseas section of NGN. The geographical coverage offered by members’ reports covers a broad range of activities around the world.

As I have mentioned before there is inevitably a tendency to receive a high number of reports from a few lines in Germany and France – geographically, not surprising – and in the USA. This is balanced by occasional news from out of the way spots that have been neglected for years – a recent feature on Vietnam and Cambodia for example. We do try and include something at least from every submission.

Paul has been able to continue single-country features covering two or more pages featuring reports from either one or more members. These are very focused and attractive thanks to both the high standard of colour images we receive and excellent printing.

I am very grateful to the members who do take a considerable amount of time and trouble to contribute reports and pictures. As with much of the Society, the input comes from only a few people, although a few welcome new names have appeared in recent months.

Thanks go again to Paul Bennett for continuing to make such an excellent job of editing NGN, which has continued to improve over the past year with the exploitation of full colour to reach a very high standard of visual impact

Alan BurgessThere were no questions in respect of the Overseas Editor’s Report.

Sales Officer’s Report

I have been responsible for Society book sales for the last two years and I also work with Robert Watson on the eBay sales. Lawson Little has looked after the sales of polo and sweat shirts and Ian Ashby oversees the book and slide auctions offered to members.

The accounts show the total income and related costs from our various sales efforts, which can be further analysed as follows:

Year to 31 December 2017 9 months 31 December 2016Income£

Costs£

Surplus£

Income£

Costs£

Surplus£

Books sold to booksellers 3,663 (1,287) 2,376 1,879 (333) 1,546Retail book sales 985 (197) 788 3,084 (974) 2,110Cost of books sold - (953) (953) - (808) (808)Garments & caps 26 (271) (42) 1,765 (1,563) 202Binders & tumblers 203 250 (189) 61Book & slide auctions 859 (203) 656 685 (159) 526eBay sales 490 (151) 339 406 (91) 315Advertising & inserts 70 - 70 - - -Packing materials - (60) (60) - (51) (51)

6,296 (3,122) 3,174 8,069 (4,168) 3,901

Most of our book sales comprise special issues, mainly recent issues but including some specials from previous years. Sales in the period mainly arose from the special issue on Mardyke locomotives, the book on the Class A Locomotives of the Barsi Railway and the reprint of the special issue on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.


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In past years, the Society built up excessive stocks of certain publications. Print runs have been reduced to try and avoid a continuing problem of holding excessive stocks, but the nature of our special publications makes it difficult to predict retail demand.

In 2016, around £800 in retail book sales was derived from selling non-special back issues. There were no such sales in 2017, but stocks have since been built up and there should be further sales in 2018.

In 2016, sales of garments and caps mainly related to polo and sweat shirts. There were no such sales in 2017. We gave some of our tumblers to people who hosted our visits, incurring a small loss.

During 2017, there have been six book and slide auctions, comprising items not required by the library either because they are duplicates or because they are generally not on narrow gauge topics. The net income has continued to provide a worthwhile benefit to the Society. We have also sold surplus publications through auction sales on eBay.

Phil ThompsonThere were no questions in respect of the Sales Officer’s Report.

eBay Shop Administrator’s Report

Activity on eBay has been limited during the last 12 months. After we set up our eBay account selected ‘specials’ and back copies were put on eBay to ‘buy now’ and initially we were selling a few back copies of our magazines each month but that has now dried up and so has been discontinued. The most recent eBay auction was in early 2017. Some items have been sold for a reasonable sum (in particular some ‘rare’ model railway magazines) but others have not sold at all (in particular magazines from some railway associations). Typically each auction has raised around £100 for society funds. Further auctions will take place when appropriate surplus stock is available.

Following changes to our Direct Debit supplier’s systems earlier this year I took over administering Direct Debits from Lawson. As Lawson had warned me, Smart Debit’s systems are cumbersome and not particular customer focused. In addition, it is the most expensive way for members to pay their subscriptions, with around £1 of each subscription going to our supplier Smart Debit. Several years ago the Committee considered whether it would be appropriate to change supplier but at the time this was seen as being too complicated and expensive to implement, with every member paying by Direct Debit having to resubmit details. An action I am currently undertaking is to investigate whether a change of supplier might now make sense

Robert WatsonThere were no questions in respect of eBay Shop Administrator’s Report.

Postal Auction Officer’s Report

This Membership year has again seen an auction sale accompanying all six mailings to members. The benefit to Society funds should total over £900, no doubt the Treasurer can provide the exact figure.

May I express my thanks to Phil Thompson for producing the bid forms from my hand written copy, picking up any errors and for the prompt payment of postal and packaging expenses.

In the March sale we listed a selection of magazines published by other Societies which had previously failed to sell on eBay; all bar the 7¼” Gauge News have attracted reasonable bids, and I would welcome further supplies when available.

Sufficient material is held in stock for the May and July sales; but these do not include a lot of narrow gauge titles. Narrow Gauge, industrial and standard gauge titles have proved the most attractive to our Members, with Standard Gauge branchlines and early railways winning a lesser number of bids. The least saleable are the “Railways of the world in full colour” type publications.

As always there are a number of regular bidders who send a bid or two each month on the lots which interest them, and every sale attracts a number of new bidders.

Several winning bidders have commented favourably on the quality and standard of the packaging. Thanks to having a plentiful supply of pristine card, free, the only packaging expense is the tape used; 1.5p per metre max. The winning bidders “prize” is delivered in excellent condition and smartly packaged by someone who cares.

The unsold slides still await collection; payment for these will make the 2017/18 auction sales contribution to Society funds over £1,000.00.

More items for auction are always wanted; Narrow Gauge titles are preferred; you don’t have to die to donate , just have a clear out after all it’s for a good cause. Items handed to Lawson Little or Mick Morgan will reach me swiftly and at no


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cost to the Society. All items are checked against the Library List and the Librarian advised of all narrow Gauge items not in the Library and any “as new” or “Very Good Condition” hardback copies, should the copy held in the Library require “swapping out”.

I am happy to continue to serve for another year, postal auctions using the reverse of the mailing slip for listing ensures 100% of the membership have the opportunity to participate in these sales

Ian AshbyNorman Drake asked if the Postal Auctions were open to overseas Members, he was assured that this was the case, however, Overseas Members will be required to pay the extra-over postage costs in addition to their bid.

Commercial Officer’s Report

See Publicity Officer’s ReportMike Sarsfield

Publications Officer’s Report

See Sales Officer’s report – nothing further to reportPhil Thompson

Legal Assistant’s Report

Not currently availableKen Matticks

There were no questions in respect of the Legal Assistant’s Report.

Jim Hay read out the Librarian’s Report due to it being unavailable for inclusion with the AGM Reports.

Librarian’s Report

Having been unable to attend the last two N.G.R.S. AGMs I could not stay away for this year too, particularly given the fantastic itineraries that are put together each year, and the opportunity to meet and chat with my fellow Society members. I wish you all an enjoyable weekend of railway visits, and a productive AGM meeting - remember this is your Society, and AGMs are an opportunity to help shape the future course of the N.G.R.S. The library continues to hold a number of 'open days' for members each year, more recently these have been focused on the autumn - winter - spring months to better suit members research periods. The number of research enquiries has risen in the last year, roughly on a percentage basis with membership increases. Virtually all enquiries are received by email, although a small number are by Royal Mail, or through 'Messenger'. Whatever your preferred method, all enquiries are welcome ! Postal loans have reduced to virtually nil, a reflection I think of the wealth of good research material available for free on the internet, as well as the digitization of our own research files which are now sent to members via email or 'The Cloud'. Books continue to be well used within the library for research requests.

The past three years have seen the Society take great strides, and this has included growing our previously declining membership. Most of this growth has been through membership offers in conjunction with specialist miniature and modelling society's. A spin off from this growth has been a marked increase in library research enquiries relating directly to modelling. Whilst I am able to provide a wealth of prototype material for modellers from our library material, I am not a modeller myself and am therefore limited in how I can respond to such requests. Your committee has agreed that it would be desirable to recruit a modelling secretary to the committee, a post which the Society used to offer many years ago. If you have a keen knowledge of narrow gauge modelling, and have the time to assist your fellow members with their enquires please make yourself known to a committee member and we would be pleased to discuss the post further.

On the topic of recruiting - the Society library would like to recruit a volunteer, or group of volunteers to act as monitors and harvesters for the wealth of narrow gauge research material which now appears on social media. There is a rich source of original material now appearing in this media, which we should be collecting for future generations of N.G.R.S. members. If such a role would appeal to you, please introduce yourself, or 'friend me' on facebook !

Last year Society member Kim Ward-Bailey completed the very important task of scanning the entire back catalogue of TNG & NGN into a searchable .pdf format. Your committee have decided that such a useful source of information needs to be shared with our membership and the wider narrow gauge community. To this end the first one hundred editions of both TNG & NGN will be available as downloads from the Society website in due course. This will exclude special issues. The full back catalogue is available to researchers through the library as a research tool. Please drop me a line if you have a research enquiry within our past publications.


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A number of excellent 'special issue' publications have been produced over the past few years for the benefit of our members. Some of these special issues contained information drawn from material held in the Society library. Members of your committee have given greatly of their time to produce these publications from raw material. If any members find the idea of being involved in producing a publication appealing, your committee would be greatly appreciative of assistance !

The library has recently received a bequest of 1,245 images from the collection of the late Tony Deller. Sincere thanks have been extended to Jane Bleach, Tony's daughter for this valuable addition to the library. A huge thank you should also be offered to long-standing Society member John Townsend who painstakingly catalogued and scanned these images, ensuring that the collection is instantly open to researchers in the Society library.

Dave Holroyde collection

Your committee has continued to explore options to perpetuate the unique research work Dave undertook into miniature railways, and the legacy left to the Society through his record card collection. This has not been easy due to the need for caution regarding personal data issues, and also to be blunt - the number of cranks who have contacted the librarian wishing to simply plunder the information for their own ends. I have a good option under development currently with a charitable trust, and we hope to have firmer news in this respect by the autumn.

The committee recently agreed to fund the commercial scanning of Dave Holroyde's entire 35mm slide collection. This is already well ordered and labeled, and is therefore most suitable for such a project. Given the current interest in miniature railways within the Society, and the breadth of Dave's photo collection we felt it would be beneficial to make this collection better available to the membership.

The library continues to receive donations from members and non-members alike, and has recently received a collection of 36 locomotive general arrangement drawings relating to various South African systems. Our thanks go to Terry Burnett for this donation.

We have also been fortunate to receive a large collection of slides covering South African and North American topics from David Payling.

All new library additions will appear on the updated library catalogue, and avid researchers will also note that the paper based research material from the collection of the late WJK Davies now appears on the library catalogue. The team of library volunteers continue to progressively scan the print images from the Keith Davies collection, and this is progressing well. The transparencies from this collection are now fully scanned.

Thank you to all Society members who have made use of the library over the past year. Your research enquiries have been a joy to work with, and as ever have stretched my personal knowledge.

My heartfelt thanks to the library volunteers who give their time and enthusiasm, sorting and scanning material, and generally helping out with my narrow gauge knowledge when I am deficient !

Finally, a word of thanks to my long suffering wife Becky who continues to greatly assist me with Society library work and development.

K E E P R E S E A R C H I N GK E E P P U B L I S H I N G !

Jim HayThere were no questions in respect of the Librarian’s Report.Norman Drake thanked Jim Hay for making so much material available

Film & Video Archivist’s Report

The video library is more of a mausoleum than a library with only one loan since April 2017. A great pity as we hold much interesting footage.

There have been a large number of additions to the library from bequests over the last 12 months, both DVDs & a number of VHS tapes which are being converted to DVD & added to the library. Virtually all of the additions are commercial programmes rather than members own footage. Most of them cover ‘miniature’ lines.

When the VHS transfers are completed there will be 185 DVDs available to the membership, currently there are 110.

The Society is still willing to transfer cine film or VHS footage taken by members onto DVD for the library [with copy to the donor] but this has not happened for many years although several members have kindly given some of their footage on DVD to the library.


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The library list is on the NGRS website & for members or printouts can be supplied to members without internet access.

The Video Librarian is prepared to continue to maintain the library as it is operated now, but is happy to pass it on to anyone else who might have more ambitious plans for it.

Mike JacksonThere were no questions in respect of the Video Archivist’s Report.

Webmaster’s Report

The year’s routine of adding, updating and deleting website documents has been more interrupted than usual this year, with more time than usual being spent on servicing Committee Member’s and in sorting out file formatting and membership issues. Membermojo has automated the emailing of members making life simpler than before and although not everyone has an email address, and not all are correct, overall accuracy continues to improve. Accuracy in email addresses is vital now that ALL members are emailed once every two months, rather than just the e-Members.

I am pleased to again report the receipt of a number of website contributions from Branches advising and promoting their meetings and other events of interest. Thanks go to those who send them in as it does show the outside world, as well as ourselves, that the NGRS is alive and active in local areas, both for it’s members and potential members with similar interests.

There have been very few member contributions of pictures, videos or articles for the website this year. They may be being made directly to magazine editors instead, or perhaps viewing and therefore contribution has moved from website to social media. Do consider sending in notes and/or pictures as both members and prospective members do find them interesting and useful. For information, the website address remains http://ngrs.org or http://www.ngrs.org.

Regarding the Yahoo Group “NGRailwaySociety”, we now have 243 members, an overall increase of 6 over last year, with one or two losses. This is an un-moderated open site, and one into which NGRS members and anyone else can have an input. The site does provide a flow of news, views and questions to a wide audience at home and abroad and advance announcements can be useful via this medium. However, it is clear that Yahoo Group audiences are very different to Facebook page audiences, which attract a younger, more vibrant group of people. However a move to a different medium, such as Groups.io, is not seen as a useful exercise at this time .

Do promote the group among your friends because the NGRS membership is a vast knowledge pool which should be shared with people of similar interests.

Mick MorganThere were no questions in respect of the Webmaster’s Report.

Facebook Administrator’s Report

Despite a certain amount of bad press for Facebook in general in recent weeks there seems to be no reduction in the interest shown in the NGRS Facebook group. Membership continues to grow daily (84 in the last 28 days as I write) and currently stands at more than 1600. This shows a good following after three years since the group began but should be compared with over 9000 members of the Narrow Gauge Enthusiasts group which has been around somewhat longer. One of the good things about the way Facebook works is that it suggests groups to join dependant on your demonstrated interest in other similar groups. As a result, many new members come to us from the other narrow gauge groups, meaning they get to know about the Society and the advantages of joining.

Most of the work of the Facebook Administrator is to vet people asking to join. For the last few months, people requesting to join the NGRS group have been asked two simple questions to assist in deciding whether they are actual railway enthusiasts rather than imposters with ulterior motives. The questions are: How did you hear about NGRS? And which narrow gauge railways are you particularly interested in? I have not kept detailed records of the responses but most have either already been members of the NGRS or they had the group suggested by Facebook. The areas of interest are wide and varied but with a definite bias towards the Welsh lines as might be guessed.

Similarly, we have group members from all over the globe but with the lion’s share being UK based. Many share their photos and videos with the group, which is the main function of the group. Some posts are in languages other than English but fortunately, there is a handy translate button which assists!

A couple more statistics: In the last 28 days, there have been 107 posts and 1200 active members i.e. those who viewed, liked or commented.

The NGRS Facebook page, rather than the group, continues to attract hits but is a more static window on the Society for casual internet searchers to come across rather than the vibrant forum, which is the group.


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There are those who prefer not to join Facebook, which is of course their prerogative. I treat it as just another channel to feed my narrow gauge enthusiasm.

Chris RobertsThere were no questions in respect of the Facebook Administrator’s Report.

Visit’s Officer’s Report

13 visits were organized during 2017, at four of the visits the Society acted as ticket agents for the organisers, Statfold & Richmond Farm. An overall profit was £302 was made.

A similar number of visits are planned for 2018 & the first Statfold visit has already passed.

A first for the Society in October is a photo-charter on the RH&DR involving THE BUG & SAMSON. Please support this visit & book your places as soon as you can as we have to confirm the charter with the Romney by mid-June.

The Visits Officer is always grateful to hear of suggestions of private lines that do not normally open to the public, particularly in the north of England.

The Visits Officer is prepared to continue on into 2019.

Finally I would like to add a special note of thanks to Sheila Little and Andy Morgan for their work in promoting the Society at events (especially Statfold Barn) as well as the catering they have provided at a number of the NGRS visits

Mike JacksonThere were no questions in respect of the Visit’s Officer’s Report.

Publicity/Exhibitions Officer’s Report

Mike Sarsfield’s Final report as Publicity Officer

For family reason’s I have had to give the post. In my short time in this post I have realised how important it is to spread the word about the society for the benefit of future generations.

1. The advert for the society that appears in Narrow Gauge World magazine has been revised and could be used elsewhere. Reaction to it has been positive, with it being eye-catching but also boasting a different picture every month to keep it feeling fresh- I hope some of you have noticed it - it would be interesting to know if it has worked?

2. Attendance at show’s and events has been a bit disappointing due to organisers not getting back to me or reorganising their administration and losing the original request. Also, due to the distance to some of the events I could not always make it but currently there are no local publicity assistants nearby who I could ask to cover the event.

3. I consider that the Society should consider two separate stands for geographic reasons. There also neds to be decisions made in respect of what sales stock is held.

4. The proposal to produce a model wagon in Society livery is on hold and it is unclear if this could be achieved economically. A transfer of the society logo would be considerably cheaper to produce and could be used in different scales to help raise money for the Society

5. I have investigated getting publicity for the Society in other magazines, this has proved uneconomic with high quotes from magazines and it is anticipated it would not cover its costs in terms of recruitment.

6. It is possible to get publicity for the Society by getting an article about the Society or its activities published. If anyone would like to write a suitable article please contact a Committee member.

7. I have contacted the Editor of Steam Railway magazine, which has a narrow gauge section, he indicated that they would be willing to publish an article about the society and events we have organised.

8. I found that when I was at shows and events with my model narrow gauge railway layout people would stop and talk to me about narrow gauge railways. A working display or a diorama will help to draw in the crowd.


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I believe that the Society needs to reconsider its approach to attending shows, as the Statfold barn experience, has shown that there is a ready market for the Society.

Mike SarsfieldThere were no questions in respect of the Publicity/Exhibitions Officer’s Report.

Area Group Secretary’s Reports

Lincolnshire Area

Ladies & Gentlemen, at the urging of the NGRS Secretary I am pleased to offer a report on the Lincs Area NGG for 2017/8.

Following changes within the NGRS the Lincolnshire Area of the NGRS has become the LANGG, thus reverting to the situation that existed when were founded, back in 1983. We are a ‘free-standing group’, supportive of the NGRS but not part of it. We offer a wide range of subjects at our bi-monthly meetings which attract a group of enthusiasts with many years experience of the narrow gauge world, be it as researcher, photographer or at the ‘sharp’ or ‘blunt’ ends of preserved trains (or museums). It could be said that our ‘armchair’ members are just as likely to be found in hotels in Darjeeling as they are in front of their own fires.

Our 2017/8 series of presentations has included talks on Bord na Mona, Fowler locomotives, WDLR in the Middle East, Quarry Railways & Tramways of the Yorkshire Dales, ‘historic’ film from Darjeeling (& elsewhere) and, most recently, Sentinel Steam railcars, with an emphasis on the Sri Lanka machines. In the fairly near future we will be hosting Andrew Neale’s latest presentation on Dinorwic & Nantlle and another of Adrian Foster’s monochrome tours of the UK industrial scene (in the days when we were younger).

The Lincolnshire Area NGG remains in good heart despite the setbacks of the last twelve months – our ‘expulsion’ at minimal notice from our ‘home’ of many years (due to closure) could have been better handled – it would have been nice to have been told. Fortunately our new venue in the ‘Golden Eagle’ is coping well with us: the beer is a lot better and, as those who were around in 1983 will recall, this is where we held out first meetings.

The Lincolnshire Area Narrow Gauge Group welcomes all NGRS members to our meetings in our warm, cosy, fully insured meeting room in the ‘Golden Eagle’, but we stress that membership of the NGRS is not a pre-requisite of visiting us. Details of the programme can be found on the main NGRS website or on http://www.photrek.co.uk/narrowgauge.html

Tim HudsonThere were no questions in respect of the Lincolnshire Area’s Report.

London & Southern Area

Here is the report from the London and Southern Area to the Society’s 2018 AGM.

As usual, the Area’s activities have been focused on a series of monthly meetings held in London. These are run jointly with our friends from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. Our meetings season runs from October to April. Attendance during the season so far has been all right, and we have been able to cover our costs at Keen House.

Speakers during the last year have included Adrian Garner, Andrew Charman, Andrew Neale, Geoff Gauntlett, Hugh Smith, Michael Reilly, Mike Jackson, Richard Moules, Tom White and Tony Tomkins. Their presentations, slides and films were all enjoyable, and in their different ways emphasised the enormous wealth of narrow gauge knowledge they share. We are grateful to all of them for putting the time aside to come and talk to us, and for all the preparatory work such high quality shows entail.

We would also like to thank Hugh Smith for hosting our meetings at Keen House on behalf of the Model Railway Club and for all his help.

Our thanks go too to Paul and Mick for advertising our meetings in NGN and on the Society website.Peter Lemmey

There were no questions in respect of the London & Southern Area’s Report.

Yorkshire Area

I have pleasure in presenting the annual report of the Yorkshire Area meeting for 2017.

The meetings at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, which run from October through to May, have covered a wide range of topics including the following:


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South Africa (deferred from the previous year), British Tramways as well as grand tours around the world and across Europe from speakers who have travelled extensively.

At the time of writing we still have sessions on North Wales Slate at Dinorwic and Nantlle and Brick and Tile Works in Yorkshire and Humberside yet to come. Unfortunately we had to cancel the March meeting (Quarry railways and tramways in the Yorkshire Dales part 2) due to adverse weather but the local speaker will be rebooked!

Attendance now averages 24 which sadly no longer covers costs with some speakers from further away. The suggested meeting donation will be increased to compensate.

I would like to place on record our collective thanks for the work of the rest of the team: Peter Martin who manages the finances, Bob Schofield who arranges most of the programme, and Nigel Ponsford who keeps us in order. We also thank Anne and Nigel for the provision of refreshments; our speakers for their entertaining shows, and of course the members who regularly support the shows and events.

Rod TicknerThere were no questions in respect of the Yorkshire Area’s Report.

Sub-Committee Reports

JUNIN Sub-Committee

Proposed Restoration of Locomotive JUNIN

Despite apparent progress in early 2016, and the support of staff at Armley Mills Museum, by mid-2017 Leeds Museums appeared to have completely lost interest in the proposed restoration of the 2ft 6in Hudswell Clarke 2-6-2DM locomotive JUNIN.

An email in May 2017 was elicited no response. Three months later a reminder was sent, saying that we would assume Leeds Museums did not consider an NGRS led restoration of JUNIN to be a priority, and that if we had not heard to the contrary by the end of September the project would be suspended.

As there was no response to this further email, at the end of October I therefore informed the NGRS Secretary of the situation and the JUNIN sub-committee was subsequently disbanded. However, we remain available to progress this restoration should Leeds Museums wish to contact us in the future.

This was a sad end to a project to restore a unique and historic locomotive.

Photos: JUNIN at Armley Mills Museum, 22 April 2017 Sydney A Leleux

There were no questions in respect of the JUNIN Sub-Committee’s Report.

Local Area Groups Sub-Committee

The Sub-Committee had concluded its work in respect of clarifying the relationship of the Local Area Groups with the Company and issues of Public Liability Insurance by the occasion of the 2017 NGRS AGM.


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As recorded last year the Malvern Group has elected to sever its ties with the NGRS, the remaining groups (London and Southern, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire have all been issued with a formal licence to allow them to market themselves as NGRS and use the Society Logo in their publicity materials.

The work of the Sub-Committee was considered to have been completed in January of this year (2018) and the Sub-Committee has been formally wound up.

Alan Burgess/ Steve Barber

John Davison asked the Members of the sub-committee present about the action of the Herford and Worcester Area Group in severing their ties with the NGRS, the Secretary responded that this was deeply regrettable, and that the action had been taken by that LAG as a result of advice which they had received and to which the Society was not privy, no other Group had taken this action, and the Sub-Committee felt that this was answered in the previous minutes

The Secretary however explained that the Local Area Group required the NGRS to provide insurance cover for non-members attending their meetings. The LAG meetings had become public meetings, the NGRS continue to insure Society members in attendance, however, to extend the NGRS insurances to cover such an unquantifiable risk was expensive and would result in members subsidising others who may attend the meetings. This was considered not to provide a benefit to the Society, as there was no evidence that any of these non-members had joined the Society because of attending a Local Area Group.

Formal business of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society as a Limited Company

Upon motion duly made, seconded and carried the financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2017 and the accountants report thereon and the directors’ report was accepted (the Secretary to attach a copy to the Minutes.)

Proposed: Iain McCallSeconded: George CashVotes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

In accordance with the Articles, there was an election of Directors, each member present casting a vote. Following the unanimous agreement of the members present, the Directors were elected en-block. Lawson Little retired as a Director during the year. The votes were tallied and the results were as follows:

Alan Burgess (Chairman, The Narrow Gauge Editor & Narrow Gauge News Overseas Editor) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Steve Barber (Company Secretary) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Paul Bennett (Narrow Gauge News Editor) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Jim Hay (Librarian) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Mick Morgan (Webmaster) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Chris Roberts (Facebook Administrator) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Phil Thompson (Treasurer, Sales Officer & Publications Officer) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

Robert Watson (eBay Shop Administrator) Votes: 65 (33+32 Proxy)

No member had come forward as a Director to represent the interests of the Membership

Upon motion duly made, seconded and carried the foregoing persons were elected to serve as Directors for one year or until the next members meeting

Proposed: Fred PughSeconded: Ian Logie


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Other Informal BusinessDetails of the Company Officer structure and contacts details are in Appendix B

Company Officers

Vacancies Publicity / Exhibitions Officer Modelling Secretary Miniature Railway Records Officer Assistant Librarian

None of the assembled members came forward to fill these vacancies

Next Year’s AGM

Next year’s AGM is planned to be held on 11th May 2019 and may be at Beamish.

Any other Business.

Paul Bennet reminded Members of the Society’s publicity/ membership leaflets and asked Members to take them along to other railways and Societies. These may be obtained from Phil Thompson.

The Committee recommended Life Membership be extended to Philip Pacey in recognition of his work for the Society and Paul Bennett spoke about his qualities and his contribution to the Society. Those present endorsed this recommendation; the Secretary would prepare a letter to this effect.

The Narrow Gauge Editor had considered the issues raised at last year’s AGM in respect of the format of “The Narrow Gauge” and two recent editions had been in A4 size. He stated that the use of A4 format was currently dictated by the nature of the material, which would become almost unreadable in the current 6” X 8” format. The Editor stated that personally he would like to go to A4 as this would allow photographs and other visual materials and to this end, he conducted a “straw poll” to see if there were any objections to this change. There were no objectors but there was a request that adequate notice should be given and that the issue number should be consistently placed on the cover.

The TNG Editor added that the potential costs of producing The Narrow Gauge in A4 were almost exactly the same as for the current format, the additional cost of colour material in both The Narrow Gauge and Narrow Gauge News was around 25-30% higher than Black and White, but it was clearly preferred by the members. It was also pointed out that future technologies such as print on demand already only accommodate standard size papers, which do not include 6”x8”.

Norman Drake addressed the membership in respect of an offer to visit the Malaysian palm oil railways of United Plantations Berhad. The offer was for 10 members to visit the railways for three days, “all found”. The only expense would be flights to and from Malaysia. Full details are attached in Appendix C to these Minutes.

Nick Burton asked if we could link the tour to a membership offer, as many would join to gain such a trip, Norman Drake suggested that the offer should only be open to existing members and United Plantations wished to ensure that the party comprised true enthusiasts.

Fred Pugh pointed out that as next years AGM would be in the North, the following one should be in the South and stated that Bill Best at the Bredgar and Wormshill Railway would be pleased to be our hosts. The Secretary undertook to bear this in mind.

Iain McCall expressed thanks to the Committee, on behalf of the Membership for their hard work throughout the year.

Alan Burgess expressed his thanks to his fellow Directors and Officers and especially the Secretary for the organisation of the Annual General Meeting.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned circa 15:42


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Appendix AAccounts


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Appendix BDirectors, Committee Members & Vacancies 2018

Narrow Gauge Railway SocietyExecutive Officers

Solid Shading indicates NGRS Company Director


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NGRS DIRECTOR and COMPANY OFFICER CONTACT LIST – 19/04/2018

Chairman Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Steve Barber Director “Hillbury Cottage”, 246 Hillbury Road, Warlingham, Surrey.

CR6 [email protected]

Treasurer Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] Membership Secretary Lawson Little 1 Archer’s Drive, Old Bilsthorpe, Newark, Notts. NG22 8SD [email protected] Jim Hay Director 7 North Road, Combe Down, Bath BA2 5DE [email protected] Librarian VacantFilm & Video Archivist Mike Jackson 6 Coastguard Cottages, Upper Road, Dover. CT16 1HS [email protected] Editor Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Editor Paul Bennett Director 90 Stortford Hall Park, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5AN [email protected] UK Editor Gerry Balding 75 Vane Close, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk NR7

[email protected]

NGN Miniature Editor David Nicholson

57 Broadway, Hengistbury Head, Southbourne, Bournemouth. BH64EG

[email protected]

NGN History and Archeology Editor

Graham Feldwick

22A Ropers Lane, Wareham, Dorset BH20 4QT [email protected]

NGN Event Diary Editor Lawson Little 1 Archer’s Drive, Old Bilsthorpe, Newark, Notts. NG22 8SD [email protected] Overseas Editor Alan Burgess Director 6 The Crescent, Orton Longueville, Peterborough. PE2 7DT [email protected] Officer Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] eBay Shop Administrator Robert Watson Director 24 Hillcrest Drive, Loughborough, Leicester. LE11 2GX robertngrs(@robertwatson.orgPublications Officer Phil Thompson Director 115a Church Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield. S35 9WF [email protected] Postal Auctions Officer Ian Ashby Valley Nurseries, Pershore Road, Evesham, Worcs, WR11

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Webmaster Mick Morgan Director 29 Groby Road, Ratby, Leicester. LE6 0LJ [email protected] Administrator Chris Roberts Director 296 Torrisholme Road, Lancaster, LA1 2TU [email protected]

[email protected] Visits Officer Mike Jackson 6 Coastguard Cottages, Upper Road, Dover. CT16 1HS [email protected] Assistant Ken Matticks 1428 West Pine Avenue, MIDLAND, .TX 79705 USA [email protected] Publicity / Exhibitions Officer VacantMiniature Railway Records Officer

Vacant

Modelling Secretary Vacant


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DRAFT

Society Officer Vacancies

Publicity / Exhibitions OfficersThe Publicity Officer attends Various Railways with the Society Stand and organises publicity to raise the profile of the Society and encourage new members. The Society would be happy to have many members undertaking this role on a local level

Modelling SecretaryThe modelling Secretary will be required to encourage the modelling of narrow gauge subjects, provide reviews of products, correspond with members and provide irregular articles to Narrow Gauge News

Miniature Railway Records OfficerThe Miniature Railways Records Officer will maintain the Society’s database of Miniature locomotives and lines and assist the Librarian in responding to research queries.

Assistant LibrarianAssist in all aspects of running the Library and deputise for the Librarian when he is unavailable.

GeneralThe Directors are always pleased to be offered assistance with administering the Society. It should be noted that several of the Directors and Society Officers are fulfilling more than one role and it would be prudent to reduce their commitments.

Assistance in organising visits and AGMs etc. is also gratefully accepted and is usually required on a geographic basis.

If you believe you are able to help in any of the forgoing areas or you are prepared to give general assistance including assisting in cataloguing our library (books, images, moving images/ other) please do not hesitate to contact the Secretary or other Director or Society Officer for further information.


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Appendix CUnited Plantations Offer

A WONDERFUL OFFER TO ALL NGRS MEMBERS

UNITED PLANTATIONS BERHAD, MALAYSIA have offered 10 NGRS members the opportunity to visit some of their huge palm oil plantations in Malaysia. These vast plantations are served by some 600km of 70cm gauge light railways. The vast network of rail transport, together with an eclectic mixture of locomotives, many of them Simplex and Motorail, are used on a daily basis to service the palm fruit processing mills.

This wonderful Light Rail system together with the processing mills, both old style and a brand new one, which whilst being the most modern and technically the most advanced in the world, still all use the same 70cm track.

These unique systems were covered in 2011 in the special issue of ‘The Narrow Gauge’, issue 215 but here is a chance for 10 NGRS members to see this incredible narrow gauge rail network in action for themselves.

This offer is made through the generosity of the Company United Plantations Berhad, who are the world leaders in the growing, processing and Marketing of totally sustainable palm oil. The Company which has been in business for over 120 years, is publicly listed on both the Malaysia and Danish stock exchanges. The Company not only grow oil palms by the millions, but their plantations also grow over 25% of the total Malaysian output of coconuts.

WHAT IS OFFERED TO 10 MEMBERS OF THE NGRS BY THE COMPANY?

A 4 day visit including 3 nights accommodation, all meals and all transport to, from and whilst in their plantations, to view the operating 70cm gauge light railways system, together with the processing mills, on various Company owned palm oil plantations in Malaysia, 200km North from Kuala Lumpur.

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS?

You will have to pay your own air fare to and from Kuala Lumpur, (approximately £470-600 economy from the UK). A group booking may be possible if the members who are chosen wish to travel that way

You will need to have full travel insurance and of course a valid passport with at least 18 months expiry from 1st of July 2018

You will need a Doctor’s clearance of fitness, due to the plantations being nearly on the equator. The weather is always hot, about 33°C, and very, very humid, which can be overpowering. Malaysia is a tropical country. Air conditioning is normal, however out in the open for photography is different.

The date of the visit is open and will be selected from a choice of 4 months; however it will be chosen by the majority of votes of those members selected.

HOW WILL YOU BE CHOSEN?


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All members interested and who believe they will meet the requirements are asked to register on the attached ‘expression of interest’ form. The registrations will be listed and numbered in order of receipt; after the closing date is reached and the total number of entries is known. The total number will be sent to Mr Martin Bec-Nielsen, Executive Director (Finance and Marketing) United Plantations Berhad in Malaysia. He will select 10 numbers at random, plus three more as reserves.

No officer or member of the NGRS has any non-administrative involvement in the selection.

All thanks go to the Director and Company who so kindly offered this wonderful opportunity for members. If an overseas member is chosen the offer still stands - you would need to make your way to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with the others.WHEN WOULD YOU KNOW?

On the 10th August 2018 by email or by mail posted on that date. All out of pocket expenses, extra time before or after the visit, in Malaysia or elsewhere will be at your expense. At this stage this is only an expression of interest, as there are many smaller details to be worked out. However, once the amount of member interest is known and the members chosen, final planning can then take place. This offer is being made by the Company United Plantations Berhad and is not being made by the NGRS, which has no part in this offer. However, one member of the NGRS is facilitating this offer between the Company United Plantations Berhad and members.

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REPORTS FOR 63RD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGukprsl.uk/ngrs/downloads/AGM/Mins of 3rd AGM-Draft v1...

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