Tynedalesman - AGM Report & Society Officials

Notice of 2003 Annual General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the twentieth Annual General Meeting of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society (limited by guarantee: company registration No. 1850832; registered charity No. 514939) will be held at the Masonic Hall, Alston, Cumbria, on Saturday 8th November 2003, commencing at 13.30 hours, to transact the following business:-

1. To receive apologies for absence.
2. To adopt the minutes of the 19th Annual General Meeting, held on 9th November 2002.
3. To receive the reports of the Chairman, Officers and Heads of Departments.
4. To receive the Treasurer�s report:-
��(a) Statutory report and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2003.
��(b) Traffic and financial summary for the six months ended 30th September 2003.
5. To elect Council of Management members.
6. To appoint Reporting Accountants and authorise the Council of Managements to agree their remuneration.
7. To adopt membership subscription rates for the ensuing year.

By order of the Council of Management.

S. G. Dyke, Company Secretary.
The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria.

21st September 2003.

Note:-

A copy of the minutes of the 2002 Annual General Meeting and the reports of the Chairman, Officers and Heads of Departments accompany this notice.

In accordance with the procedure adopted following discussion at the 2000 Annual General Meeting, the full statutory report and accounts for the last financial year will not be sent to all of the members, but a summary financial report will be issued. The full report and accounts will be supplied to any member on written request to the Treasurer: Mr. J. M. Ryan, 7 Centurion Park, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1UL, or e-mail: [email protected]

Members are reminded that the description of this year�s Annual General Meeting as the twentieth relates only to meetings held since incorporation of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society in its present form as a company limited by guarantee. Prior to that date, ten Annual General Meetings of the unincorporated Society had taken place.

Directions to the Meeting Venue:-

Members travelling by car are advised to park at Alston Station, from where it is only a few minutes walk to the meeting venue. From the station approach, turn right and walk up the hill towards the town centre, then left at the junction beside the Town Hall. Go along the passageway which is the first opening on the left (opposite the Town Hall) and the Masonic Hall is straight ahead.

There are no specific arrangements for lunch, but bar meals can be obtained at the Angel Inn (opposite the Town Hall) and at the Turk�s Head (beside the Market Cross), and there are other refreshment facilities in the town of Alston.

Timetable for Annual General Meeting Day - Saturday 8th November 2003

13.00 �� Meeting venue open

13.30 �� Annual General Meeting at the Masonic Hall

14.30 �� Tea and biscuits available

15.00 �� Informal meeting (see below)

Attendance and Voting at the Annual General Meeting

Only paid-up members of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, or their proxies, may attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting. Junior associates (under 18 years of age) may attend the meeting but they are not eligible to vote.

Any member entitled to vote but unable to attend the meeting may appoint a proxy (who need not be a member of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, but must be at least 18 years of age) to attend and vote in his or her place. Any member wishing to appoint a proxy should apply in writing or by telephone to the Secretary (at 20 Skipton Road, Ilkley, Yorkshire, LS29 9EJ; telephone 01943 601598) for the necessary form, in time for it to be completed and returned at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Election of the Council of Management

Chairman and Deputy Chairman:-

In accordance with Article 39(a), there is a three-year term of office for the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman. Elections for these posts, therefore, will not be held at this Annual General Meeting, as Mr. J. M. Sutton and Mr E. A. Blackburn respectively have one further year to serve.

Ordinary members of the Council of Management:-

In accordance with Article 39(b), Mr. R. A. Alderson and Mr. R. N. Graham retire by rotation at this Annual General Meeting and are eligible for re-election.

Additionally, the following nomination has been received from Mr. R. J. Harper - proposed by Mr. D. Hughes. The �pen portrait� submitted by the above new nominee is circulated with this notice.

The closing date for nominations to the Council of Management, as notified to members in the June 2003 issue of Tynedalesman, was 1st September 2003. As the number of people seeking election or re-election does not exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot is not essential and the candidates may be declared elected or re-elected unopposed. Any member (or a member�s proxy) attending the meeting may, however request a ballot, in which case the members present (in person or by proxy) may vote for or against the election of each candidate. The Council of Management are empowered to fill any of the remaining vacancies.

The Council of Management are responsible for appointing the Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary (which are the officer posts specified in the Articles), also the Heads of Departments and any other officers considered necessary, and may resolve at any time to rescind any offer officer appointment.

Informal Meeting

In accordance with a decision of the Council of Management, the Annual General Meeting is intended to deal only with the formal business that is required to be transacted at such a meeting, as set out on the agenda. Formal resolutions, unless referred to on the agenda, are not admissible at the Annual General Meeting, but the informal meeting that follows the Annual General Meeting is intended as a forum for discussion of any matters that members wish to raise. There is a procedure for convening an extraordinary general meeting in the event of it being felt necessary to consider subsequently a formal resolution on any matter.

Members are invited to give advance notification (in writing to the Secretary at 20 Skipton Road, Ilkley, Yorkshire, LS29 9EJ) of any items that they wish to raise at an informal meeting, so that any relevant information can be made available for the meeting.

Annual General Meeting: 8th November 2003
Agenda Item 2: Minutes of the 19th A.G.M., held on 9th November 2002

Minutes of the nineteenth Annual General Meeting of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society (limited by guarantee: company registration No. 1850832; registered charity No. 514939), held on Saturday 9th November 2002 in the Masonic Hall, Alston, Cumbria. Thirty members were present.

Opening remarks
The Chairman, Mr. J. M. Sutton, opened the meeting at 13.30 hours and welcomed those attending.

Apologies
Apologies for absence were received from eleven members.

Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes of the eighteenth Annual General Meeting of the incorporated Society, held on 3rd November 2001, copies of which had been circulatedto members in advance of the meeting, were adopted as a correct record.

Reports of Chairman, Offices and Heads of Departments
The written reports submitted by the following, copies of which had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting, were received:-

Chairman - Mr. J. M. Sutton;
Company Secretary - Mr. S. G. Dyke;
Membership Secretary - Mrs K. A. Aveyard;
Infrastructure Department (Forum 1) - Mr R. N. Graham;
Operating Department (Forum 2) - Mr. R. A. Alderson;
Engineering Department (Forum 3) - Mr. E. A. Blackburn;
Commercial Department (Forum 4) - Mr. I. Ward.

No questions were raised relating to the content of the above reports.

Treasurer�s report
The Treasurer, Mr. J. M. Ryan, presented the statutory reports and accounts for the year ending 31st March 2002, in respect of the Society and its subsidiary trading company, copies of which were circulated at the meeting. They had been presented to, and approved by, the Council of Management on 5th October 2002.

In accordance with the procedure introduced in 2000, a financial summary had been issued to all of the members in advance of the meeting, with copies of the full statutory reports and accounts available to members on request.

The accounts had been drawn up by Dodd & Company, who had confirmed that, with the exemptions available to small companies, that there was now no requirement for a formal audit or for presentation of consolidated accounts. The Council of Management had agreed that, as the accounts had been prepared professionally, there was no necessity for an independent examination.

The Treasurer explained that there were minor changes to the presentation of the accounts this year, because of changes in the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities, and said that he would endeavour to answer any questions from members, either at the meeting or later. No questions were raised at the meeting and the Chairman expressed thanks to the Treasurer for his work.

The meeting agreed to accept the statutory reports and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2002.

The Financial Administrator then gave a brief summary of the financial situation for the first half of the current year, mentioning: increases in passenger traffic, fare income and shop sales; the programme of Alston Line 150th Anniversary events that had attracted grant support, the progress of the Extension Appeal; and the value of volunteers� work that is taken into account by grant administrators. No questions were raised relating to this summary.

Election of the Council of Management
Elections were not held for the posts of Chairman and Deputy Chairman, as Mr. J. M. Sutton and Mr E. A. Blackburn respectively had two further years of their three-year terms of office to serve.

In accordance with Article 39(b), Mr. S. G. Dyke and Mr. C. R. McIntyre were retiring as ordinary members of the Council of Management and eligible for re-election. No other nominations for ordinary members of the Council of Management had been made. A ballot was conducted, at the request of Mr. R. Johnson, with the result that Mr Dyke was re-elected unanimously and Mr C. R. McIntyre was re-elected with 14 votes in favour and 13 votes against.

Appointment of reporting accountants

As the requirement for a formal audit no longer applied, it was resolved to ratify the appointment of Dodd & Company as reporting accountants and to authorise the Council of Management to re-appoint them on a similar basis for a further year at a remuneration to be agreed by the Council of Management.

Adoption of subscription rates

It was resolved to adopt the recommendation of the Council of Management , as referred to in the Membership Secretary�s report, that for 2003, membership subscription rates should remain at the present levels, which were adopted on 3rd November 2001.

Closing remarks

The Chairman closed the formal meeting at 13.59 hours.

Annual General Meeting: 8th November 2003
Agenda Item 3: Reports of Chairman, Officers and Heads of Departments

CHAIRMAN�S REPORT
John Sutton

When you elected me as Chairman in November 2001, I told you about my aims during my three years in office.
How well have we done so far?

1.�� During 2002 we increased passenger numbers; however so far this year has not been as successful.
2.�� Have managed to avoid the need to use the overdraft facility over the past year and our fixed-term bank loan is being repaid as scheduled.
3.�� Have obtained quotes for the repair of carriage No. 1.
4.�� We have around �12,000 in the Extension Appeal Fund and we are in the throes of a plan of work, together with costings, for the Slaggyford extension.
5.�� We have an increase in working volunteers, although not the 10% increase in members that I would have liked.

It is always nice to see new faces and to make new friends; they also bring along with them fresh ideas and enthusiasm coupled with a variety of expertise. I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming John Gillot, a recent new member, to the post of Publicity Officer; I wish you every success.

Naklo is our working steam locomotive at present but will be joined by Helen Kathryn next year. In 2005 Thomas Edmondson will be back in steam. We have also received confirmation that we will be having the locomotive Barber, ex-Harrogate Gas Works, on loan from Leeds City Council through Armley Mills Industrial Museum. Built by Thomas Green and Sons, we are led to believe that it is the only steam locomotive built by this company, which is still in existence.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Council of Management for their support during 2002/03. I believe in working as a team with good effective communication with all.

It only remains for me to say yet again to all of you: thank you, for your support, hard work and advice, and most importantly for your time and energy to manage, operate and maintain our railway.

SECRETARY�S REPORT
Steven Dyke

After the success of the Alston Line 150th Anniversary events in 2002, I commented in Tynedalesman that, although there would be other noteworthy occasions to mark in the current year, there might be the risk of �anniversary fatigue� if we were to use them as the basis for special events. That does not, however, preclude a reminder here that 3rd April 2003 was the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, and that 30th July marked the twentieth anniversary of the first passenger trains on our narrow gauge line. The idea of a �Steamathon� (which woukd involve more or less continuous train operation over 24 hours) was put forward initially as an event to celebrate 20 years of South Tynedale Railway passenger trains, but it was decided to defer this until 2004, when it will link in with what is planned to be a national programme of events to mark the bicentenary of the steam railway locomotive.

Our programme of special events in 2003 has taken a rather different form to that of recent years, with the absence of �Friends of Thomas� weekends, but our strategy of replacement events coupled with an increase in ordinary fares appears to be largely on target in terms of passenger numbers and income. At the time of writing, the response to our Hallowe�en event has yet to be seen, but hopefully it will prove to be - in the way that youngsters express their unreserved approval - �wicked�.

Although it is impracticable for me to attend meetings regularly, I continue to deal with such administrative duties as I can, and once again express my appreciation to Tom Bell for deputising for me so effectively at meetings and dealing with various items of Society business. Thanks are due also to all of the Council of Management members and officers for their respective roles and responsibilities in managing the Society�s activities. Since the last Annual General Meeting, there will have ben seven meetings of the Council of Management, with only one of the scheduled dates proving to be unnecessary because of lack of business. The main items dealt with at Council of Management meetings, except where confidentiality is necessary, continue to be reported in Tynedalesman and in the On Track newsletter for working members. One significant achievement that I feel deserves another mention is the successful bid for Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the Thomas Edmondson restoration project. Having had some involvement elsewhere in such bids, I am aware of the level of competition for the available funds and the complexity of the application process. A special acknowledgement, then, to Norman Cook for being in the �driving seat� of the grant bid; to others who contributed; and of course to those now involved in carrying out the restoration work.

Reverting, finally, to the theme of anniversaries, this autumn marks the 30th anniversary of the Society�s newsletter, Tynedalesman, and co-incidentally it sees a change of compiler. Phil Aveyard�s involvement began with issue No. 100, as what was perhaps seen as a temporary expedient, and after 36 further issues has decided to hang up his mouse. A sincere thank you to Phil for undertaking this important task so effectively, and all encouragement to Robin Alderson, who has offered to take over on a trial basis.

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY�S REPORT
Kathy Aveyard

Membership Statistics

At the time of my reports to the 2001 and 2002 Annual General Meetings there were 260 members.

This has remained unchanged for a third year running, with 260 members in 2003.

In 2002 there were 20 new and 4 rejoined members, with 21 members lost from the figures from non-renewals and 3 members deceased.

In 2003 there were 16 new members, with 13 non-renewals, 1 resignation and 2 members deceased.

Of the 16 new members, 1 is from Alston, 4 are from the North West and 7 are from the North East. 7 (44%) of these have expressed an interest in becoming actively involved with the Society�s activities.

Of the total membership:-

39% are from the North East
25% are from the North West
5% are from the West Midlands

34% (88) are life members
37% (97) are members paying the full annual rate

We have 1 complimentary member in regcognition of services to the Society.

The remaining members pay the reduced rate (66%) subscription (junior associate, senior citizen or subsequent member at the same address as a full member).

Membership subscription Rates

The Council of Management recommends that the subscription ratyes remain unchanged for 2004, but the situation should be reviewed next year, in 2004, when the costs of the new production arrangements for Tynedalesman are known.

Members who may be interested in converting to Life Membership are reminded that the Council of Management has agreed that this may be done over 4 years in equal instalments, based on the rate in the first year of payment.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEPARTMENT (Forum 1)
Richard Graham

I don�t know wether apathy has set in, whether people have been otherwise committed, or whether everyone is just happy with what is going on, but there has been no interest since last autumn in meetings of Forum 1. Even so, this has certainly not stopped work being done, and much has been achieved during the year.

Apart from a small amount of ballasting, packing one or two uneven bits of track, and some tree clearance, all as part of routine maintenance, the majority of the work done over the last year has been in the Alston Station area.

Way back in 1983, after the railway had just opened, I remember people saying that we expected to be open to Slaggyford in about 5 years ............. It�s not only the big jobs that seem to take much longer than expected. In 1985, a water tank was erected on a stack of sleepers at the south end of Alston Platform. This was a temporary measure so that we could operate our infant steam service. The permanent solution was to be a tank built on a brick base, somewhere away from the trackside. Seventeen years later, the temporary tank started to leak uncontrollably. This seemed to be a good opportunity to tidy up the compound at the end of the station and the new water tank is being erected on a stone base alongside the old North Eastern Railway yard crane, that for many years had been stored at Slaggyford. 2002 saw the 150th anniversary of Alston�s railway, and as part of that, Alston Natural Stone supplied a wagonload of sandstone to be carried in the demonstration freight train. After the event was over, this stone was donated to the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society and it has been used in the construction of the water tower and the loading dock around the crane.

A Portacabin/Container was acquired by the signalling and telegraph section for storage and restoration of equipment. Unfortunately, the delivery driver was rather young and inexperienced and was not happy about manoeuvring it into its proper place in the compound, so it has sat at the end of the car park all summer. It is hoped that in the near future that a crane will be hired in to place the container on the railway�s side of the fence, to remove the old water tank, to place the new one on its tower, to set the steel base of the yard crane on to its stone surround, and to lift out some 2 foot 6 inch gauge wagons for re-gauging.

In the middle of the winter, a crack appeared in one of the rails making up the �buried� track in the yard leading across the Sewage Works Crossing to the Carriage Shed. We patched it up, ran a works train over it - and it cracked again in a different place, etc., etc.! After several repairs we gave up and replaced the rail. This is one of the problems with rails that have to be at ground level to allow road traffic to run over them. You just can�t see what�s going on below. It gives an indication as to what we�ll need to do if the Carriage Shed actually comes into use for the Coaching Stock!

During the year�s Work Week, the big job planned was to continue the re-sleepering of the track from the yard up to the station level crossing. This time, because of all the point rodding, cranks, compensators, and signal wires and electric cables, the old ballast was to be removed by hand. Over the weekend at the start, the trap point in the yard was moved back towards No. 4 signal and the curve leading to the Main Line was re-laid on new sleepers to a much less severe alignment. By the time the passenger train had to be put away again the track was complete. On the Monday, work started on the section of line between Nos. 6 and 10 points. After about two hours, came the cry the everyone was exhausted, and only about one length of track had been dug out! This was just initial unfitness. After a short break everyone was back at it, and in only 2 days the line was joined up again. That�s not bad, considering that 5 days had been allowed! Over the next couple of weekends, the point drives are all reconnected, and adjustments made. Since No. 6 trap point was now so close to No. 4 signal, and a driver sitting right at the signal could not see the points, a ground detector was fitted to ensure that the switch was hard against the stock rail before the signal could be cleared. In due course, a similar detector will be fitted to No. 17 points, to interface with No. 18 signal.

As part of the realignment of the yard access road, the North Pennines Heritage Trust contractor was employed to build a low brick retaining wall to tidy up the ramp leading into the Carriage Works. The effect of this is to create a larger �flat� area outside the Carriage Works, and the plan is to lift the points that are presently just at the door and move them down the ramp, to provide a short outside siding. There is a spare lever on the Carriage Sidings Ground Frame, so with some rearrangement of rodding, these points can also be connected up. This contractor also carried out repair work on the station building, altered the windows at the end of the Carriage Works and finished off the plumbing of the water supply to the Loco Shed.

It us much easier to employ contractors to do certain jobs, that are not necessarily railway orientated (which we would probably want to do ourselves anyway), so we also contracted a joiner to make and fit some new signal box steps, the old ones having developed several areas of terminal rot.

In the early part of the year, we also employed our fencing contractor to replace the boundary fences on five fields between Alston and overbridge 56. This job was originally planned to be done eighteen months earlier but was frustrated by the Foot and Mouth Disease restrictions. The paling fence around the station level crossing is also going to be repaired.

The next major task that we have to address is the re-laying of the track in Alston Station. Both ends of No. 17 crossover points are in a very poor state, as they have had no major repair work in their 20 year life, so it is likely that this end of the site, and the area all around the new loading dock and water tank will be done first, either out of season or at next year�s Work Week, depending on the budgets.

OPERATING DEPARTMENT (Forum 2)
Robin Alderson

I would like to begin by saying a big Thank You to all of our operators and members for giving their time and effort to enable the railway to run its scheduled services this season. We have only had to cancel one day so far this season, the 29th May 2003. We have had to cancel three steam days, one due to Naklo going in for repairs, the other two due to shortage of crew, but on all of the three days trains ran diesel hauled! The new rostering system that I put in place for this year, 2003, has proved to work very successfully so far. Carolyn Marshall has put in a lot of work chasing those �few difficult slots to fill at the last minute� jobs and this has proved to be very successful. Thanks must go to the few members who have the time are are able to put in those extra shifts when there are gaps on the roster sheet.

Congratulations must go to the following members:-

Duncan Wheeler for passing out as a Diesel Driver on No. 4 �Naworth� on 4th August 2003;
Duncan Wheeler, again, for passing out as a Steam locomotive Fireman on 23rd August 2003;
John Thompson for passing out as a steam locomotive Fireman on 24th August 2003;
Peter Dent for passing out as a Guard on 1st June 2003;
Jim Harper for passing out as a Guard on 1st June 2003;
Robin Alderson for passing out as a Guard on 10th August 2003.

My Best Wishes go to Maureen Johnson and I hope the coming months see you getting back to normal. We all miss you.

Thanks to all who have helped out with the catering during this season, providing a valued facility for our customers and crews at Kirkhaugh on the catering van.

Last October, 2002, the �Friends of Thomas Weekend� saw the Drive a Diesel carry 334 passengers, which made �334.00! The Castle and the lights provided a great success at Christmas and I hope that we can all pukk together for this year�s, 2003, Santa Specials. On Saturday 12th January 2003, Ivan Ward and myself visited the Harrogate Trade Fair on behalf of the railway to check out Christmas ideas and decorations, a very interesting visit! Naklo�s plywood floor was fitted and John�s ammo van roof was reclad in January. Helped with the blockwork on the water tower during February and March. In March I fitted the shop with Slat walling and rebuilt the cupboard tops. All being well I intend to repaint the brake van after Christmas.

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT (Forum 3)
Alan Blackburn

As usual with the Annual General Meeting report I do not intend to dwell on the details, these are available to members in the Tynesdalesman newsletter and on the South Tynedale Railway website.

Looking back to November 2002, Naklo had just done its first steam turns, and has since proved to be a success, with both crews and the travelling public. The engine shed re-organisation, including new lighting and new large lathe capable of taking wheelsets, was completed around the end of the year. It was moved forward so that we had an improved and better equipped workshop ready before the major planned rebuilds. It enabled us to get Thomas Edmondson, our 1918 Henschel 0-4-0 tank locomotive and Heritage Lottery project, into the shed alongside Helen Kathryn, a newer 0-4-0 Henschel tank engine of 1948. It is unfortunate that just after getting Naklo back into service we had to withdraw Helen Kathryn, but it is just the way the boiler tickets worked out.

There have been the usual small crop of minor running repairs, both steam and diesel, but for the most part we have been pushing on with the major rebuilds. At the time of writing Thomas Edmondson is fully stripped and the frame is ready for cleaning and painting. Some repairs have already started. We are finding some things worse than we thought, and some better, but so far nothing disastrous. We have at least found the reason for the wallowing ride it was known for, which I will include in a furture edition of 52C, in the Tynedalesman newsletter.

Helen Kathryn is nearly a fully painted rolling chassis, with just a bit of the motion to replace. The boiler is still not ready, but with luck it will not be long. We are making a few minor improvements to the controls, and adding further water capacity to make it more useable for Slaggyford, otherwise it will return looking much as it did before, although in a new livery. Target for outshopping is early next year.

On the carriage and wagon side, John Sutton has taken on the job of co-ordinator to help organise our jobs and volunteers in the carriage works. This year, 2003, another coach was stripped, painted and fitted with the improved seats first fitted in No. 7. The wooden box van obtained, I think, about two years ago, has now been repaired and will go into use as a tool storage van in the works train. A further two of the bogie flatbed wagons have been cleaned and painted, and had new hardwood desks put on them. It is proposed to turn a section of the carriage works into a relatively clean, well lit working area for general painting work. This will be a big help to all who have been painting in the poor lighting currently in use.

I think it is fair to say that both carriage and wagon, and loco shed, have shown further improvements in the work done by their respective volunteers, work which improves the image we provide to our customers and enthusiasts alike. Once again I thank all of the helpers for their support, and I look forward to seeing even more of them next year.

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT (Forum 4)
Ivan Ward

We ended the 2002 season on a high note with six days of successful Santa Specials. The extra day over the five advertised was for St. Mary�s First School in Hexham, when we carried 140 five to eight year old children on two special trains.

The 2003 season started reasonably well. The first special event of the year, �Family Fun Days� (our replacement for �Friends of Thomas�) was a success with many satisfied customers. For a new event, passenger numbers were as expected and as allowed for in the budget, so hopefully next year�s will be even more successful.

May and June proved to be a little disappointing as regards passengers; in fact the whole of Cumbria was showing a downturn in visitor numbers. However, in July and August, with the help of fine sunny weather we have done much better and I am confident that by the end of December, that we shall be on budget.

Advertising and publicity are still a major part of the department�s workload as it is imparative that we not only maintain our present level of passenger numbers but also try to attract more people to Alston and the railway. In May 2003, we had a familiarisation visit from a group of tour operators who were on a two day visit to the North Pennines. Hopefully it will result in more group bookings for next year.

Shop sales are doing well. Improvements to the shop at Alston were carried out during last winter which have contributed to increased sales, and it is planned to implement further improvements during this coming winter with particular emphasis on display. The Railway�s range of souvenirs continues to be expanded and our own labelled sweets, fudge, preserves, etc., are continuing to do well. It is planned to introduce a new range of our own postcards for 2003, but the shortage of suitable photographs and the large capital outlay has delayed this project until 2004.

It only remains for me to thank all of the members and non-members who have helped in whatever way they could to make the special events a success.

Agenda Item 5: Election of the Council of Management
�Pen Portrait� submitted by new nominee

R. J. (Jim) Harper, MIEE MIRSE (S.T.R.P.S. membership No. 1321).

I have been a lifelong railway enthusiast, with narrow gauge leanings. I have been a member of the South Tynedale Railway and an active volunteer for some 18 months, during which time I have worked mainly on infrastructure, having also recently qualified as a Guard, I am now a trainee Signalman.

My working life of some 35 years was spent with British Railways (and latterly Railtrack), mainly as a Signal Engineer. I trained with the Eastern Region and then progressed to become one of the Area Signal Engineers at Newcastle upon Tyne, where I was responsible for the installation and maintenance of signalling equipment in the Gateshead, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Durham, Consett and Tyne Yard area (with a staff of over 100). I had some time at York in charge of signalling design work, particularly the specialist sections dealing with mechanical locking, signal box diagrams or panels and level crossing layouts, before returning to be responsible for Newcastle Division�s maintenance scheduling, stores (at Newcastle upon Tyne, Darlington, York and Hull) and Road/Rail transport fleets. At this point I worked for a period for the British Railways Board in charge of modernisation and subsequent running of the Signalling and Telegraph departmental wagon fleet, returning to the Eastern Region at York as a Resources Engineer.

At �sectorisation� I joined InterCity HQ, becoming Signal Maintenance Performance Engineer with a responsibility for monitoring the fault reporting systems, including management of the wrong-side failure processes and also audit of maintenance standards. My last four years were spent as a Signalling Standards Engineer within Railtrack Safety & Standards with responsibility for the production of Standards and Codes of Practice relating to Signalling design and equipment as a member of a panel for assessment of TOC�s safety cases. I was made redundant from this role, when the section was relocated from York to London.

I believe that the primary objectives of the South Tynedale Railway should be:-
�� a)�� To run the publicily announced service in a reliable, safe and efficient manner;
�� b)�� To forward the extension to Slaggyford at the earliest opportunity;
�� c)�� For all people involved with the railway to co-operate to achieve these objectives.

SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Registered Charity No. 514939
Limited by Guarantee: Company Registration Number 1850832 (England).
Member of the Heritage Railway Association.
Registered Office: The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB
Tel. 01434 381696.��Talking timetable tel. 01434 382828
Web address: www.strps.org.uk

Patron: Lord Inglewood M.E.P.
Hon.Vice-President: Jim Foster-Smith.

Council of Management:-
Robin Alderson, Alan Blackburn, Norman Cook, Steven Dyke, Richard Graham,
Colin McIntyre, Mike Ryan, John Sutton, Ivan Ward.

Society Officials:-
Chairman: John M. Sutton.
Deputy Chairman: Alan Blackburn. � Send e-mail to Alan Blackburn
Secretary: Steven Dyke.
Assistant Secretary: Dr. Tom Bell. � Send e-mail to Tom Bell
Treasurer: Mike Ryan. � Send e-mail to Mike Ryan
Membership Secretary: Mrs. Kathy Aveyard. � Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Publicity Co-ordinator: John Gillott. � Send e-mail to John Gillott
Safety Liaison Officer: Duncan Wheeler. � Send e-mail to Duncan Wheeler
Rostering Officer: Robin Alderson. � Send e-mail to Robin Alderson
Volunteer Liaison Officer: Mike Rapp. � Send e-mail to Mike Rapp
�Tynedalesman� Newsletter Editor: Robin Alderson. � Send e-mail to Robin Alderson
Archivist and Webmaster: Daniel McIntyre.� Send e-mail to Daniel McIntyre

S.T.R. Departmental Structure:-

Forum 1 - Infrastructure:-
Head of Department & Forum Convener - Richard Graham;� Deputy Forum Convener - Sean Wilson.

Forum 2 - Operating:-
Head of Department & Forum Convener - Robin Alderson;� Deputy Forum Convener - Tom Bell.

Forum 3 - Engineering:-
Head of Department & Forum Convener - Alan Blackburn;� Deputy Forum Convener - (Post vacant).

Forum 4 - Commercial:-
Head of Department & Forum Convener - Ivan Ward;� Deputy Forum Convener - (Post vacant).

Tynedalesman Newsletter:-
Material for publication should be sent to the Newsletter Compiler, Robin Alderson.
E-mail enquiries please click on link - Send e-mail to Robin Alderson

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SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Registered Office: The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB
Tel. 01434 381696.��Talking timetable tel. 01434 382828
Registered Charity No. 514939.

E-mail addresses - click on links below:-
South Tynedale Railway information - Send e-mail to South Tynedale Railway
STRPS membership information only - Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Tynedalesman information only - Send e-mail to Robin Alderson

Mission Statement for the South Tynedale Railway:-
�To provide satisfaction for our customers and volunteers by operating a friendly, safe and efficient narrow-gauge railway.�

� South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, September 2003.

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