Council Report - 31 May 2008

Council met for a double session including a lengthy discussion of the challenges facing the Talyllyn in the current economic climate with the Executive Committee being tasked to carry out a business review and to report to the Council meeting at the end of August.

For some years there has been an imbalance in the number of Council members elected each year with eight being elected in “odd” years, and ten in “even” years. Council agreed in principle that this should be rectified, which would require one of those to be elected at the AGM to stand down for re-election after one year instead of two. Council also agreed to the “stuffing” and posting of the Talyllyn News by an outside printer, thus ending the tradition of over half a century whereby this was done by members of the Society - the present stuffing gang is getting older and there are many other calls on volunteers’ time and energy.

Ever since the Talyllyn Railway Company was incorporated in 1865, with the exception of two short visits some years ago by Corris Railway diesel No 5, only locomotives owned by the Company have been used on the TR. It now looks as if we might be joining those heritage railways which host locomotives owned by others, since Council agreed in principle that a group of staff and volunteers can bring a diesel locomotive they are planning to buy from the former MOD site at Trecwn to the TR for use on engineering trains.

Council also:

agreed to rename “Footplate Experiences”, “Driver (or “Driving”) Experiences” since the revised name would show up better on internet search engines;
discussed further a possible link with the Dutch Narrow Gauge Foundation, following the visit featured on page 4 of the June News;
agreed that the Llechfan Group should change its name to the Llechfan Management Committee and have a small budget of its own for the purchase of minor items;
agreed that a plaque could be placed in Abergynolwyn Booking Office in memory of John Cox who often worked there on his visits to Tywyn;
heard that the Talyllyn Railway Company would be publishing Alan Holmes’ history of the Society and that it should be available before Christmas.

Philip Sayers
2 June 2008