The 51st AGM of the Society was held at Llanuwchllyn Station and online, via Zoom, on 17th May 2025.
The Chairman’s Pump Trolley was available for members and others to ride up and down the station loop, and it was a great success, raising money for the Chairman’s Appeal. Thanks go to Andrew Bizley for supervising these rides throughout the day. A Members’ Train also ran at the end of the day, using the Penrhyn Coaches, and passenger numbers on this were good too.
On view was the new engine which had arrived earlier in the week (see picture in previous news story). This was bought by the Society at the request of the Company. It is a 5.5 tonne, 25hp Clayton 0-4-0 battery-electric locomotive (B0483 of 1976, ex-MOD Shoeburyness). It will help out with shunting duties and it has an air pump capable of charging the braking system on the carriages. It should also be more than capable of pulling works trains or even service trains.
The Committee deferred deciding whether to retain ownership of the loco in the long term, or to donate it to the Company, until quotes had been received for additional costs such as re-gauging from 2’6”, and the batteries had undergone a professional condition test. On the one hand, the cost of funding all but day-to-day maintenance on a locomotive is considerable; on the other, owning a locomotive might help attract and retain Society members, and it can be a symbol to promote fundraising schemes. Whoever ultimately owns the Clayton, it will be very cheap to recharge owing to the solar panels that had been installed on the roof of the workshop building over the winter (this cost will be borne by the Company regardless of who owns the engine).
There was a good deal of financial discussion and this is not the place to go into it in any detail. Any member who would like a full copy of the draft minutes is welcome to write to the Secretary for one. The finances are in good health but we are still having some issues gaining access to some of our funds at one particular bank, and in getting the right responses from HMRC, following the death of our then-Treasurer Dave Scotson at the end of 2023.
One of the Society’s major functions is looking after the volunteer accommodation at Llanuwchllyn. The Committee Member in charge of this, Hilary Moorhouse, stepped down at the AGM. Volunteers to take on the task of accommodation supervisor (with or without having to join the Committee) are being looked for. The replacement of the linoleum flooring in the kitchen area had been postponed due to a leaking pipe which needed to be dealt with first. It had been fixed but the leak may also have damaged some floorboards, which would need inspecting and perhaps replacing. Both the washing machine and tumble dryer had developed faults over the winter of 2024/25 and had been replaced. The Company and Society shared the cost of a brand-new tumble dryer, while the washing machine was replaced with a second-hand donated one, which had since broken down. It was planned to purchase a brand-new machine on the same basis as the tumble dryer. These are used to clean table cloths and other things used operationally by the Railway, as well as volunteers’ clothes.
The Publicity Officers had taken the Society Stand to many events over the past twelve months and more were in the pipeline, such as the SVR’s Rail 200 event (5-6 July). George B will be going to Highley as a static exhibit and it was hoped that one of our other engines would be in steam on temporary track there, as well.
The President’s Appeal has currently raised £1595 out of a target of £10,000. This Appeal was created to raise money for signalling equipment for the existing line and the Extension. Further donations can be sent via tinyurl.com/blr-pres-50 or directly to the Society. To raise funds and promote the Appeal, Society Chairman Tim Williams will be carrying a working 009 scale micro-model railway up Kilimanjaro in June. A “Pump Trolley Challenge” is also being arranged for 20th July to help raise the profile of the Appeal: the trolley will traverse the full length of the line. Both of these events can be sponsored.
Owing to a very successful and well-attended Winter Works programme, plus a lot of time spent by the Railway staff running the tamper, the infrastructure of the Railway was now in a very good state. Alice, Holy War and Maid Marian were currently in service, the last of these engines now having new crankpins. Winifred has been taken apart for boiler repairs. George B’s overhaul will follow Winifred‘s, as its ten-year boiler ticket has expired. Bob Davies is being overhauled and has now being painted (in all-over yellow!).
Lots of work had been going on behind the scenes to fulfil the conditions attached to the grant of planning permission and to satisfy the National Park Authority that this had been done. One of the conditions was that work had to start within five years of permission being granted and hence a new appeal had just been launched to raise £300,000 for all the plain track, fishplates, sleepers, fixings and ballast needed. It was hoped that work would start very soon, probably between the town end of the new flood defences and the station throat area, where a new embankment would be needed.
Member numbers are up on last year, quite possibly inspired by the Trust getting planning permission to build the Extension. The Membership Secretaries also run the Society’s Draw Club: it raised £307.88 for the Society in 2024. New entrants for the Club are very welcome. It costs £2.50 per number per month, so one number costs £30.00 per year and you can have as many numbers as you wish. The more numbers there are in the draw, the bigger the amount you can win!
A proposed amendment to the Constitution to make secret ballots compulsory for Society elections was approved by a large majority. The four candidates standing for election this year were all successful: Peter Miller (for President, for three years); Dave Fildes (for Vice-Chairman, for two years); Claire Roberts (for Treasurer, for three years) and Nick Talbot (for Llanuwchllyn Express Editor, for three years). There were vacancies for one Vice-President and one regular Committee Member as well, but no candidates to fill them.
A miniature railway is being built on Platform 2 at Llanuwchllyn, using track owned by the Society. The neat foot-crossing that the miniature railway group had installed across the main lines will also make it easier to create an accessible memorial garden in that area. The plan is for this line to run right along Platform 2 and for the track, currently 7.25” only, to be fitted with an additional rail to allow 5” gauge trains to run. A siding has been installed to allow heavy locomotives to be taken to the miniature railway via a 2’ gauge transporter wagon.
This year’s Model Show will take place on 20 and 21 September at its usual venue, Bala School. It will include a good number of Welsh-set layouts (10 out of 25 at the time of the Meeting): these are rare on the exhibition circuit but also very popular with Show visitors, who are mainly from the local area. Bachmann are bringing a stand this year and they have also offered some free models for us to use for fundraising. The plan is to auction them to Show visitors on a “make us your best offer” basis.
This year’s Teddy Bear Day will take place at the Railway on 12th July. The event raises funds for a charity which gives teddy bears as gifts to children in hospitals.
