Annual General Meeting of Calder Northern Group
Held on Saturday 17th. March 2018 at 11.00am.
Minutes of the Meeting
Committee members present were – Tony Gath (Chairman), Mike Lenz (Treasurer), Terry Wynne (Secretary),
Steve Scott, Alan Wyatt, Brian Burke
Apologies – were received from – Derek Frith, Bob Bevan, Andrew Wicks, Paul Mitchell, Mike Hawkes, David Best
Minutes of the 2017 Annual General Meeting
These were distributed beforehand and members raised no issues relating to last year’s minutes. A proposal by Les Herriot and seconded by George Neyman was that the minutes be accepted as a true record. This was approved by a show of hands with no objections.
Chairman’s Report
The Chairman welcomed everyone to our 8th AGM. He reported it had been quite a busy year where April 2017 was marked by a very successful NMRA Regional meet and CN train show. Then in February this year we held a very good Valentine’s meet with 29 members and 10 ladies in attendance. The opportunity was taken at this meeting to present Michael Coates widow, Wendy, with a picture, specially taken in his memory. Thanks to Steve Scott for his idea and photo used. Wendy has contacted us by email to say how much she appreciated, and was touched by, this gesture. Our belated Christmas raffle did well with £255 being taken in ticket sales; many thanks to all those members who donated the prizes which saw nearly everyone getting a prize. Thanks to John & Mary Hey for their hard work on the raffle.
As you know the terms of our lease require us to run the layout when the Heritage Centre is open at weekends and last year we operated a rota to cover this, very successfully. Special mention should go here to Andy Wickes and Bob Bevan who have provided this cover at every meet weekend. All being well this arrangement should work as well in the coming year. Thanks to Brian Burke for arranging this year’s rota.
Thanks to a donation made by Stuart Wood, before he moved back to Canada, we’ve had more items of rolling stock and other equipment added to the Club’s inventory which adds variety both for the public and ourselves.
Looking ahead, the possibility of holding a Freemo meet is being explored. The space available in the main Heritage Centre building offers the potential to set up something very impressive so let’s hope this can be done.
On the membership front we have welcomed Paul Mitchell who has become a regular attendee. There are also two other new members in the Calder Northern Division, one in Nantwich and the other in Thornton-Cleveleys, who have joined the NMRA but we haven’t been able to engage with them yet. All being well we can encourage them to attend our meets. One member, Phil Vaughan, has sadly not renewed his membership.
Apart from one or two exceptions we’re all of an age when our mechanisms are starting to show a bit of wear and tear and some members have had to deal with health problems. Derek Frith is due undergo a four vessel coronary by-pass operation soon and we wish him well with this. As a former GP myself, I know the importance of a good social network with shared interests to well-being and I hope our group can continue to offer an encouraging and supportive outlook.
I think that covers all the major points I wanted to make, other than to say that when the AGM is finished we’ve got something new to look forward to in the form of a quiz which has been got together for us by Len and Dave Ford. I don’t know if you’ll be allowed to phone a friend but we will be locking the doors to Mike Lenz’s office and reference books therein! So, have a good meeting and all the best for the coming year.
Treasurer’s Report
I will not go into great detail in respect of the Group’s financial position other than to say the Group has recently paid its rent (£700) for 2018 along with the £50 Group membership of the Heritage Centre. As Mike explained our rental agreement is for two years this time due to the unknown position regarding future costs for utilities once LNWR Heritage vacates the Heritage Centre. This is an ongoing issue and more will be learnt in due course and whether this will subsequently affect any future price increases in the agreement Calder Northern has with the Trust. Mike did explain the current bank and cash position but if members require any further detail regarding the accounts then Mike will be able to provide the necessary information. Mike also advised that the accounts had been fully audited by Brian Burke and signed off appropriately.
Steve Scott proposed the accounts be accepted and this was seconded by Alan Wyatt. Members then voted unanimously to accept the accounts as a true record and the Chairman thanked to Mike and Brian for their work on the accounts on behalf of the Group.
Election of Officers
A request had been issued by the Secretary asking members to provide nominations for committee positions for the next two years. Nominations were due by 14th March but as that date passed no nominations were received. The Chairman then asked if the current committee members would be prepared to serve again in their respective positions to which all agreed. A proposal by Roy Harris and seconded by Alf Milliken that the present committee be re-elected en-bloc, was unanimously approved by a show of hands!
Calder Northern/Heritage Centre Trust meeting
Tony Gath, Alan Wyatt and Terry Wynne met with Dorothy Flude (Chairman), Bill Andrew and Dave Harrison (Trustees) to negotiate our Group rental agreement. Our agreement had expired at the end of 2016 but the Trust had not made a move to address this situation and we continued to pay our previously agreed rent.
Tony explained that our income stream was solely what we received by way of our monthly dues and that if members did not attend then our income was reduced accordingly. The Trust was of the opinion we received income from the NMRA British Region and were made fully aware that did not occur. A rent figure of £1,000 was mentioned as an amount for consideration by our Group but we explained that would result in our Group disbanding which is not what the Trust wanted to happen. Dorothy Flude stated that she saw our Group as a vital animated attraction on the site and understood that young children as well as adults enjoyed seeing trains on our layouts. As you will see in the Treasurer’s report and the following agenda item the Trust had reservations about the future cost of utility charges they may face.
We made our proposal to the Trust and in due course agreement was reached on the basis of a two year agreement at a cost of £700 per annum plus the Group membership fee of £50 per annum. We are now awaiting the formal agreement for signing.
Review of current member subs at Group meetings
Terry explained that as a result of the recent meeting between the Group and the Trust and the Trust’s concern over utility charges they may face in the future it was agreed we seek the views of members on the matter of whether we should consider raising our subs at each Group meeting. It was explained that the last increase in dues was in 2005 when the cost was moved from £3 to £4. Terry also said that on that occasion a number of members decided they would not pay that increase and subsequently did not attend future meetings. This was something we did not want to experience again. Discussions focussed on whether we should implement an increase now or wait another year when we can review our ongoing costs and hopefully learn more about the Trust’s position regarding utility costs. A decision to review again in 12 months was agreed by members.
North Junction Signal Box alarm and security
Terry explained that one issue raised at the Trust meeting was the security of the NJSB. We were requested to ensure that members at the end of the day, after operating the layout, ascertain who has the responsibility for locking up the NJSB. This is not CN’s responsibility, it is however, the responsibility of the Trust but it might be worth advising people such as Ron in the shop, Brian Porter or Glynn to advise them what time you will be leaving the layout room.
Layout update reports & budget proposals
Steve and Alan gave updates on both Devil’s Creek and Baltic St. Yard. Work is progressing on both layouts with wiring of the new reverse loop on Devil’s Creek and also with the control panel; Baltic St. Yard baseboards are now ready for track laying to commence along with the wiring of track and switches etc. Buildings previously used on the layout started by John Baggaley will be incorporated into the new Baltic St. Yard complex.
North Western Mills details have already been circulated in recent Train Orders but Steve, Alan, Tony and a number of others will shortly be meeting as a sub-group to seek ideas on revised electrical controls for the layout. The hope is that we can recommend and eventually implement a control system that eliminates the four track diagram panels inside the layout which currently restrict the operation of certain areas of the layout.
Budgets – Alan had requested this item be added to the agenda as he thought it would be sensible to allocate a budget amount each year for each of our three layouts. His suggestion was for a figure of £100 for each layout to meet incidental requirements. A short discussion ensued and the principle of allocating this amount was approved by members. The requirement of new couplers for quite a number of the N scale freight cars and caboose was highlighted which would cost a further £100+. This will be discussed by committee members and is likely to be agreed without any problems.
Manchester Aviation Society “Transport Extravaganza”
We last attended this event in 2016 which proved very enjoyable and we were able to promote both Calder Northern and Crewe Heritage Centre. The event is to be held at the end of June over a full weekend when the public attendance is expected to top 15,000.
Cost of tables is discounted through Terry’s membership of The Aviation Society where we would take two tables to promote both organisations. Members were asked to approve our attendance and it was agreed we should apply for tables at the event.
NMRA 2019 Spring Meet and Calder Northern bi-annual Train Show
This item was discussed in depth and whilst it would be good to offer to hold this event in 2019 it was agreed that to organise such an event at this stage would limit our efforts to get some layouts and traders. It is well known that train shows have to book exhibits well in advance and we have perhaps left it too late for 2019. A proposal to offer to host the Region Spring Meet in 2020 in conjunction with our own Train Show was agreed. A request for volunteers to take on the role of organiser did not see a great show of hands! Further committee discussion needed here before we commit anything.
Clinics – Presentations – Show & Tell
Tony Gath and Len Ford advised that some sessions had been considered and Tony suggested that an approach to Mick Moignard to see if he will present a clinic on using LED’s and/or installation of decoders would be a good start. Paul Doggett had previously agreed to give a talk on weathering of freight cars and Roy Harris had offered to talk on the use of an Arduino circuit boards. Roy could also talk on the installation and fitting of a miniature camera onto a rail vehicle. It was agreed these events should be held during the winter months when we are not interfering with public movement in the NJSB.
A.O.B.
There were no requests for items to be discussed under any other business.
The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and therefore, declared the meeting closed at 12.45hrs.
Terry Wynne
Secretary.
