If you can’t read our July 2020 newsletter below, it can be downloaded here

MRSI-newsletter-July-2020-web

Reconvened Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 19th February 2020

As members may have heard, the reconvened AGM on 10th December 2019 was
(just) inquorate, with only fourteen members present. The Chairman’s and
Treasurer’s reports were read, but no other business could be conducted.
On Wednesday 15th January, we welcomed Michael McMahon for his traditional
January meeting, which was very well attended, and Michael rewarded us with a truly
fascinating slideshow.

However, the Committee had cause to reflect on the difficulties in recent years of
arranging Annual General Meetings and electing a functioning committee. We knew
that after more than 30 years, we could still arrange an interesting programme with
something new to say; while railtours are becoming increasingly difficult to arrange
due to the sheer busyness of our friends in RPSI, we are looking at visits to sites of
railway interest.

There is therefore a purpose to MRSI. We strongly believe that.

But the problem is that, increasingly, it is becoming more and more difficult to fulfil
the background work that makes the Society meetings happen.

We have therefore agreed to have a formal discussion of the future of the society in
February in the form of an Extraordinary General Meeting.

The stated purpose of the EGM is to discuss a motion to formally wind up the Society
in an orderly fashion. However, the Committee’s true aim is to facilitate an honest
and open discussion of the future of the Society – to ask members if they would like
MRSI to keep going.

Unfortunately, to continue in existence requires more members to step up and join
the Committee. We cannot continue to function without a Secretary or a Treasurer.
The AGM will therefore be reconvened on Wednesday 19th February 2020 and will
be followed by an Extraordinary General Meeting. The agenda is overleaf.

We invite members who are unable to attend to send comments to David Carson for
inclusion in the discussion, but only those present will be able to vote at the AGM or
EGM.

Agenda for Annual General Meeting

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of previous meetings including adoption of reports
3. Discussion of the future of the Society
4. Election of Chairman (until April 2022)
5. Election of Secretary (until April 2021)
6. Election of Committee members (until April 2020)
7. Election of auditor
8. Programme for March and April meetings
9. Any other business

Nominations for Officers and committee members should be sent to the Acting
Chairman, with the signatures of the nominee, proposer and seconder by Sunday 16th
February.

As Roy Thompson resigned as Treasurer in December, Brian Templeton has agreed to
act as a casual replacement until April, when a new Treasurer must be elected to
serve until April 2023.

Minutes of the reconvened AGM, including the Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports are
enclosed.

Agenda for Extraordinary General Meeting

Notice of motion

The motion to be placed before the EGM is as follows:-
That the society should be dissolved:
its records to be donated to the IRRS
all subscriptions paid for 2019-20 to be refunded to members
after all liabilities are met, its remaining assets to be distributed between
RPSI and DCDR in proportions to be agreed at the meeting.

The Committee hopes that a strong functioning Committee will be elected to continue
the work of the Society, but this will require commitment from members willing to
follow in the footsteps of the Officers and Committee members who have served the
Society with diligence, honour and imagination over the last 30+ years.

To that end, if a Chairman, Secretary and at least two Committee members (including
one willing to be nominated as Treasurer in April 2020) are elected, the motion will be
withdrawn.

We will accept amendments to the motion from the floor at the EGM.

Membership renewal

The Committee has agreed that as the future of the Society is in doubt, members
should not be asked to pay the usual subscription for 2019-20 until the Society’s
future is certain.

A membership renewal form is available on the website. If the Society
resolves to continue to operate, subscriptions will have to be paid in the usual way.
Please note that due to bank fees, we cannot accept payments in Euro.

A belated happy new year to all our members!

This newsletter brings advance notice of the Annual General Meeting, which will be a week earlier than usual on 10^th April 2019.

February meeting

We are pleased to announce that Peter Vannucci will give a presentation on Rails around Melbourne at our meeting on Wednesday 20^th February.

Peter last addressed us in September 2015, when he gave an entertaining account of the NIR in-house magazine Stafflines, including the work of photographer Sammy Norton.

The Members’ Miscellany has been postponed until a future date.

March meeting

A rare chance to see the work of Joe Cassells at an MRSI meeting, Joe will visit us on Wednesday 20^th March to look back on Irish Rail in the 1990s and 2000s.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Society will take place at 7.15pm on Wednesday 10^th April in our usual venue of Ashfield Girls’ High School.  This is to avoid the Easter holiday period when we know that members may have other priorities.

At the reconvened AGM of Wednesday 19^th September 2018, the following were elected:

• Secretary: Vacant
• Committee members: Matthew Tennis, Brian Templeton and Andy Boal

By rotation, each of the three Officers of the Society retires in turn at the AGM, and this year it is the turn of the Chairman, David Carson, to stand down.

However, as most of you will be aware, Andy has filled the post of Acting Secretary since September, and it will be necessary to fill this post substantively at the AGM.

In addition, Roy Thompson, our Treasurer, has indicated that he will resign at the AGM due to increasing responsibilities outside the Society.

It will therefore be necessary to elect all of the following at the AGM:

• Chairman, for a term of three years
• Secretary, for a term of two years (to fill the vacancy)
• Treasurer, for a term of one year (to complete Roy’s term of office)
• Up to three Committee Members, for a term of one year.

Members are asked to give thought to who might fill these posts for the coming year.  As usual, a newsletter will issue in late March with a detailed agenda and enclosures, but the draft agenda is shown below:

Draft Agenda

1. Apologies
2. Adoption of minutes of reconvened Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 19^th September 2018
3. Matters arising from previous minutes
4. Chairman’s report
5. Accounts and Treasurer’s report
6. Matters arising from reports
7. 80 class preservation
8. Election of officers and committee members
9. Election of Honorary Auditor
10. Any other business

After the AGM, the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway Society will give a presentation on their work, especially with the DEMUs whose preservation we have aided by contributing towards their transportation costs.

Constitution

Arising from the following Constitutional Amendments passed at the Reconvened AGM of 19th September 2018, the Constitution has been amended and uploaded to the MRSI website.

1. That section 5.2 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received or expended by MRSI and a complete financial statement with a report by an independent auditor shall be submitted at each Annual General Meeting. The financial year shall be from 1st March each year to 28th February the following year.

2. That section 6.8 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

A quorum at any General Meeting shall be the lower of fifteen or half the voting membership.

80 class preservation

The quiet months before the Downpatrick operating season begins again are being occupied with internal refurbishment of the 80 class DEMUs, including restoring the original oak-effect formica.

As members may know, engines were exchanged between 80 class and 450 class sets as required when they required major work.  An interesting discovery was that due to this rotation of engines, both 69 and 90 carry 70 class engines, and 458 carries an 80 class engine.  Perhaps someone can tell us which class of engines is carried by 97 and 99!

Driver training on both the 80 class and 450 class sets is due to recommence this spring.

Members of the Society in the 2011-12 season will hear from Andy and Downpatrick about their benefits for Downpatrick in the next few weeks.

Senior Travel Pass Group

The next day out is Wednesday 27th February to Hazelhatch and Maynooth.  Ken Harte writes:

Irish Rail have introduced an hourly service through the tunnel during the day to Hazelhatch so we plan to head there and back to Drumcondra or Connolly to join the 12.17 service from Connolly to Maynooth.

TICKETS. Monthly return to Maynooth (NB CODE 92 Mullingar )

Connolly-Hazelhatch return ticket is required before boarding the train at Connolly to Hazelhatch.

TIMETABLE

Lanyon Place dep.         08.00

Connolly arr.                 10.05

Connolly dep.               10.40

Hazelhatch arr.             11.20

Hazelhatch dep.            11.35

Drumcondra arr            12.06

Connolly arr.                 12.12

Connolly dep.               12.17

Drumcondra dep.          12.21

Maynooth arr.               12.58

Maynooth dep.              14.10         14.40         15.05         15.35         15.42

Broombridge arr.          14.41         15.11         15.36                           16.13

(Luas Interchange Available)

Connolly arr.                 14.52         15.21         15.47         16.08         16.25

Connolly dep.               15.20                                                               16.50

Lanyon Place arr.          17.29                                                               19.05

As ever, please contact Ken for more information.

Membership

If you haven’t yet renewed your membership for 2018/19, you will find a new membership form here – please complete and return it to Andy as soon as possible.

Please remember, we can no longer accept payment in Euros.  We can also no longer process membership applications without a form.

Another September, another new season for MRSI.

Highlights of this year’s programme include a visit from Chris Conway and Richard Knox of Translink in October, and an all too rare presentation from Joe Cassells.  You will find it enclosed with this newsletter.

Annual General Meeting

The May newsletter advised all members that the AGM will be reconvened for Wednesday 19^th September immediately before Chris Playfair’s talk.  A quorum of at least 20 members must be present for the AGM to take place.

Agenda

1. Apologies
2. Adoption of minutes of Annual General Meeting on 19^th April 2017, 20^th September 2017, 18^th October 2017 and 18^th April 2018
3. Matters arising from previous minutes
4. Chairman’s report
5. Accounts and Treasurer’s report
6. Matters arising from reports
7. Constitutional amendments
8. General Data Protection Regulation
9. 80 class preservation
10. Election of officers and committee members
11. Election of Honorary Auditor
12. Any other business

The Chairman and Treasurer read their reports at the adjourned AGM in April, and the reports will therefore be taken as read.  Reports included in this newsletter will also be taken as read in order to expedite business.

Copies of the accounts will be provided on the night.

Constitutional Amendments

The Committee has proposed the following two motions:

1. That section 5.2 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received or expended by MRSI and a complete financial statement with a report by an independent auditor shall be submitted at each Annual General Meeting. The financial year shall be from 1st March each year to 28th February the following year.

2. That section 6.8 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

A quorum at any General Meeting shall be the lower of fifteen or half the voting membership.

A simple majority of those voting will be sufficient to decide these motions to

amend the Society’s Constitution.

General Data Protection Regulation

Members have already been advised of the adoption of the following Privacy Statement, which was printed in the May newsletter, and is included on the Membership form:

The Modern Railway Society of Ireland only uses the information you provide to us for legitimate interest as defined by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We do not disclose the information we hold about you to third parties without your permission or unless lawfully required to do so. Access to your information is restricted to those members of the Committee who need it to carry out their roles. This will include the Secretary and the Treasurer.

The Committee of the Society may use your information to contact you concerning the business of the Society, including forthcoming events, membership matters, and notice of Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings.

By providing your email address, you agree that we can contact you via email in preference to post.

We delete your contact information one year after your membership expires, however we retain details of your name and membership number indefinitely in case you should rejoin in the future.

By submitting this membership form with payment, you agree to us using your information in this way.

80 class preservation

Members of the society in 2011-12 will be written to separately about how they can receive their benefits from the Society’s donation to the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.

As you know, we committed £7,000 towards the transportation of the 80 class to Downpatrick, and we finally paid this over to Downpatrick in August.  The agreed benefits for the then members of the Society are as follows:-

• Free admission to the annual DCDR Diesel Day for 2019-2023
• Free travel for the 2019 season and half price travel from 2020-2023

Entitled members will be issued with a card to that effect.

In terms of the vehicles whose transportation we have supported, 458 is now Downpatrick’s regular buffet set.  It is currently being shunted dead, pending driver training in early 2019.

69 and 749 are having fairly substantial internal work done.  Internally, they are being restored to fairly close to their original condition: the floor coverings installed in later years are being replaced with more traditional lino, woodwork is being repaired, and perhaps the biggest job of all: the 1980s vinyls which carried abstract murals are being stripped.  Not entirely surprisingly, removing the vinyls is the easy part: the far more difficult bit is removing the 30-year old adhesive still firmly attached to the original teak effect formica.

Downpatrick hopes to have them ready for passenger service in early 2019, but they were placed on static display in the carriage gallery last weekend for the European Heritage Open Days – complete with freshly applied NIR logo transfers.

We will hear more from Downpatrick at the 2019 AGM.

Elections procedure

In accordance with the Constitution of the Society, one of the officers of the Society retires each year by rotation, and this year the Secretary’s post falls vacant.

Our Chairman David Carson will continue in office until the 2019 AGM, and our Treasurer Roy Thompson intends to retire a year early at the 2019 AGM.

No nominations having been received, we will be inviting nominations from the floor as follows:-

• to the post of Secretary for a three year term, retiring in 2021, and
• for up to three ordinary Committee Members, to serve for one year.

Our present Secretary Andy Boal has indicated that he wishes to retire as Secretary this year due to pressures outside the society. He is willing to be nominated as an ordinary Committee Member.

Eligibility to vote

Only members who have paid their annual subscription for 2017-18 or 2018-19 and life members will be eligible to vote in the election.

Senior Travel Pass Group

The next day out is Wednesday 26th September to Galway, with an optional trip to Salthill and the option of a “long way round” return trip via Derry/Londonderry covering part of the upper half of the Western Corridor.

BELFAST-GALWAY Code 79

Depart Central     08.00

Connolly Arr.       10.05

Heuston Dep.       11.25

Galway Arr.         13.25

SALTHILL TRIP

Eyre Square South (Stop no 9) Service no 401. Journey time 15 mins.

Depart  On the hour then every 20 minutes.

Salthill Return (Caesars Palace Stop) 7 minutes past the hour etc.

RETURN VIA HEUSTON.

Galway dep.        15.05         17.20

Heuston arr.        17.38         19.54

Connolly dep.      19.00         20.50

Central arr.          21.10         23.03

RETURN VIA SLIGO /DERRY/LONDONDERRY.

Galway bus station dep.  Service 64 (Derry)      14.10

Sligo arr. (change of coach)                              16.55

Sligo dep.                                                         17.10

Derry Foyle Street Bus Centre arr.                    19.45

Rail Link bus depart.                                         20.15

NIR dep.                                                           20.38

Central arr.                                                       22.39

Central dep. For Bangor at 22.40 and 23.20, and for Portadown at 22.59.

As ever, please contact Ken Harte for more information.

Membership

If you haven’t yet renewed your membership for 2018/19, you will find enclosed a new membership form – please complete and return it to Andy as soon as possible.

Please remember, we can no longer accept payment in Euros.

A belated Happy Easter to all our members!

Notice is given in this newsletter of the Annual General Meeting of the Modern Railway Society of Ireland on Wednesday 18th April 2018.

There is also news of a trip to Drogheda Train Care Depot and the preservation of the 80 class DEMU.

Annual General Meeting

Notice is given of the Annual General Meeting of the Modern Railway Society of Ireland, to be held at 7.15 pm on Wednesday 18th April 2018 in Ashfield Girls’ High School, Holywood Road, Belfast.

Agenda

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of Annual General Meeting on 19th April 2017, 20th September 2017 and 18th October 2017
3. Matters arising from previous minutes
4. Chairman’s Report
5. Accounts and Treasurer’s Report
6. Matters arising from reports
7. Constitutional Amendments
8. General Data Protection Regulations
9. 80 class preservation
10. Election of Officers and Committee members
11. Election of Honorary Auditor
12. Any other business

After the Annual General Meeting, Matthew Wilson will give a presentation entitled Britain, Ireland and France in the 2010s

Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2017

Minutes of the three meetings over which the 2017 AGM took place are enclosed with this newsletter. A small number of print copies will be available at the AGM, but members are asked if possible to bring their own copies in order that the minutes can be taken as read before adoption.

Constitutional Amendments

The Committee has proposed the following two motions:

1. That section 5.2 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received or expended by MRSI and a complete financial statement with a report by an independent auditor shall be submitted at each Annual General Meeting. The financial year shall be from 1st March each year to 28th February the following year.

2. That section 6.8 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

A quorum at any General Meeting shall be the lower of fifteen or half the voting membership.

A simple majority of those voting will be sufficient to decide these motions to amend the Society’s Constitution.

General Data Protection Regulation

The Committee has agreed the following Privacy Statement drafted by our Secretary. Members will be given a copy of this on the annual membership renewal form, and the Committee will write to the Life Members separately.

The Modern Railway Society of Ireland only uses the information you provide to us for legitimate interest as defined by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We do not disclose the information we hold about you to third parties without your permission or unless lawfully required to do so. Access to your information is restricted to those members of the Committee who need it to carry out their roles. This will include the Secretary and the Treasurer.

The Committee of the Society may use your information to contact you concerning the business of the Society, including forthcoming events, membership matters, and notice of Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings.

By providing your email address, you agree that we can contact you via email in preference to post.

We delete your contact information one year after your membership expires, however we retain details of your name and membership number indefinitely in case you should rejoin in the future.

By submitting this membership form with payment, you agree to us using your information in this way. 

Elections procedure

In accordance with the Constitution of the Society, one of the officers of the Society retires each year by rotation, and this year the Secretary’s post falls vacant.

Our Chairman David Carson will continue in office until the 2019 AGM, and our Treasurer Roy Thompson will continue in office until the 2020 AGM.

We therefore invite nominations as follows:-

• to the post of Treasurer for a three year term, retiring in 2020, and
• for up to three ordinary Committee Members, to serve for one year.

Our present Secretary Andy Boal has indicated that he wishes to retire as Secretary this year due to pressures outside the society. He is willing to be nominated as an ordinary Committee Member.

Nominations should be forwarded to Andy Boal, 1 Reid Street, BELFAST BT6 8PE, or via email to society@modernrsi.org stating:

• The name of the person you are nominating
• Your own name
• A seconder
• Confirmation that the nominee has agreed to be nominated

Nominations must be received no later than Sunday 15th April 2018.

Eligibility to vote

Only members who have paid their annual subscription for 2017-18 and life members will be eligible to vote in the election.

80 class preservation

We were delighted to hear a few weeks ago that NIR has now released the 80 class DEMU for preservation. Members will recall that the Society voted to donate £3,000 towards the transportation of 450 class DEMU 458 to Downpatrick, and a further £7,000 towards the transportation of the 80 class.

Withdrawn driving trailer 749 and power car 69, being in the best physical condition, have been selected for repainting into original livery. This is currently being carried out by NIR at DCDR’s expense, and they have launched an appeal to cover the cost of the repaint and the difference between our donation and the actual cost of transporting the 4 vehicles (69, 90, 749 and 752) to Downpatrick.

For more information about the appeal, see http://www.downrail.co.uk/donate/dcdr80class/

If you receive a hard copy of this newsletter, their fundraising leaflet has been enclosed. Hard copies will be available at our meetings, and a PDF will be sent to mail recipients as soon as we have a copy.

Drogheda Train Care Depot

We are pleased to announce a visit to Drogheda Train Care Depot on Wednesday 20th June at 10.45am. Because we will have to wait for a connecting train in Dundalk, we have also arranged a visit to Dundalk Railway Museum and Dundalk Central Signal Cabin while we wait.

The itinerary will be as follows:-

Belfast Central     dep 08:00
Dundalk               arr 09:15
Dundalk               dep 10:10
Drogheda            arr 10:33

Return will be by the train of your choice – members without Smartpasses are reminded that cash fares to Drogheda may be cheaper than web fares to Dublin and aren’t tied to particular trains!

Numbers are strictly limited to fifteen, so it will be necessary to restrict attendance to society members only on a first come first served basis. Robust non-slip footwear will be required, but safety footwear would be preferred.

As ever, please contact Andy Boal to book your place.

Senior Travel Pass Group

The next few outings will be on Wednesdays 25th April, 23rd May and 27th June. Details will be announced closer to the time.

Contact: To add your name to the mailing list, please use our contact form and we will pass your details on.

2018/19 Programme

Wednesday 19th September – Chris Playfair

Wednesday 17th October – Chris Conway and Richard Knox

Wednesday 21st November

Wednesday 16th January – Michael McMahon

Wednesday 20th February

Wednesday 20th March

We will confirm the date of the 2019 AGM closer to the time. Because Easter will be late in 2019, we may bring it forward by a week as the RPSI do not usually meet in April.

After a flurry of correspondence in the autumn, the customary January newsletter went unpublished as there was little to report.

However, we do have sad news for members.  Some of you will remember David Mummery, who lived in Essex but travelled on railtours when he was available – he was granted life membership after one railtour where he had been unable to travel, but refused the refund of his ticket to which he was entitled.  We are sorry to report that David died in late 2015, and we send our sympathies to his wife Mary Jane Lewis.

Annual General Meeting

At the reconvened Annual General Meeting on 18 October 2017, the following were elected:

Treasurer:                    Roy Thompson
Committee members:  Matthew Tennis, Brian Templeton

This year it is the turn of the Secretary, Andy Boal, to retire, and we will invite nominations to the post of Secretary and for ordinary Committee members in good time for the Annual General Meeting.

Future meetings

Time is flying, and our February meeting is this Wednesday, 21^st February.

The chairman of RPSI, Rev John McKegney, is going to visit us and take a ramble through his photo albums – if you’re friends with him on Facebook, you may have seen some of his photos already, and we look forward to seeing what else he brings.

Our March meeting will be in a classroom on 21^st March.  Sam Somerville will reflect on his early days of railway enthusiasm from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s, followed by an old-fashioned slide show showing aspects of railway photography from 1975 embracing Ireland, Great Britain and mainland Europe.

Finally, our Annual General Meeting will be on 18^th April, after which Matthew Wilson will present some of his photography around Britain, Ireland and France.

Membership 2017-18

Unless we have already received your renewal form, a membership form for 2017-18 is attached.  Membership rates remain at £10 (£5 concession) but members are reminded that due to increasing bank fees, we can no longer accept payment in Euros.

Senior Travel Pass Group

Ken Harte writes:

Wednesday 28^th February – Athlone, Longford and Mullingar

This month we plan to complete a circuit of Midland towns. Heuston to Athlone then by bus to either Longford or Mullingar picking up the 15.00 hrs Sligo/ Connolly train at Longford(16.19) or at Mullingar(17.00). Ticket- Monthly return to Athlone Code 78. At Mullingar there is a 15 minute walk back along the main street from the bus stop to the station.

TIMETABLE

Outward:
Central dep.        08.00
Connolly arr.        10.05
Heuston dep.      11.25
Athlone arr.         12.41

Return direct via Portarlington:
Athlone dep.       14.05         14.58         16.06
Heuston  arr.       15.42         16.27         17.38

Return via bus to Longford:
Athlone dep.       14.45         (Bus Service 065)
Longford arr.       15.35
Longford dep.     16.19
Connolly arr.        18.19

Return via bus to Mullingar:
Athlone dep.       14.40         (Bus Service 070)
Mullingar arr.       15.35
Mullingar dep.     17.00
Connolly arr.        18.19

And then return to Belfast:
Connolly dep.      19.00
Central arr.          21.10

Contact: To add your name to the mailing list, please use the contact page and we will pass your details on.

It is unusual for us to require to issue a second newsletter so quickly, but we are in exceptional circumstances.

The attempt to reconvene the 2017 Annual General Meeting at the September meeting floundered due to once again being inquorate – fourteen members were in attendance as per the attached minutes.  We cannot proceed unless 20 members are present.

The Annual General Meeting is required both under our Constitution and to ensure that we the Committee are accountable to members.

Part of the business of the AGM is to adopt the 2016-17 accounts.  This is essential to avoid a heavy fine from HM Revenue and Customs.

We will therefore reconvene the AGM at the beginning of the October meeting on 18^th October.  As it is now eating into time set aside for presentations, the revised agenda will be as follows:-

1. Apologies
2. Adoption of minutes of AGM and adjourned AGMs on 20 April 2016, 19 April 2017 and 20 September 2017
3. Adoption of Chairman’s Report, accounts and Treasurer’s Report
4. Election of Officers and Committee members
5. Election of Honorary Auditor

Because of the limited time available, it will not be possible to accept matters arising from the floor at this meeting.  Any matters arising should be sent to the Secretary, who will circulate the responses to all members before the 2018 AGM, and where possible with the January newsletter.

October meeting

We are sorry to report that Chris Playfair will not be able to join us on Wednesday 18 October.  Chris was refused leave from his work, and he was badly beaten up at the weekend.  We wish him a speedy recovery.

We are pleased to announce that Martin Baumann will delve into his considerable collection, and Ian Wilson will present some video during the meeting, which will be held in one of the classrooms as the Drama Studio is unavailable. 

Membership 2017-18

Unless we have already received your renewal form, a membership form for 2017-18 is attached.  Membership rates remain at £10 (£5 concession) but members are asked to note that due to increasing bank fees, we can no longer accept payment in Euros.

Senior Travel Pass Group

Ken Harte writes:

Wednesday 25 October – Kilkenny

This month we plan to travel to Kilkenny, Code 72, returning direct to Heuston for the 16.50 from Connolly or by the next train to Kildare and the tunnel for the 19.00 departure to Central. Industrial Action in Irish Rail may disrupt rail services at the end of the month. We are hopeful that this will not take place until after the 25^th. If it does we will substitute our planned visit in November to Derry/Londonderry.

TIMETABLE:

Central       dep.  06.45
Portadown  dep.  07.21
Connolly     arr.    09.05
Heuston     dep.  10.15
Kilkenny     arr.    11.40.

Return direct via Heuston:

Kilkenny     dep.  13.43
Heuston     arr.    15.15
Connolly     dep.  16.50
Central       arr.    19.05

Return via Kildare and Phoenix Park Tunnel:

Kilkenny     dep.  15.30
Kildare        arr.    16.35
Kildare        dep.  16.45
Hazelhatch arr.    17.09
Hazelhatch dep.  17.25
Connolly     arr.    17.55
Connolly     dep.  19.00
Central       arr.    21.00

Contact: To add your name to the mailing list, please use the contact form and we will pass your details on.

East Coaster Railcruise – Gone West!

It was with some shock that our friends in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland learned a few days ago that the railtour planned for Saturday 9 September will not be able to proceed as planned.

Unfortunately, essential engineering work means that the line will be closed between Bray and Wicklow all weekend.  Iarnrod Eireann have apologised for this oversight – the railtour plan was predicated on the line not requiring to close until Saturday evening, but the engineering work must begin on the Friday evening.

Iarnrod Eireann have therefore offered an alternative destination – Sligo.

The railtour will operate as intended between Whitehead and Dublin in either direction, but with an expected earlier departure from Dublin Connolly as follows:-

Whitehead Excursion	07:30
Carrickfergus	07:47
Belfast Central	08:27
Lisburn	08:42
Portadown	09:06
Drogheda	10:10
Dublin Connolly	11:30

 

The train is expected to return to Belfast Central for 22:15 as planned.

Plans for the journey to Sligo are being finalised as we write, but they are expected to include several photostops and almost an hour in Sligo.

We realise this will disappoint many members, especially anyone who travelled on the IRRS/RPSI railtour a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, the only passenger guards passed for lines out of Heuston are reserved for Belmond operations due to the long hours involved, and to reschedule to a different day would cause severe inconvenience to those who have already arranged flights and accommodation.

Anyone no longer wishing to travel should contact Belfast Welcome Centre.  Card payments can be refunded to your card, otherwise it will also be necessary to contact RPSI to request a refund via BACS transfer.

Membership 2017-18

A membership form for 2017-18 is available here.  Membership rates remain at £10 (£5 concession) but members are asked to note that due to increasing bank fees, we can no longer accept payment in Euros.

2017/18 Programme

Full details of the programme will be made available on the day of the railtour, but this is the outline programme for 2017/18:

Wednesday 20 September (reconvened AGM) – Erwin Tisch and David Carson
Wednesday 18 October – Chris Playfair
Wednesday 15 November – Edwin McMillan
Wednesday 17 January – Michael McMahon
Wednesday 21 February – John McKegney
Wednesday 21 March – Sam Somerville
Wednesday 18 April (AGM) – Matthew Wilson

All meetings will be held at 7.15pm in Ashfield Girls’ High School, Holywood Road, BELFAST.  The October and November meetings will be held in a classroom, and the remaining meetings will be held in the usual venue of the Drama Studio.

Annual General Meeting

The 2017 Annual General Meeting will be reconvened on Wednesday 20 September at 7.15pm.

All minutes and reports will be taken as read, but matters arising will be accepted in the normal way.

In the spirit of the Constitution, notices of motion will be accepted up to and including Thursday 31 August, and nominations for the post of Treasurer and the three Committee posts will be accepted up to Sunday 17 September.

Full papers and agenda will be issued to all members after the railtour.