SOCIETY MATTERS

No. 13   February 2010

Journal 171

The present issue No. 171 represents several “firsts” for our Society. The first “first” is that both the front cover and the frontispiece illustrate a locomotive numbered 171, respectively RPSI [ex GNR(I) S Class] No. 171 and IÉ [ex-CIÉ] “small” GM No. 171.

It is not however the first time we have shown a blue-liveried GNR(I) 4-4-0 on our cover, for no less than 100 issues ago, Journal 71 of October 1976 featured a Norman McAdams picture of U class No. 202 Louth at Dundalk. It was our third coloured cover, and set the scene for a GNR-themed issue. Comparison with the present Journal will show how far we have come in terms of quality of photographic reproduction and printing.

80 page issue

The second “first” is our largest issue so far, with 80 pages, full colour printing throughout and use of the rear cover for illustrations, as has become the norm for recent issues. This larger Journal comes at increased cost, but the additional outlay is partially offset by a saving on postage outlays, since the Journal is being dispatched with the Annual Reports and multiple other enclosures.

We will not be able to repeat this for every issue, but if the response to the present Journal is favourable, we may be able to manage the occasional larger issue.

Recruitment of new Members

The viability of the Journal and the scope for more pages will be improved if we can increase the number of members. Enclosed with this Journal is a Flyer promoting the Society. We would ask all our members to use this enclosure to try and gain a new member or members for the Society. Additional promotional material can be provided on request.

The more members we have, the more we can do with our Journal.

“Adavoyle Junction”

Our third “first” is that probably for the first time, our Journal has focussed on a model railway. It is not the intention to make a practice of this, but the gifting of the remarkable “Adavoyle Junction” model layout to the South Dublin Model Railway Society by IRRS member Tony Miles deserves recordal.

“Adavoyle Junction” blurs the distinction between prototype and model, and shows the scope for modellers to draw on the type of archival material held by our Society in pursuance of historical accuracy, as well as the capability of a high quality model to breathe life into history.

Content

Our extra pages allow us to offer a wide range of subject matter. The reinstatement of Malahide Viaduct by IÉ engineers in record time is described briefly, while a much earlier period of engineering achievement is recorded by Brian MacAongusa in his account of the great Irish railway contractor, William Dargan.

Peter Smyth brings us up to date on the Mk IV fleet, this being followed by short features on “Adavoyle Junction” and the visit to the Society’s premises by the Heritage Railway Association, one of several such events hosted by our Society in recent years.

The spectacular works involved in replacing the Viaduct across the Shannon at Drumsna on the Sligo line are described by Aidan McAdam and Oliver Doyle, with some very remarkable pictures. It is worth recording that this job was done while IÉ were also tackling the unexpected need to deal with Malahide as well.

Nostalgia comes with Charles Friel’s “Bundoran Express Postscript”, recording the short-lived pilgrim trains to Omagh. Mark Healy reviews the new IÉ timetable, and the Journal concludes with the usual extensive news coverage, extensively illustrated.

Volume

Journal 171 is the first issue of Volume 24, pages 1-80. Volume 23 concluded with the Journal 170 of October 2009.

Programme of Events

An extensive programme of Summer events and outings has been organised and details accompany the Journal. Please also refer to the Society’s website for up to date information.

Dublin Meetings - Starting Time

The experimental starting time of 19:45 will continue to apply to the end of our indoor season.

Company limited by guarantee

The Society has, since 1999, been a Company limited by Guarantee. This form of organisation is advantageous for voluntary societies and has been adopted by many similar bodies, both in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The audit obligations imposed on companies limited by guarantee in the Republic of Ireland are however considerably more onerous than those that prevail in the UK. The British situation is well explained in the document “Accounts and Accounting Reference Dates”, downloadable from the British Companies Office website:

 http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/pdf/gba3.pdf. Small companies below certain levels of balance sheet and income enjoy total audit exemption, while companies within a somewhat higher range of balance sheet and income may file a so-called accountant’s report rather than formal audited accounts.

No such exemption or alternative exists under Irish law, and even the smallest company limited by guarantee requires to have its accounts audited and to file the appropriate returns at the Irish Companies Office.

Audit Costs

It is for this reason that the audit costs for our Society may be seen by our UK members as out of line with their experience of similar bodies in the UK. We would again emphasise that the circumstances as between the two countries are in no way comparable, and while your Board is taking steps to minimise the audit costs for future years, there is a substantive minimum level of outlay over which we have no little or no control.

Since the audit is essentially a fixed cost, its impact can however be reduced by growing the Society’s income, whether by way of increased membership or by securing other streams of revenue.

We would therefore again appeal to all our members to actively seek to recruit new members. We believe we offer an excellent product in the form of our Journal, we have an exceptionally extensive collection of railway literature, a unique transport archive, and not least, a congenial location in which to gather for formal meetings and study. We remain of course grateful to those many members who have contributed to development of the Society over the years, both here in Ireland and also in Britain, especially in London.

MICHAEL J. WALSH,

For Journal Editorial and Production Team