The 2004 Annual General Meeting: 11th May 2004

The 2004 Scottish Region Annual General Meeting was held at the Summerlee Heritage Center in Coatbridge on Tuesday 11 May 2004.

In opening the meeting, the Chairman, John Yellowlees, explained to members that John Standaloft was now working down South and that he had been asked to take over the role of Chairman for the coming year. The minutes of last years meeting were taken as read and the chairman reviewed the past year's activities, highlighting in particular an attendance of over 40 for the meeting about the Perth Local Plan by Messrs Olejnik and Gellatly; the presentation to Donald MacCuish for his 50 years in transport at the Annual Dinner; the lengthy but good-humoured debate with Chris Ballance MSP at the first Annual Political Event; and the Policy Group's success in securing a meeting with Transport Minister Nicol Stephen.

The Chairman then gave an indication of the events being planned for the coming year including a presentation on RFID; Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken in Edinburgh on 7 December, Professor Alan McKinnon on congestion and freight and a visit to Alstom Springburn Works on 10 May next year.

The treasurer, Stewart Dick, then presented the financial report and highlighted that the Regions finances were in a good position due to prudent financial management. After a brief question and answer session the motion to accept the accounts was proposed by Archie Hipwell and seconded by Frank McAllister.

A vote of thanks was proposed to the treasurer for his work as was a vote of thanks to George Brown and the Conference Committee for their sterling efforts in making the Annual Conferences and Dinner so sucessful and for the efforts that have already gone into the arrangements for the 2004 Conference and Dinner on 9th November and these were carried unanimously.

The members were then able to look around the museum and the highlight was undoubtedly the trips on preserved Lanarkshire tram 53 and Glasgow Corporation Transport tram 1017. A visit to the depot at workshop enabled members to see Glasgow Corporation Coronation tram 1245 and Brussels car 9062.

For those interested in locomotives, there is much to see, ranging from Sentinel 0-4-0T "Robin", one of four locomotives of this type employed to transfer steel rolls between the Meadow Works and Whifflet Foundry of R. B. Tennants, National Coal Board 0-6-0 tank locomotive No.19, once used at Bedlay Colliery and a 0-4-0T locomotive, believed to be the last locomotive built in Airdrie by Gibb & Hogg. Although not part of the Summerlee collection, members also saw the Garret locomotive built by the North British Railway Company for use on the 3'-6" gauge system in South Africa. Also on display is "Blue Train" 311 103, one of 19 sets built by Cravens for the Greenock/Wemyss Bay electrification in 1967 and which retains some original interiors.

Also on display are cranes, bulldozers and the replica "Vulcan" canal barge. The museum also features a row of miners cottages where you can see how miners and their families lived from the 1860's through to the 1960's and a replica mine showing the conditions miners had to work in.

The Chairman and Committee of the Scottish Region would like to thank the Summerlee Heritage Centre staff for their assistance with the visit and to our tram driver for the evening who patiently answered many questions and to Bob Docherty for making the whole event possible. Click here for more information on Summerlee Heritage Centre.

Report by John Fender.