Volunteering with the Aln Valley Railway (AVR)

If you are wondering how you can become involved in a practical way with the AVR then keep on reading…

Volunteers are welcome to lend a hand whenever they can, be it a single afternoon, a day, a week or as many months as you like! Currently we’re working on our rolling stock at Longhoughton and Wooler but when we get ‘on the ground’ sometime in 2010 it will be ‘all hands on deck’.

Jobs are available for all, no matter what your level of skill - training will be given where required. You also have the opportunity to meet likemeinded people, make new friends, as well as having the satisfaction of helping to develop the project.

What can volunteers do?

The list below is not an exhaustive one and you’re not limited to one particular job or function:

Engineering and Maintenance - anything from roling stock restoration and general maintenance, to welding, fabricating and painting etc. We have a current need of assistance in this area and all help will be welcome.

Track Maintenance, Civil Engineering and General Permanent Way work - not in demand at the moment, but when we start building this is where the greatest amount of volunteer time will go. With a few miles of line to construct, including design, construction, track laying and plant operation. The original trackbed will require clearing of shrubs, trees and overgrowth, as will the old drainage channels alongside.

How do I start?

In the first instance, volunteers MUST be members of the AVRS so that they are covered by insurance. Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult.
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the Secretary (click on the Committee link on the right) who will be pleased to give details of current working parties.

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Due to a technical difficulty (or two), the galleries are currently being hosted on a separate site. Please click on the links below, a new window will open for each one.

Publicity Images

Images for publicity use. Please ensure the photograph owner is credited.

Drax Stock

Photos of the rolling stock generously donated to the Society by Drax Power.

Documents

AVR docmentation. Password protected - please contact the Secretary for access.

The Trust acts as the ‘figurehead’ to secure assets, free from risk, and to secure status and tax advantages for the railway. It leases its assets to the railway, acting as a ‘Company Limited by Guarantee’. The Trust Members are liable for the sum of £1 per head if the Trust needs to be wound up. At present the Trust has only six Members. Persons seeking to become Trust Members may applyif they are ‘fit and proper persons over the age of 18’. Existing Trustees are required to approve applications. An application form can be downloaded for completion and submission by post to:
Michael Smithson, Company Secretary, Aln Valley Railway Trust, 2nd Floor, Ward’s Building, 31-39 High Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1EW.
The full Trust Incorporation Document is available for inspection.

wagon No. 40299 Aln Valley Railway
wagon No. 40344 Aln Valley Railway
carriage - Mk 2 BR 1966 No. 5210 Aln Valley Railway
carriage - Mk 2c BR 1969 No. 35506 Aln Valley Railway

More to follow!

 ALN VALLEY RAILWAY SOCIETY

INDOOR MEETINGS PROGRAMME: WINTER 2010-11

Meetings are held in the Old Waiting Room, Alnwick Station at 7.00pm for 7.30pm

• Thursday 16thSeptember 2010: Andrew Everett makes a very welcome third visit to Alnwick, this time to present the story of an early electrical railway pioneer: “Charles Hesterman Merz, 1874 - 1940: the bringer of electricity.”
•  Thursday 14th October 2010: ‘The Quintinshill Disaster’.The tragic story of this frightful railway disaster, which took place in May 1915 near to Gretna and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, will be related to us by Cliff Pettit of Alnwick.
•  Thursday 18thNovember 2010: Dave Dunn comes to Alnwick for the first time to show some of his spectacular pictures of “Steam in the North East – the 1950s and 1960s”. Lots of local flavour (photos of Tweedmouth, Alnmouth, Alnwick, Blyth, Newcastle) – not to be missed!
•  Thursday 16th December 2010: “The Members Entertain”: Our annual Christmas Buffet evening when Members, and perhaps some Guests, will entertain us with short talks, slides or film material of their choice on a railway topic. Do volunteer! There will be a Christmas Raffle also! Visitors are very welcome!
•  Thursday 20th January 2011: A grand start to the New Year! Bart Rippon comes to visit us again ‘all the way from Oz’ to present his illustrated talk on “The Alnwick Branch.” Another record attendance is expected! Put this date into your diary… and turn up early for a good seat!
•  Thursday 17th February 2011: “The Railways of Cornwall”. John Irvine travels up to Alnwick from Haydon Bridge to give us a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the railways of England’s most south westerly county in the last twenty years … ’tis a long way from the north east!
•  Thursday 17th March 2011: “Mainly 60s: Bob’s Recollections.” Bob Payne comes to us from Whitley Bay to show us some of the colour slides he took in the North East area in the middle of the last century … they are mainly, but not exclusively, ‘steam’! A real treat in store!
•  Thursday 21st April 2011: Michael Carrier comes all the way from Armathwaite in Cumbria to give us his talk ‘Railwaymen and Steam’. Michael is a very good speaker and will give us an excellent evening’s entertainment.
•  Thursday 12th May 2011: “AVRS v Gunnerton Railway Circle”. Our annual quiz ‘tussle’ with the Gunnerton Railway Circle for the Flat-bottom Trophy! To be hosted by Gunnerton this year. Ask if you need travel details or require a lift.

 We welcome visitors, members and their guests for a small donation towards costs.

Refreshments will be available from 7.00pm.

Contact: Roger Jermy 01665 606168

The Aln Valley Railway has been established to re-open the branch line from Alnmouth station on the main Edinburgh-London line up to Alnwick, firstly as a heritage tourist attraction with steam and vintage diesel power and secondly, if plans go well, a 21st century sustainable transport link for Alnwick. The Alnwick Garden currently attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year and, along with Alnwick Castle and Barter Books, the addition of a rail line will further enhance the town’s tourist offering.

The plans for the railway were launched in 1997 with the intention of taking main-line steam back into Alnwick Station. However this would have involved the provision of a new bridge over the A1 dual carriageway to the east of Alnwick and a further bridge over South Road in the town. Much funding was obtained, but with the failure of a Heritage Lottery grant it was not enough.

A further set-back occurred in 2002 when application was made to Northumberland County Council convert the trackbed east of the A1 into a public footpath. The county council did make an order but after a public inquiry in 2007 it was overturned.

In the meantime the committee rethought the plans and now proposes to site the main Alnwick station in the field adjacent to the trackbed to the east of the A1 near the Lionheart business park. This will provide ample space for parking and suitable buildings for the visitor experience, with good road access from the South Road/A1 interchange. From here steam trains will run down to Alnmouth station, a scenic trip of some 3 miles. The plan is to complete the project in two stages, firstly to Greenrigg Bridge (anout halfway) and then on to Alnmouth. To proceed beyond Greenrigg Bridge a Transport and Works Order is required which will be expensive. Plans include for the other side of the trackbed to be a permissive cyclepath, which will connect the national coastal cycle route safely to Alnwick.

Looking much further ahead, there is a possibility of extending into Alnwick using an ultra-light tramway system and also the possibility of a park-and ride operation.

A  commercial feasibility study by the International Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University shows the line could break even on as few as 10,000 trips/year. The great advantage is that Northumberland Estates, who now own the trackbed, are prepared to lease it to the Trust at a very reasonable rent, so the Trust’s balance sheet will not be burdened with large land acquisition costs before work starts.

Negotiation of a lease for the trackbed from Northumberland Estates is in hand and planning permission is with Northumberland County Council. On the practical front work is needed at our Longhoughton yard on overhauling rail plant and on sorting out rail material for initial track laying. Restoration work on rolling stock is also underway.

All volunteers welcome!!

When the Newcastle & Berwick Railway received authorisation to build a railway between Gateshead and Berwick on 31st July, 1845, it also gained powers to build certain branches. One such branch was the Alnmouth to Alnwick line.

The company naturally concentrated on the main line and it was only after this was finished that consideration was given to the branch. The contract for construction was let in August 1884. Progress was rapid and the line was ready to be formally opened on the 5th August, 1850. The original station was constructed at what was then the edge of the town, adjacent to the Shilbottle Coal Company depot. This was served by a wagonway from one of the colliery heads near Shilbottle (the route of this followed the present day Wagonway Road in Alnwick). The station was quite a modest affair, occupying the area now used as hard standing in front of the present day Hi-Q Tyre Services depot, and consisted of a stone built single storey building about 60 feet long, containing offices and waiting rooms. A single platform was provided, and it is quite possible that the short section of platform that survives behind the Station Masters’ house dates from this time. Other buildings provided at this time included a large stone built goods warehouse and assorted stables/stores. A signal box was built at the south end of the station yard. Services and traffic developed steadily and in 1885 Alnwick town council approached the North Eastern Railway asking for improved facilities as the existing station seemed inadequate. After initial reluctance to consider their request, the NER suddenly reversed their decision, possibly as a result of direct intervention by the Duke of Northumberland and authorised construction of the present magnificent building. The contract for construction was let to Messers Meakin and Dean of London for £11,500 with an additional £3,931 for engineering works, a new signal box was included in the price. Opening of the new station on 5th September 1887 coincided with the opening of the Cornhill branch which had also been constructed by the same contractor but at a cost of £272,266 15s 3d. The first train to leave the new station was a train to Cornhill headed by a Fletcher B.T.P. tank locomotive No. 199.

After the opening of the new station the original building was converted into a warehouse and an extension was built onto one end to provide stables and a mash house. This building survived until 1930 when it was demolished to provide room for a garage for the new motor parcels delivery van. Two pre-fabricated animal feed warehouses were also built on the site at this time, one of these still survives.

Hustle Bustle. By the turn of the century the railway was very busy with about 60 trains a day using the station. In 1911 there were 45 passenger trains a day over the Alnwick to Alnmouth section and an additional 3 trains in each direction on the Cornhill branch. Goods traffic was very important and the 1911 returns show that 2,394 tons of building stone and 1,754 tons of grain were dispatched from Alnwick. 1,380 wagons of livestock were also loaded, which at an average load of 40 animals per wagon equates to over 45,000! This compares to total passenger ticket sales of 77,771. Incoming goods included livestock, building materials, timber, lime, coal, agricultural machinery, animal feed, steel and a vast variety of sundries. Road transport started to eat into revenue in the 1920’s and particularly affected the Cornhill branch where many of the stations were a long way from the communities they were supposed to serve. All passenger services to Wooler and Cornhill were withdrawn at the end of the summer timetable in September 1930 and the number of trains to Alnmouth and beyond had fallen to 14 each way. One of these was a through train to Kelso via Berwick presumably intended to replace one of the Cornhill branch trains. Services remained at this level for the next 35 years with about half the trains being through services to either Newcastle or Berwick. By the mid 1960s the branch was said to be losing money and an attempt was made to reduce costs by singling the line and dispensing with all signalling equipment. The branch was worked on the “one engine in steam” principle and was operated from the Alnmouth end on the electric token block system, although no tokens were issued. Diesel multiple units had appeared by this time and most of the through trains to Newcastle were operated by Heaton based units. Surprisingly steam locomotives continued to work the Alnmouth trains and most of the goods trains until the 18th June 1966 when Alnmouth shed closed. The last steam passenger train was hauled by a Tyne Dock based British Railways class 9f No. 92099 which was featured on the front cover of the first issue of the Aln Valley Railway Society magazine ‘The Link’.

Death Knell. In March 1966 it was announced that it was proposed to close Alnwick and withdraw all services on 6th June 1966. There was a great deal of opposition to this and an appeal was made to the Ministry of Transport. However, on 28th September 1967 consent to closure was given subject to substitute bus services being provided. Passenger services were withdrawn from 29th January 1968 but goods services lasted until 7th October that year. Following closure, the signal boxes were demolished along with the coal depot and weigh cabins but the remaining 1850s buildings survived until 1975. At this time the goods shed was removed and re-built at Beamish Museum, County Durham. The Station Master’s house still stands and is the home of Society member, Stuart Manley. The 1887 station building remains largely intact and in exceptionally good condition - ready to receive Aln Valley Railway Society trains in a few years time! Reasons for closure were given at the time as being purely financial, with ‘creative’ accounting producing a loss, but it appears that one of the deciding factors was that the Ministry of Transport realised they could substantially reduce the cost of the Alnwick by-pass, then under construction, by eliminating the need for an expensive bridge to carry the line over the deep cutting to the east of Alnwick.

Supermarket “Goods”. Over the years a small industrial estate has been developed in the former goods yard, but this has not threatened the actual station in any way. However, a serious threat did arise in 1993 when plans to develop the site as a supermarket were announced. This would have involved the demolition of all buildings on the site.

It was only the timely intervention by the owners of Barter Books that prevented the development from going ahead. Owing to this threat, plans to protect the station from any future speculative development were made. This led to the formation of the Aln Valley Railway Trust and Society.

This area is for members of the Aln Valley Railway.

For our public site please click here.

Jump to Latest News

With an ultimate aim of joining coast to castle, the Aln Valley Railway is to be built along the disused trackbed that runs from Alnmouth station to Alnwick in Northumberland. There have been several obstacles that have worked against us since the start of the project, but we are now under way.

We have designed our new station that will be built close to the Lionheart Business Park in Alnwick, are currently practicing our track laying and preparing our rolling stock at Longhoughton and Wooler.

We are looking for willing volunteers to help with a wide range of tasks and generous benefactors who can provide hard cash or goods and services in kind. For more information on helping, please click here.

AVR Members in front of ex-London Port Authority 0-6-0T Richboro’ undergoing restoration at Wooler, Northumberland in Dec 09.

Latest News:

Planning Granted!

Last modified on 2010-07-04 18:01:05 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

At a meeting which took place in Alnwick on the evening of Thursday 1^st July, the Northumberland County Council Northern Planning Committee passed unanimously the Planning Application, submitted by the Aln Valley Railway Trust, for Phase 1 of the reinstatement of the former branch line between Alnwick and Alnmouth.

Phase 1 will include the establishment of a new station, to be called Alnwick (Lionheart), on a green field site immediately adjacent to the A1 Alnwick by-pass. This site will include passenger facilities and covered accommodation for locomotives and stock. A new curve will connect the site with the alignment of the former trackbed. The rails will be laid, in the first instance, as far as an overbridge known as Greenrigg Bridge, just to the east of the seven-arch Stephenson-designed Cawledge Viaduct. This site will become a temporary terminus where a run-round loop will be laid.

At the side of the railway, and securely fenced from it, will be a cycle path and footpath which will eventually form a safe link between Alnwick and Alnmouth, and will connect with other such paths.

In Phase 2, planned for the future, the line will be extended to a point close to Alnmouth for Alnwick station on the East Coast Main Line.

The Planning Committee have imposed several ‘conditions’, some of which are ‘standard’ for the construction and operation of heritage railways. They include the following:

• operating days to be limited in the first instance to 53 days per year with trains of a maximum length of two carriages
• the improvement of access to the Lionheart station site from the A1/A1086 junction to be agreed with the Highways Authority
• the prohibition of noisy works activity on Sundays or Bank Holidays or outside the hours of 0800-1800 (Mondays to Fridays) or 0800-1300 (Saturdays)
• the carrying out of measures to conserve species and their habitat, including clearance of vegetation outside the bird breeding season, provision of bird boxes, provision of additional woodland and adherence to regulations as regards badger setts
• the submission of plans for the drainage of cuttings, disposal of surface water from the station site and for pollution prevention management during construction works

The ‘approval’ included permission for a car park, station building (with associated services), an ‘education & display’ building and operating facilities.

The Trust will shortly proceed with further discussions with the landowners, the Northumberland Estates, to finalise details for the Lease of the site.

Meanwhile the rolling stock and motive power for the line are stored and worked upon at two sites: the railway’s temporary base at Longhoughton station goods yard, and the engineering works of Michael Fairnington at Wooler.

Needless to say, after almost 15 years of work and preparation, the Committee and Members of the Trust and Society are both delighted and relieved that the Planning Application was approved!

PRESIDENT
His Grace, The Duke of Northumberland

VICE PRESIDENT
The Right Honourable Alan Beith, M.P.

COMMITTEE

Chairman
Kay Seymour-Walker, Embleton Tower, Embleton, Alnwick, NE66 3UW
01665 576274

Vice Chairman
Martin Robinson, Tofts Bank Cottage, Tofts Bank, Haydon Bridge, Hexham, NE47 6NB
01434 684650
email: toftsbank (at) btinternet.com

Secretary/H&S Advisor
Mark Hayton, 7 Lower Barresdale, Alnwick, NE66 1DW
07754 765632
email: secretary (at) avrs.co.uk

Treasurer/Gift Aid
Tom Spence , 17A North End, Longhoughton, Alnwick, NE66 3AG
01665 572028
email: tom (at) redview.co.uk

Fund Raising
Neil Brison, 6 Royal Oak Gardens, Alnwick, NE66 2DA
01665 602349

Press and Public Relations
Roger Jermy, 153 Allerburn Lea, Alnwick, NE66 2QR
01665 606168
email: roger (at) jermy4648.freeserve.co.uk

Other Members

Ian Cairns, 7 Rothbury Road, Longframlington, NE65 8HU
07801 741395

Chris Freeman, 12 The Haven, Beadnell, Chathill, NE67 5AW
01665 720182

Joe Hedley, 19 Dovedale Gardens, High Heaton, Newcastle, NE7 7QP
0191 2599557
email: joe.hedley (at) googlemail.com

Ken Middlemist, 19 South View, Hipsburn, Lesbury, Alnwick, NE66 3PZ
01665 830619

William Stafford, The Old Station House, Lesbury, Alnwick, NE66 3PH
01665 830691
email: wstafford (at) tiscali.co.uk

NON-EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

Magazine Editor

Keith McNally, 83 Chesick Drive, Gosforth, NE3 5DW
email: editor (at) avrs.co.uk

Mechanical Engineering

Mick Fairnington, 53 Ramsey’s Lane, Wooler, NE71 6NY

Membership Secretary

Gavin Head, 24 Fairfields, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1BT
e-mail: gavinhead (at) tiscali.co.uk

We now have a number of Aln Valley Railway inscribed gifts & souvenirs for sale and would welcome your orders:

	Leather bookmark	£1.00 each
	Keyring & fob	£1.00 each
	Mug	£4.80 each
	Biro	£0.80 each
	Pencil	£0.40 each
	4 page full colour reprint of the ‘Steam Railways’ article on the Aln Valley Railway	£1.00 each
	The full colour Aln Valley Railway Prospectus, as used at the launch of the AVR Trust	£5.00 each
	‘The Link’, magazine back issues: No 1, No 2 (vol. 2/1), No 3 (vol. 2/2), No 4 (vol. 2/3), No’s 5 to present	£2.00 each

All prices include P & P, and a small donation to the railway.

Please make your crossed cheques payable to ‘AVRS’ and send to:

The Aln Valley Railway Society (Merchandise), Alnwick Station, Northumberland, NE66 2NP

Join us today and help rebuild a railway

Annual membership of our Society is available to persons of all ages. Even if you do not intend to participate as a hands-on volunteer, literary and moral support is welcome. Current annual subscription prices are:

Ordinary - £10

Junior (14-17yrs) - £6

Family (member plus partner and all children up to age 13) - £12

Gift-aiding your subscription will ensure more cash reaches our funds and at no additional cost to you. Why not explore this option on the form.

For help on membership matters, contact Gavin Head on 01665 510828 or e-mail him at: membership (at) avrs.co.uk

For help on gift aid matters, contact Tom Spence on 01665 572028 or e-mail him at: tom (at) redview.co.uk

The society’s funds are often boosted through sales from our sales stand which attends events throughout the region. You can help by manning this stand, or by assisting with the creation of professional stand to be used or in the donation/loan of items to be displayed on the publicity stand. You could also assist with the assembly of permanent displays to be placed in shop windows to help gain publicity.

Contact Neil Brison, 6 Royal Oak Gardens, Alnwick, NE66 2DA. (01665 602349) if you can assist.

1. The name of the society is ‘ALN VALLEY RAILWAY SOCIETY’ and its address is Alnwick Railway Station, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 25NP.

2.Object

2.1 The object of the Society is to promote and sustain both the restoration of the railway link between Alnwick and Alnmouth stations, and the operation of train services on it. In furtherance of this but not otherwise, the Society may do all such lawful acts or things as are incidental to the attainment of the Object, as far as may be necessary or desirable to do such in collaboration with any person, body, institution, authority or otherwise.
In particular, the Society may;
Recruit members, hold meetings for them, issue a regular newsletter, and provide Public Relations material.
2.3 Establish or become a Company, limited by guarantee, for the protection of the membership as a whole, this company being the legally responsible body for all activities constructional, financial, and operational, of or connected with the Railway.
2.4 If considered beneficial, secure the Registration or the Society, or the Company, as a Charity and if necessary to this, set up a wholly-owned subsidiary company for trading activities.
2.5 Seek all necessary Planning and other Approvals, and seek funding by grants or donations from any appropriate source, to facilitate this commission Feasibility Studies, Impact Statements, and other such material.
2.6 At the appropriate time, seek an order under the Transport and Works Act by which to operate the Railway.

3. Membership

3.1 Any person aged 18 or over who supports the object of the Society may apply to become a Member, persons between 14 and 18 may become Junior Members, but are not entitled to vote at meetings of the Society. Family Membership can include Member, spouse, and all children under 14; it entitles the holder(s) to one vote only at meetings.
3.2 The annual subscription for each class of membership may be decided from time to time by the Committee and ratified by the Annual General Meeting; Junior Members, Members eligible for State retirement benefits, and unemployed Members, paying a lower subscription.
3.3 Persons joining before 1st January, 1996 at a subscription of £12 become Founder Members, and their subscription covers until 31st December, 1996. All other subscriptions will cover Twelve Months.
3.4 Any member may terminate his/her membership at any time by written notice to the Secretary.
3.5 The Society may offer Honorary Membership to such persons as are considered worthy by way of their contribution to the object and work of the Society; they will have the same eligibility as ordinary Members in the affairs of the Society. Such members will be elected by their names being proposed and seconded at an Annual General Meeting and endorsed by three-fourths of the members present.
3.6 The Society reserves the right to refuse membership to an applicant whom the Committee considers undesirable. The Committee may, on a resolution passed by three-fourths of its members, discontinue the membership of any Member whose subscription is three months in arrears or for any other reason at the absolute discretion of the Committee, provided that any such member shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a decision is made.
3.7 It is envisaged that the major input of effort in the restoration and operation of the Railway should be by volunteers, working either as teams or as individuals. Any Member or Junior Member is welcome to volunteer; Junior Members may not work unsupervised. The Committee is empowered to make any rules necessary for the safe and proper deployment of Volunteers.

4. Committee

4.1 The management of the Society shall be vested in a Committee. The first committee was elected by the votes the Founder Members present at the Inaugural Meeting on 27th September, 1995.
4.2 The Committee has a maximum of 12 members; at each Annual General Meeting 4 members retire in rotation and are eligible for re-election. If a vacancy occurs, the Committee may co-opt a Member to fill it until the next A.G.M. when he/she must stand for election.
4.3 The Committee elects one of its number to be Chairman, and others to be Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer. Other posts to be filled by Committee members include Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Publicity Officer, and Fund-Raising Officer.
4.4 The Committee may set up sub-committees to deal with specific items: it, or the sub-committees, may invite persons who are not themselves members of the Committee to assist them with specialist expertise, and to attend meetings of the Committee. Decisions or actions of a sub-committee must be ratified by the main Committee.
4.5 The Hon. Treasurer shall keep accounts of all monies received and expended on account of the Society, and shall present such accounts at the A.G.M. Banking accounts shall be opened on behalf of the Society and all cheques drawn on them shall require the signatures of at least two Authorised members of the Committee. The Accounts shall be audited by qualified Auditors or independent Examiners before each A.G.M. The Financial Year of the Society shall end on 31st December in each year.
4.6 Decisions of the Committee will be made by majority vote of those present: in the event of a tie, the Chairman has the Casting Vote. Six members shall constitute a quorum.

5. Annual General Meeting

5.1 This is intended to be held each March, and always within 13 months of the previous A.G.M.; fourteen days notice of the Meeting must be sent to all Members. It is called to receive the Report of the Committee, approve the Accounts, elect Committee members, decide the subscriptions, and consider any Resolutions proposed.
5.2 Nominations for election to the Committee must be Proposed and seconded by Members, and countersigned by the nominee as willing to stand; they must be received by the Honorary Secretary at least 7 days before the A.G.M.
5.3 Members may put forward resolutions to be discussed and voted on at an A.G.M.; these must be received by the Secretary at least 7 days before the Meeting, signed by the proposer and seconder.
5.4 Twenty Members present shall constitute a quorum at the A.G.M. In the event of a quorum not being present, the meeting shall be adjourned to such place, date, and time within the ensuing 14 days as the Chairman shall decide, and the members present at such an adjourned meeting shall constitute a quorum.
5.5 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee, or requisitioned by not less than one-tenth of the current members. Such a meeting to be held within 21 days of the Honorary Secretary’s receipt of such requisition, and Members to be given 14 days notice of such a meeting. The quorum shall be the same as a quorum at an A.G.M.

6. Constitution

6.1 Matters not hereinbefore provided for and not involving an amendment to the Constitution may be dealt with by the Committee. The Society in General Meeting may amend this Constitution by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those Members present and voting.
6.2 If the Society decides, by a majority of two-thirds of those members present and voting at a General Meeting, to discontinue the work of the Society, any money or property belonging to the Society, after payment of all expenses and liabilities properly incurred, shall be distributed to charitable institutions having similar objects to the Society.

Galleries below contain goings on at Long Houghton Goods Yard, the present home of the Aln Valley Railway

The Society is dedicated to the re-instatement of the 3 mile former NER/BR branch line from the East Coast main line at Alnmouth to the County town of Alnwick, seat of the Duke of Northumberland.

We presently have a base at Longhoughton Goods Yard, and designs for our new station to be built at Lionheart business park on the outskirts of Alnwick have now been submitted for approval.

For more information, please click on the links to the right >>

Contacts:

For press and publicity queries:
Roger Jermy, Press and Publicity Officer
01665 606168
email: roger (at) jermy4648.freeserve.co.uk

For membership queries:
Gavin Head, Membership Secretary
email: gavinhead (at) tiscali.co.uk

For financial queries:
Tom Spence, Treasurer
01665 572028
email: tom (at) redview.co.uk

and all other queries:
Mark Hayton, Secretary
07754 765632
email: secretary (at) avrs.co.uk