7j43kPerhaps clubs should have a special membership class (let's call it Class A), where you pay your membership, but you don't have to do anything. Of course, you don't get a vote. But you do get to stand around and talk, if you keep out of the way. Looks like a win-win.
Ed,In every club I been a member of every member in good standing was allowed to vote regardless of his club activity as it should be. This includes the naysayers that shows up only on business meeting nights to shout down or vote down any major changes like going DCC or a layout upgrade..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
rrinker IRONROOSTER <snip> Now you know why so many of us don't belong to clubs. Oh I know there are many advantages, but the "club of one" has no arguments. <snip> Paul I dunno, I argue with myself all the time.... --Randy
IRONROOSTER <snip> Now you know why so many of us don't belong to clubs. Oh I know there are many advantages, but the "club of one" has no arguments. <snip> Paul
<snip>
Now you know why so many of us don't belong to clubs. Oh I know there are many advantages, but the "club of one" has no arguments.
Paul
I dunno, I argue with myself all the time....
--Randy
Randy, which one of you wins most of the arguments?
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I win them all, of course!
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
You should watch Randy filibuster...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Our club has 2 categories: 1 lower cost with no voting rights, and 1 higher cost membership with voting rights and priority on operations.
BRAKIE 7j43k Perhaps clubs should have a special membership class (let's call it Class A), where you pay your membership, but you don't have to do anything. Of course, you don't get a vote. But you do get to stand around and talk, if you keep out of the way. Looks like a win-win. Ed,In every club I been a member of every member in good standing was allowed to vote regardless of his club activity as it should be. This includes the naysayers that shows up only on business meeting nights to shout down or vote down any major changes like going DCC or a layout upgrade..
7j43k Perhaps clubs should have a special membership class (let's call it Class A), where you pay your membership, but you don't have to do anything. Of course, you don't get a vote. But you do get to stand around and talk, if you keep out of the way. Looks like a win-win.
Yeah, I was being sorta facetious. Sorta.
But recall earlier how I was able to get talkers turned into workers. It would seem that, if ya got three guys over there yakkin' up a storm, then it would seem not unreasonable to ask one of them to come over and help. Which I did regularly. I never received a "I'm too busy talking to come and help you."
Now, it's important to only ask people to help who can actually contribute to the task at hand. But it's surprising how much "help" is pretty easy. Sorta like a guided apprentice.
Most of my fellow club members weren't big self-starters on layout maintenance. But I don't recall anyone ever refusing to come over and lend a hand.
Then, once one of the three yakkers is now over here working, there's only two left. And then they start noticing there's work going on (and fewer co-yakkers) and they start to try to think of how to help.
I perhaps was blessed not to have any of the worst-of-the-worst as fellow club members. And if there's only one of those, he should be vastly outnumbered. If there's a lot, then I believe there's a problem with the admission policy.
Ed
7j43kNow, it's important to only ask people to help who can actually contribute to the task at hand. But it's surprising how much "help" is pretty easy. Sorta like a guided apprentice.
Ed,Here's a rub that has rub me the wrong way for years in three different clubs..I was never asked or when I volunteered to help I was turn down even though I'm above average in the scenery and track laying department. I never had the chance to prove myself.
In the other clubs where I was given a scenery project guess who was more then willing to buy the needed scenery material?
Larry,
I have no sympathy for clubs who do not maximize the input of their members.
When I got to be president of our club, I made every effort to recruit new members. And to keep who we had (though no one was in a leaving mood*). I was actually sorta somewhat in charge! Whoopee! Well, there's that responsibility part: "Hey, big man. How come things are falling apart on YOUR watch?"
Anyway, I surely wish you'd been in OUR club. My, I could have found work for you. And stared over your shoulder to make sure the newby wasn't messing up OUR layout. And then left to attend to some of OUR little wiring issues (being an electrician and all).
*Actually, one guy did leave. He was REALLY OLD. And one day he announced he was leaving because he didn't feel there was anything he could do to help out anymore (see: REALLY OLD). We all pretty much said we'd gladly make an exception to our "hard working" ethic (quotes really necessary, there), but he had his pride. A REALLY sweet guy!!!
tstage You should watch Randy filibuster...
That's why after 3 1/2 years of knowing how much space I have, I still don't have a completed track plan.
On a brighter note though I did finally figure out how to make on-screen CTC levers in .Net. Turnouts were easy, had that figured out a long time ago, they just toggle between normal and reverse when yoou click. It was the three positions of a signal lever or a traffic direction lever that was complicated.
My disfunctional club of one may not have a layout but by golly it'll have a CTC panel!
I've never been interested in joining a club due to the fact that there's always some joker that thinks he's more important than anyone else and has the last word in everything...
“I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”
Groucho Marx
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
marksrailroad I've never been interested in joining a club due to the fact that there's always some joker that thinks he's more important than anyone else and has the last word in everything...
That is clearly an unsupported assumption.
Perhaps you visited several clubs and found that to be true. But that does not mean ALL other clubs contain such a person. Perhaps a club that was made up of people like you would never tolerate such a person in the club.
Hence there WOULD be a club without that person. And you could join THAT one.
Once upon on a time the devil looked upon model railroading and saw that people were having way too much fun with it . How can I stop this he thought and suddenly it came to him. "I know, he thought, let's invent a model railroading club "
Close, but not quite:
Once upon a time, the devil noticed that most model railroaders were poorly socialized and clueless how to function in a group. He thought it would be BIG FUN to make a situation where there was a whole bunch of 'em, and they HAD to cooperate. A total barrel of laughs. For devils, anyway. So he invented model railroading clubs.
For all these disfunctional clubs, there are others that have been around 50, 60, even 70 years. Some SOMEBODY can do it right. Frankly, I think a lot oof these disfunctional ones are started by peopel who have no idea what they are getting in to, with no clear vision for what the club should be and hoow they should get there. There's give and take on all sides - the only way to get what you want, always, with a club is for it to be your railroad in your house, with the club more of an informal gathering. If the club you visit doesn't model anything you're interested in, then you don't join just for the sake of joining. That usually means if you model a railroad not local to your present location, you're not likely to find a club nearby that truly interests you.
Randy,
If I was in New England, and I ran into a club that modeled the New Haven, I would be willing to pick up some New Haven equipment (well, gosh. I have: two FL9's) IF they let me play with my SP&S stuff on SOME days. On other days, I bring my growing fleet of NH stuff. And maybe my B&M, if it was allowed.
Here in Northern CA, while I model mostly the PNW, I do have outside interests. Like that Santa Fe GP9 we've been talking about. And a fair bit of RF&P. Ya never know. And this weekend, I'll be bringing my PC stuff to run at an admittedly low key Free-mo event. While the scenery tends to be local Northern CA stuff, the guys don't much care WHAT you bring, as long as it looks good.
Now, on occasion, those same Free-mo guys might say they dearly want only equipment appropriate to the scenery. As I have mentioned, I'm ready.
Trains is fun,
Is it a model railroad club?If yes, it's dysfunctional.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
selector Entire schools of thought, philosophies, religions, and cults have split into two, then four, and more camps for this very reason; new ways of seeing things, new leadership, or competition for recognition, power, and resources. When change is the sensible thing, many won't welcome it. They won't even agree that it is sensible. At some point, breaking up, or folding altogether, is the way to go. We tend to ally ourselves with, and to seek the company of, those who feel about living the way we do.
Entire schools of thought, philosophies, religions, and cults have split into two, then four, and more camps for this very reason; new ways of seeing things, new leadership, or competition for recognition, power, and resources. When change is the sensible thing, many won't welcome it. They won't even agree that it is sensible. At some point, breaking up, or folding altogether, is the way to go. We tend to ally ourselves with, and to seek the company of, those who feel about living the way we do.
Might as well add to the list: Nations, political parties, corporations, rock bands, heck, any association of human beings, whether structured or unstructured.
Bayfield Transfer Railway Is it a model railroad club?If yes, it's dysfunctional.
I do think that the percentage of dysfunctional clubs is disappointingly high. But I will not concede that 100% that you are claiming.
I have seen model railroad clubs that were functional. So I am disagreeing with your blanket statement.
7j43kI have seen model railroad clubs that were functional. So I am disagreeing with your blanket statement.
Those are the ones too dysfunctional to recognize they have a problem.
The comments on this topic are certainly fascinating, thoughtful, and fact filled. And well researched!
However.
I've gotta start packin' up my trains and load the van so I can go off this weekend and play with trains with a bunch of other guys.
The barbeque should be excellent. Always is!
Randy wrote: "... Frankly, I think a lot oof these disfunctional ones are started by peopel who have no idea what they are getting in to, with no clear vision for what the club should be and hoow they should get there. There's give and take on all sides -..."
Very true, and just as often it is that those in charge elect not to compromise, or to be inclusive, or to seek out consensus so that the group can move forward and not get mired in a never-ending present...a stagnation. You can't always please all people present. Nor should you alienate a majority, or if possible, nearly half of all those who would prefer a contrary approach to what is being decided.
It is a poor leader who allows dysfunctional relations to build to the point where they stop an organization in its tracks. Just like a successful marriage, there has to be, as you say, give and take. Know when to give in and expect to prevail another time, maybe when something even more important becomes the issue of contention.
We had a couple guys like that over the years. They left because their whackadoodle ideas kept getting voted down.