Off the Rails

Passions

Last week I had the opportunity to indulge myself in one of my non-railroad passions and get another car.  A yellow and black 2005 Ford Mustang Premium GT, with 42,000 miles but well cared for and well polished.  Other car guys can relate to this, but I’ve owned Ford Mustangs since I bought my first car in 1981.  This one makes number 5, and my wife Michelle was thrilled for me to get it, because she knows how important it is to me, and how it makes me feel.  I love this car, for me it fulfills a dream come true.  It is an outside extension of myself.  It roars with power and I feel it through my core.

My dream machine – Yellow Ford Mustang GT with black racing stripes.

Mid-Life Crisis?

I’ve been asked, somewhat annoyingly, if I was going through a mid-life crisis.  I was also asked this when I bought my previous Mustang GT in 2007, and the one before that in 1997, and the one before that in 1995, to replace the first one I bought in 1981.  Clearly, to me this is a lifelong dedication to something I love and appreciate, and has always been part of my make-up and mojo.  I was also asked if my wife was OK with this recent purchase, what does she say?  Well, of course she KNOWS me, and she knows that I harbor the love I do for this particular vice, and supports me 100%.  In fact, we know that is important that we support each other 100% for what we each want out of life, to make each other as happy as possible, doing the things that the other wants, which means we compromise to achieve what the other wants, whether that it is doing things, how we treat each other, how we support each other, as well as the materialistic things.

So what has this to do with our hobby, model railroading, you may ask?  Well, model railroading is another huge passion of mine, as no doubt I share with all of you (or the few who actually read my column).  I am sure you have similar and other passions outside of model railroading, and they are probably as diverse as leaves in the wind.  But we all share another thing, a problem, an albatross weighing around our individual necks like a giant weight, we all have the same amount of time to spread sparingly between family, friends, work, religion, (sleep!) and any time leftover finally for our other passions that may consume us, whether it be travel, cars, fishing, hunting, camping, sports, gardening, you name it, and oh yeah, a little time for model railroading, too.

I’m not even sure how to keep an engine this clean, but it will take a lot of time.

We are who we think we are

So what about model railroading?  We all joined this “grandiose” entity called the National Model Railroad Association.  What is it?  It is a national association of model railroaders.  What does this mean?  It means you joined an organization of peers of various talent levels, to do what?  

• Develop industry standards for manufacturers so they can keep coming out with great compatible products for us to enjoy (like recently DCC and lately newer DCC related standards in progress)?  Maybe, or maybe most of us would like to be supportive of these ideas and principles without being directly involved.  

• Participate in a group of our hobbyists to enjoy the hobby with others (who can relate to such things as why NMRA couplers are crappy and almost worthless especially backing up such-equipped passenger cars)?  Hopefully so, or we might have  gone insane down in that basement layout room while looking for that tiny part that shot out of our pliers across the room into the shag carpeting.

• Participate in the Achievement Program (for various reasons, but mostly to challenge ourselves to new degrees of frustration and piles of paperwork)?  Well, I have noticed a decline in the AP awards given out in our Region so far in 2014, and over the past few years.  Why is this? The Rocky Mountain Region used to be known for its fantastic modeling and so on. Does this mean we have had a decline in modelers, declining level of skills, a lesser emphasis on details? Absolutely not, I think our modeling is as good as ever, however, I think less of us have applied our commitment to the AP as our time constraints have prevented some of this.

• Gather together to socialize in a manner as to learn and share model railroading ideas, as a fun and educational experience?  Well, I would certainly hope so.

• Join another association for the purpose of providing leadership, running meetings, committing hours and hours of spare time without compensation, generating and developing programs and projects for others’ fun and education, governing a bureaucratic quagmire of more rules and regulations to govern a body of stiff-minded, cheap old goats, who already know everything and the best way to get things done anyway, and making new rules when all the old ones don’t work, organize the thankless tasks associated with putting together huge conventions for everyone to enjoy, setting up train shows and swap meets, organizing railfan meets, picnics, tours, operating sessions, clinics, presentations, you name it. Oh yeah, what were we thinking? I won’t be surprised if none of us signed up for this one.

Who does all that stuff in that last one?  The National organization does mostly the organization of the first one, and our primary rules & regulations in the last, with a sprinkling in between with the National Convention and Train Show.  What does the Region do?  Not all that much really. We basically try to keep a consistent set of rules across all the Divisions with four officers, and keep the machine running with the basic duties of President, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer (and bully, coerce, beg, and hope for Divisions to host the annual Regional Convention!).  This group is supplemented by six directors, who often assist in minor financial matters and participate on various committees as needed, but mostly vote on matters and offer their much needed opinions.  The bulk of the board is then completed by a representative of each Division, usually and almost always your much maligned, overworked, and underappreciated Superintendent (but it can be any Division member), who also support committees, voting, and support ideas and concerns from each Division’s members.  Where do these people come from? They come from all of you, and have sacrificed some of their other passions to represent you, and do all of the things necessary to keep the NMRA machine railed, oiled, and running.  

When I am asked why we don’t do things another way, or where are we getting this or that from, or why we do things the way we do, or why there isn’t improvement in this or why are we failing at that, I can only say we are doing collectively, the best we can. Could we do better? Perhaps, but we are being asked to sacrifice more of our other passions to do so.  When asking or hoping for things to change and improve, are you willing to help?  

Sadly, I think it has become more and more difficult to get more members to help support these roles that require a sacrifice on their part of their own passions, and they expect others to foot that bill for them.  The most common negative response I get when I have asked someone to take over as the next Director, chairman, officer (at Division as well as Region), is that they don’t have any time.  I think there is the same 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds per day for each of us (sorry, my rocket science side showing through here), so I understand that we all have a full slate. More importantly, your current officers and chairs and other volunteers are in the same boat as you, whether you think so or not, and several have been making that sacrifice on their other passions (which might be just working on their layout again) for a long time.

Tracks ahead

I felt for a long time that it is really the Superintendents who keep the NMRA afloat, who provide the critical contact with the members and keep the interest at the highest level.  This is also the pool where we mostly obtain the 4 officers for the executive board of the Region.  When I first assumed the mantle of President of the Region, I found it was nearly impossible to retain my office as Superintendent for very long due to the time commitments.  Prior to my ascendance to Superintendent, I served as a Director which gave me the opportunity to learn the machinations of the Board, got to know other leaders in other Divisions, and work a little with them.  I was basically inexperienced with the entire process at first, and simultaneously served as a volunteer division Secretary at the time. The Director position took the least amount of time of just about every other position I’ve worked.  Other than attending the 2 meetings per year, it took less time than putting together a clinic.  

I can also say though, that my experiences as a participant on the board from Director, representative and officer, I have got to know, work with, and have a lot of fun with people I probably would have otherwise not got to know so well.  I am sure that probably holds for almost all organizations and societies.  Because model railroading brings in such a diverse group of people from all walks of life, it is an opportunity to meet some incredibly fascinating folks.  This has truly been the biggest and most unexpected benefit for me holding offices at all levels, as each level of involvement has brought me closer to more and more fellow model railroaders, which has made the sacrifices of other passions well worth the experience.

Well, where do we go from here?  I can say that if we want the Region, Division, and individual experience for our members to improve, grow, and be better and more fulfilling, it is up to each of us to share the responsibility for helping serve and contribute, besides only participating at the barest minimum.  If you ever ask your Superintendent what you can do, he/she would be thrilled and would ask you, what would you like to do to help?  I think each of us knows the answer to that, so offer that.  When your Board or Superintendent asks you to help, know that you are asked because you are known to be capable of doing whatever it is, and it is understood that you are being asked to sacrifice some of your passion somewhere else.  Remember the TRUE passion again, is model railroading, fer Gawd’s Sake!