Hi, this question and perception I have about clubs is clear, I personally don't like either to form a club or being part of a club but it has its effects doing it all by yourself without any outside help., although my son helps me and I'm grateful for his work he does I don't share the same outlook which is part of a compromise which I didn't want in the first place, to construct and model a layout the way I can envisage, technical and artistically.

on the other hand there are clubs which are free of individual achievements whereas a club is formed to talk about model train issues and aspects.
other clubs have committees and decide what form of layout they are having in mind and it must take days and maybe month before anything is drawn or agreed upon which I do respect because of the effort is being poured into financially, physically and aesthetically and suppose the end product everybody is waiting for having trains run on the layout.

some club administration is very particular what you can do and what you can't do suppose setting a minimum standard and for other members this may can become boring or to much to handle and a resignation is the only way out.

Talking about standards can in my view sets the club apart, (just as an example= like one being a doctor and the other is of a lower ranking) the best outcome may be is when each member has roughly about the same skills and as they go along each member learns and improves his or her skills and the end product is not so much about being perfect, original, authentic but enjoyable for all to participate, running trains.
the other problem I can see, is the have and the have not. one member turns up with newly acquired Euro 1000.00 set (most probably over A$ 2400.00) and another member turns up with his 0' 6' 0' shunter. both most probably incline to have similar interest but the question is how can I convince my wife this set I saw today is just out of this world. (words a wife doesn't like to hear if its not directed at her).

as a club is founded and the maturity improves over month and years where do you think the maturity of each individual member plays a roll ?

I don't think there would be many clubs whereas locos or rolling stock is bought by the members.

part of comrade ship (which is great and we all like) how many just are there to fill the gap or the space and how many are there who do not pull their weight or participation ?
some clubs their founder have passed away, others have left and yet most of them survive for the only purpose: to keep on going to achieve that goal for another 50 years, In my case my son will have his hands full

and finally what do you think is the best way to keep a club on its right track ?

John

Edited by moderator 14 February 2018 10:01:53(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

in my early train hobby days I lived in a place (South Africa) where almost nobody else had Märklin, or they lived so far away there was no hope of really meeting up. No internet either. That forced one into being something of a loner making your way along solo.

Later, living in the USA, where most of the train guys are into 2 rail USA profile trains, again the Märklinists are spread thin, but now with the internet one can discover them. Years back in the Märklin Mailing List (MML) I saw one chap lived in the next town over, so I made contact. He belonged to a loosely formed club of enthusiasts who modeled European trains, and I got invited to their events. There are no subs, membership fees, committee meetings, newsletters. It is less of a club and more of a group of friends who visit each other's layouts, talk trains and drink together. It is ideal for me.

I think that as soon as money changes hands, things go bad, because then you have to have a treasurer, and a president and committee meetings, etc. If there is someone who is a jerk, there is not much you can do about them, whereas, with our unincorporated group, you invite who you like to your layout visits.

It is a great to get to know others who are interested in the hobby, and one can bounce ideas off each other, visit their layouts and show off one's own little achievements. Knowing that the traditional annual layout visit is approaching, also helps me to get something new done on the layout so that there is something new for the visitors.

Since I am now so remote in the woods of Maine, I open up my home for overnighting on a Friday and Saturday so that those travelling from afar can relax and enjoy a full day of festivities and don't try to drive after drinking.

Unfortunately, I'm no good with talking about trains, my interests are very specific and anything about Märklin doesn't really interest me or talk about it, when it comes to k-tracks I've got all the different versions you can lay tracks with, the benefits etc etc. when it comes to locos or passenger cars.

I'm no longer interested in buying stuff as I have enough in my collection, although there have been a few good models appearing lately, the price prevents me from purchasing any of them, with passenger carriages again I've got more or less everything and again the carriages available are not to my scale (1:87), freight carriages the same, I wait until anything comes onto the market cheaper and If I think its worth it I may put a bid on it to a certain amount.
Steam, diesel or electric locos have to have a functional point, e.g. enough rubber tyres, weight and the type of model, e.g. German, Swiss (BLS), Austrian or French, these are the 4 countries I use on my layout.
buying more locos (which I have done) is not on my agenda as it is pointless buying more locos when the layout has limited functions at the moment.
As you can see I'm not as enthusiastic as one may think but I don't mind giving or sharing some of my experiences with others and this is what I do on this forum on a regular basis.

Another reason is I've got that much to do on my own layout and until its finished and ready to run and all trains/tracks run satisfactory I feel its pointless going somewhere else to talk about trains and living on the edge of the world (Perth, Western Australia) I think there are a couple of Märklin clubs but one experience I had at a show whereas a president of the club asked me: why does the train take off suddenly on the other track, they suppose to be experts: I soon found they had a pick up slider on the last carriage and this activated the other train, the president than asked me to join the club seeing I've got experience but I declined the offer.

I wouldn't mind joining modellers to go for an excursion train trip or some special event but this would be it and it makes it is also harder when your wife is not particular interested in trains especially living with one train buff for all these years and than going on a trip which should be enjoyment for both of us and not more trains.

John

I think one can tell from the outset what type of club we're dealing with and I found the same with the clubs you've mentioned (NZ-SA), I think the meetings at Ian's place seem always be a happy outcome, just for the lunch (lol) and it could also be at other places from the UK club.

John

In 2012, I wanted to be part of a club (not far from my home in Montreal)... even if this club was dedicated to 2 rails, I was interested in learning some tricks on decorating the layout.

When they told me the amount of the monthly contribution ($50 CAD),

I knew it wasn't for me.

Thewolf

The truth is, the guys at the club didn't like cats.

Totally agree with the comments that are on this thread. In my case, I belong to two clubs and just wanted to share my experiences.

I attend a local NMRA clinic and have even presented on railroad topics such as SCARM software and the Railway Express Agency and both were well received. It is North American outline based and they put up with my Euro trains addiction and even find me stuff like at the last meeting a gentleman brought me a vintage Faller B-231 Villa in Ticino . The dues are the yearly NMRA dues (magazine included) $75.00. I learn new modelling techniques at the monthly clinics, attend local conventions and even do a little volunteer work for them. As they have gotten to know me, I have attended operating sessions and layout tours. The is a very calm and "chill" group and I am not involved in the leadership and politics in any way and it gets me a "monthly train fix".

I also belong to the ETE (European Train Enthusiasts). Our local chapter has grown to 30 members the past few years and we have met over 60 folks who model european trains locally! This group runs the gamut in interests from G scale to Z scale, from real trains to toy trains, from analog to digital, from AC to DC. I gravitate toward the members who share similar interests in my case vintage HO Marklin and vintage buildings ( Faller, RS Model, Vau-pe, Creglinger etc). I attended the National ETE convention EuroWest and had a blast. I would recommend it to anyone!!! There I met folks from all over the country. This group has caused me to try new things like a foray into digital Marklin. As our membership has picked up we meet more times a year (6X) and we are very informal. Our dues are $10.00 a year (we do not have module or SIG group yet) and you get a quarterly magazine.

I know that we as modelers are a solitary lot, as a whole. One of my favorite teachers in college used to always say quaint figures of speech and I believe truly "You get what you put into it" . My two cents and a "shameless plug" for the NMRA and ETE.