brianel_k-lineguy posted:Same for the train hobby and for train clubs. Again, just food for consideration, but maybe when people say "no politics" they might be saying "people who model and operate exactly like me." And in this day and age in the hobby, that's getting harder to do.
They can also be saying, "I don't want anyone to decide how everyone else is going to do something" and there's nothing wrong with that. In many groups, 1-2 guys will tell everyone else how it's going to go, and there often is little fun in that.
I almost joined a On30 module group before I realized I could build my own layout, and what stopped me was when they decided all modules had to be locally themed. Problem is, I only got back into model trains to model a specific RR that is nowhere near this part of the country. So, no drama on my part, I just faded away. I still say hi to them when I see them at events and think they have a good setup when I see them at shows. I even see some of the members at various local layout op sessions.
Just because they went a direction I had no intention to go, doesn't mean there were ill feelings or that I felt they were wrong. But, if one guy had made that call and demanded everyone, against their best wishes, go that way, I'd feel different about it.
In short, politics can (and often is) very different than a simple overall guideline.
