Here's a write I did about it.
Sigh! $500 worth of Engines to hit the shelves.
Including my favorite, an atlas GP-38 that I put sound and a running decoder into. Five engines total, a BLI E-7, a Proto 2K S-1, a Bachman Spectrum GP-35 and a Walther's GP-9. The last two are brand new. My entire club fleet.
At our club meeting this year, I made a case that our rolling stock was so dirty that it was impossible to keep our track clean. The group agreed to have a night in which everyone would get together and clean the rolling stock. One of the members suggested that since it was my idea, that I should organize it. One of the members thought I was irrational for insisting that cars that did not have Kadee couplers be removed from the track. He called me a Nazi.
Fast forward the the night two weeks later. I got there early and set up the stations. Cleaning, weighing, couplers, NMRA guage. Three adults and two kids came to help. Well, that was less than half the club present. The president of the club decided to do scenery, because that is what he was in the mood to do. Following his lead, the majority of the club decided they had other things to besides the nasty job of cleaning the rolling stock. At any rate we didn't finish.
I sent him an email privately, in which I pointed out that the club agreed to do a job and it was his job to support carrying it out. He shared the email with several other members including the guy that called me a Nazi.
The next week, I set up again and only the vice-president and one other guy helped clean. The third week, I was by myself cleaning cars. I didn't like it, but wasn't mad until I cleaned up and when I was putting the newly cleaned cars in the bins, I saw that the kids were running the cars I'd cleaned the week before on the dirty track. I was short with the kid, and he told me that the president had pulled the cars out for the kid to run.
I lost it, but kept it to myself. I just packed my stuff and left. I didn't want to loose it at the club.
I wrote the president privately again--in fact we exchanged emails. From the first email, he started suggesting I quit. He told me he had discussed the situation with the rest of the club and I was disturbing the other members and "Balkanizing" the club.
Now remember, I've not spoken to anyone except the president and I have created all this strife in the club.
Anyway, I suggested that I send all the emails to the vice-president, perhaps the most respected member of the club and the most calm and level headed--then I thought that no matter what the outcome, it was a lose-lose situation. I decided t let the president settle the club down then invite me back when it had settled down.
His response was "Fine. Pick-up your stuff and leave your key on the roundhouse. We'll refund your dues."
I don't think he has the authority to do this, but I'm not sure it is worth it to really Balkanize the club.
Funny, because anytime there is a problem with DCC they turn to me. If there is a difficult job, they turn to me. I get along with everyone in the club, and except for being called a Nazi that one time, never had a disagreement.
The only think I can think of is that it threatened the President that I came up with something he didn't instigate.