A Railroad Conflict

A Railroad Conflict
By
Jeff Birnbaum
Some times even nice guys can get into trouble with their superiors. I have experienced this and I would like to share this story with you to show that, even if they didn’t do anything wrong, nice guys like myself can get into a heap of trouble.

Lets start this has been going on for about a year now. It all started with the bad guy his name is Alexander, who is about my age. Alexander was one of the rudest and ignorant people I have ever met. We both work at the same model railroad club and he won’t mind his own god damn business. He also treats me like shit while giving respect to other members. Many times I have tried to befriend him, but it never worked out and he still treated me badly.

Many times he would ask stupid questions like “why are you doing that?” or “why are you running that with that.” A whole conversation between me and Alexander would go something like this:
Alexander: “What are you doing?”
Me: “Running a train like everyone else what’s it to ya.”
Alexander: “Well you’re not doing it properly”
Me: “Look what I do and how I run is none of your business so buzz off and leave me alone you can’t tell me what to do.”

That was the response he would get from me. Often what he would do was whenever I told him off he would be a little tattle tale and tell an adult member. The member he told would tell me something like this:
Adult Member: “Alexander has told me that you have been telling him to buzz off.”
Me: Yes I have told him to mind his own business and that he has no authority whatsoever.
Adult Member: “Although you two are the same age. He has been here longer. Therefore has more authority. If I hear about this again, you will be thrown off the railroad do I make myself clear?”
Me: “Yes.”

I didn’t do anything wrong he provoked me by asking those stupid questions. Some members actually took sides with him which pissed me off quite a bit. Even some of my friends took sides with him but that was just when he was around. They even ignored me, but when he wasn’t around they would agree with me about him.

A few months later I got suspended and it was all his fault. One of the reasons I got suspended was because I got angry at some members obviously meaning Alexander. I had a reason to be angry! He was annoying and often pissed me off. I was afraid of being a tattle tale so I thought I could handle it on my own but I was wrong. I was eventually allowed back in, but under certain restrictions. One more problem and I would be gone for good. I was confined to helping lay track on new sections of bench work. Although I liked helping lay track on the bench work that would be the newest section on the railroad when completed, I missed running long trains over the layout. But, I still hated Alexander.

When I started helping with the new bench work everything in the club changed. All my old friends started getting along with Alexander while I was left alone to lay track. I decided that I would only stick with people who were friendly with me and no one else. Alexander still treated me the same as before I was suspended. One morning as I came in, one of my friends invited me into the club. (I was only allowed in if I was a guest of any member and if I was with them at all times). We were talking about what was going on when Alexander showed up right behind my friend and whispered loudly and on purposely, “He’s not supposed to be in here.” I decided to stand up for myself and told him that I was waiting for my friend to arrive so I could lay track. He just walked away and when he did, my friend and I both agreed that he was too damn serious to be a modeler. I told my friend that the only reason I joined the hobby was to have fun and learn new things. He joined for the same reasons to. Another incident happened one morning while I was working on some bench work. By this time I was trusted enough to be able to work on my own when Alexander and another one of my former friends walks up and asked where my friend was. I told them he got stuck looking for a parking spot. Later that day, I was working in peace when the two idiots show up again and started boasting about running and rubbing in the fact that I couldn’t run.

Luckily for me I could tell the person who I was working with about these incidents as he was on the board! He had a lot more authority than anybody else in the club. He promised to talk to all the youth members for me and ever since he spoke to them I haven’t had any problems. But, the situation with Alexander still hasn’t been resolved. So from there on out, he got dirty looks from me. I have never trusted him for what he has done to me and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him.

Recently I had a chance to get back into the club under probation. I had my hopes up that I would get back in and so did a bunch of members, but unfortunately after the meeting I was told that the next time I had a chance to get back in would be September 2007. My hard work didn’t pay off at all. And, while I was at the meeting they recommended Alexander for a promotion which I thought was ridiculous. Hopefully they’ll do the right thing and not give him a promotion he doesn’t deserve it. Hopefully he’ll get what’s coming to him, you know what the old saying, is. “What goes around comes around.”