National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), Midwest High Speed Rail Association (MHSRA) and Missouri-Illinois Rail Passenger Association (MIRPA) member. Although I haven't heard anything from that last one since I sent in first payment.
I would question NARP's and Midwest High Speed Rail Association true commitment to better customer service. Doesn't really even seem to be a concern for MHSRA.
Combination of all that - depending on the day. Not so sure about the foamers club part though.
I'm also in NARP and MHSRA and just renewed my MHSRA membership a few minutes ago.
I agree that MHSRA does little in the customer service area, but it seems to me their focus is bigger-picture and longer-term -- more trains to more places, including transit and commuter rail as feeders to intercity -- with nuts-and-bolts day-to-day customer service being (IMHO, rightly) below their gaze.
I also agree that NARP isn't particularly foamer-ish, but IMHO again that's a feature and not a bug because other organizations, web-boards, etc. fill the railfanning and historical niches quite nicely.
Personally, I care about what passenger railroading
was mostly as it relates to what it
is or
could be, and I care little for the technical side of things except as it actually affects the amount and quality of passenger train service. I get more excited by seeing new equipment on the tracks (Viewliner II now, the corridor bilevels in the future) than seeing a Heritage car or older paint scheme, and upon seeing free wi-fi on-board than flowers on the dining tables. I want dining cars on the long-distance trains not because that's what they had in the Good Old Days, but because some kind of full-meal service must be an available option on an overnight train. It seems to me that NARP also focuses on what's practical now rather than preserving The Old Railroad Ways for their own sake.