Paging Sandy! It appears beer trains have become quite the thing.

http://www.gsmr.com/events/bbq-brews/bb ... 3J0HEZjhdo
http://www.cvsr.com/grape-escape-ales-o ... excursions
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-dean ... 72567.html
https://www.coloradotrain.com/rails-ales-2014.html

Here's another one - the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad's Brew train:
Durango Brew Train - Saturday, May 24, August 30, & September 20, 2014.

They are also running a wine train:
Durango Wine Train - Friday, May 23, August 29, & September 19, 2014

Both trains run to the site of the former "Ah! Wilderness Dude Ranch", where passengers spend 2 hours.

Why, for the love of all that is holy, are you Yanks just catching up now? Are you finally getting desperate to draw younger people, and some folks told you beer was the answer?

As it turns out, the Strasburg RR has also scheduled Wine and Cheese Train runs this year, where an evening run has wine and cheese in the lounge car while the dining car serves up dinner. And the Verde Canyon RR started up its own Oktoberfest Rails & Ales trains a few years ago. And there's this in Green Bay, home of a very nice railway station brewpub, Titletown: http://www.travelwisconsin.com/events/f ... fest-39641

But, seriously, get with the program, you Puritan prudes. Beer festivals draw adults with spending power--and they spend well after a beer or three, as any "Brew at the Zoo" or beer festival vendors will tell you--much better than blue tank engine fans, with a lower commission demanded:

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/1 ... _Festival/

http://www.barrowhill.org/links/railale2014.pdf

http://www.festrail.co.uk/railale/

http://www.hinckleyandbosworthcamra.org ... s2014.html

http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/page.php?pid=14

http://www.southcheshirecamra.org.uk/vi ... p?id=12630

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/foo ... te-7100662

"Diesel Gala and Beer Festival"

Interesting combo, diesel and beer. Yes, beer festivals are a big deal these days. There is a huge population of white collar, craft beer afficianados out there. They bring their wives and girl friends to these festivals too, so these are not the rock-throwing and couch-burning college parties you might imagine. Still, I imagine you wouldn't want the revelers to be in direct contact with your museum artifacts and objects.

In some cases, craft ale aficionados will easily compete with rail enthusiasts for title of "biggest geeks/dorks" or "most autistic personalities." A couple satirical works in the U.K. have drawn close parallels between "Real Ale Tw*ts" and trainspotters, with one depiction showing a real ale "authority" flying into a satchel-flinging rage when a British Rail Class 55 "Deltic" was misidentified by another RAT as something like a Class 40 or whatever......

Yes, beer festivals require astute security and removal of those who overindulge, but most of these festivals, like wine festivals, are about sampling variety rather than "all you can drink". Many of them have an admission charge, then still a price per drink after that (nominal, but avoids the "all you can drink" disasters). Barrow Hill sets up among the locomotives in a roundhouse, not among fine china and/or display cases, and if your locomotive is fragile enough that a drunk can damage it, well....

Just pour beer in the boiler, no fire needed......


...runs away fast...

But it foams over.

And when you come to Maine this summer, pop into the Sea Dog Restaurant and Pubs. Please request June's new "Beer of the Month", "Old 470 Ale". You will get a stupendous brew and donate $1 to New England Steam Corporation. Thank you, Bruce and Frank Forsley, of Shipyard Brewing!

Perhaps beer is the answer.