Friends,

There is a lesson in the tale of UP 4018 and her potential role as a movie star. To get there, letÂ’s cut through the foam.

First off, take away all the libelous huffing and puffing about the legitimacy of the project. ItÂ’s America, and these guys are innocent until proven guilty. Secondly, forget for a minute that your favorite 0-6-0 in Shumulamagoo is obviously more worthy of money than UP 4018 (of course, we all know it is, right?). Finally, donÂ’t think of the project as vaporware. Everything is a dream until its done, right?

WhatÂ’s left?

You have an old locomotive and a group of people searching for a way to steam it. That doesnÂ’t make UP 4018 all the unique, does it? SheÂ’s an old pressure vessel on old wheels that need a lot of TLC and m-o-n-e-y. Sounds just like the 0-6-0 in Shumulamagoo. I mean, sheÂ’s also an old teakettle in search of TLC and m-o-n-e-y, too.

WhatÂ’s different?

Transcendence from what we know to what we need to know.

For the most part, our community knows the nuts and bolts. We know elbow grease, fixing things with hammers and fixing larger problems with larger hammers. And, knowing the work of many on RYPNÂ’s board, there are folks reading this who are master craftsmenÂ… experts in the ways of today and yesterday. These people are treasures and should be acknowledged as such.

What our community has not done well is the aforementioned transcendence to what we need to know. ItÂ’s become clear that part of what we need to know is how to take advantage of things that work in the world outside of the roundhouse.

In this case, itÂ’s publicity and marketing.

The UP 4018 guys come from a world I have spent many years in: entertainment media. Looking at the project from that world, it doesnÂ’t seem as egregious an affair as it may look from other perspectives.

What seems to be getting folks in a tizzy is the amount of attention the Big Boy is getting, especially when that old 0-6-0 (the Shumulamagoo CentralÂ’s last steamer) has a core group of people ready to give her a hydro and fire her up! Well, if the old Shumulamagoo girl is ever going to run, it would be wise to set down the Porter injector blueprints and take a page from what the UP 4018 guys are doing.

I think we can agree on this: there are not enough passionate railbuffs to fund all the preservation and restoration projects planned or underway. Heck, there arenÂ’t enough to keep the restored still running! Thus, we need to look to the outside world. Many groups have become expert at writing grant applications. This is an excellent skill set. When #765 steams again, thereÂ’s some ISTEA in that boiler! And good for them for doing the legwork and getting the grant. ThatÂ’s just one example. And I am sure the Shumulamagoo Central boys thought they deserved some of that money, but no one put down the grease gun to compete for it. And, as I will note again, it is a competitionÂ… and not just with the 0-4-0 down the road in Chuchumuhaunga.

With the UP 4018, the movie folks are doing something even more basic than grant writingÂ… they are using inexpensive avenues to get their message to the masses. Newspaper stories, websites and media contacts are all terrific tools. However, you need to find the people with talent for these things as much as you need the talented boiler guys.

Just having a website or firing a press release to the local rag doesnÂ’t cut it. The Shumulamagoo Central boys are competing with Playboy.com, Tom Cruise and the local serial killer for attention in the media. Everything you read in the newspaper or see on TV news has bumped something else to a lower position or out of sight altogether. Media is about competition, and only groups who compete reap the benefits. You need to make the old 0-6-0 more interesting than Jennifer LopezÂ’s new hairstyle. Seriously! Trust me, the Big Boy guys know this.

Lay people (those not indoctrinated by the air wrench) have limited time and unlimited messages tossed at them. The UP 4018 folks are experts at getting their message out there in a manner that not only bumps other stories, but also tickles the fancy of the Thomas-addicted masses.

The UP 4018 project may have more or less merit than other restorations. That is irrelevant. The attention doesnÂ’t come from merit, it comes from media skill.

Not only could the Shumulamagoo Central 0-6-0 run, she can have a restored roundhouse to call home, play host to Thomas and have some money in the bank. The vision, the planning, the mechanics and the dreams are there in the Shumulamagoo volunteers. They are experts. Now, their challenge is to not damn the UP 4018 folks, but to learn how their own group needs to transcend to the next level.

After a few years combining media skill with their internal railroading team, the Shumulamagoo Central will be the folks who earn the envy of others.

Rob Davis



trains@robertjohndavis.com

Actually, Thomas may be one of our best weapons in the P.R. wars, but we need to enlarge our arsenal. I believe that one thing that the railroads seem to have notiuced that we, as a community, seem not to have noticed, is that railroads, (or rail museums,) are not our chief competition. The old Shumlumagoo Central No. 1 isn't really competing against 4018, or even other types of museums, but against Hollywood, Broadway, Disneyworld, etc. We shouldn't be fighting about the disposition of ISTEA funding, the damage 4018 is doing, or where 952 should be, but about how we can capitolize on Thomas, and gain a new generation of railfans, how we can reach out to the layman and teach him about something we all find very beautifull; railroading. What kind of gain could we all realize from a major market movie about a rail museum, say? A kid's movie about Thomas? A comedy about the bloopers of a well meaning group that just can't seem to get any breaks, until the pretty Hollywood ending of course. The 765 guys have realized substantial revenue and publicity from Hollywood. Maybe there's a market there we can all share in. Why should special effects firms get money for locomotive shots when we can do them one better? What can we do as the rail preservaton community to get the crowds in the door, and keep them coming back? What can we do to make ourselves more visible, more respectable, so the general public doesn't just see us a a group of nuts? Mr. Davis is absolutely right when he says we need to learna bit about marketing. So many industries have joint marketing campaigns, perhaps such a campaign could benefit us. I think this is a really important line of questioning. How do we get our message out? What is our message, beyond, "hey look, trains are really neat."

Sincerely,
David Ackerman

david_ackerman@yahoo.com

I just happened to be talking just now to the editor of the Sherman-Denison Herald Democrat(the local daily),a friend of mine, about the Austin Steam Train guys bringing the frame and cyinders of the 786 to Sherman Iron for repair. He just happened to mention that "those nuts" came yesterday by trying to pitch a new story about 4018. He didn't bite. Apparently some local guys invested in the project early on,and haven't seen squat done. He also expressed regret about having runstuff about it in the past.

He told 'em to come back when they had something "real".

Apparently the much maligned press has greater concern for truth and integrity than the rail preservation organisation entity involved.

> After a few years combining media skill with
> their internal railroading team, the
> Shumulamagoo Central will be the folks who
> earn the envy of others.

> Rob Davis

Reminds me how years ago I was in with partners on a dinner/excursion train business. Four of us had more or less "conventional" railroad or excursion train experience, but our lead partner came from the entertainment/hospitality/restaurant business and had a very different perspective. The result was hours of interesting discussion, and sometimes heated debate, about how to define our product, identify our market, and promote ourselves accordingly.

One thing for sure, you have to know what your competition is - not in terms of other railroad attractions, but in terms of consumers' leisure time options and discretionary spending. Our lead partner understood this and did his best to get targeted media attention on a very tight budget.

Alan Maples


AMaples@aol.com

All the above posts are well thought-out. Being a product manufacturer I deal with a few stores and museum gift shops. There are a few that have their act together and a lot more that are living in 1950!

Mostly I hear things like we don't have any money! Well duh, if you sold this or that you might!

I got write a small book on experiences that are even sorta laughable in this regard, but I don't want to bore you.

I can however mention one experience where I contacted a museum gift shop regarding a video we had just completed that dealt with a subject that actually ran by their place. We don't have any money right now!! Well this train was running there again later, and I contacted a sponsoring group, who took some on consignment. Guess what that group made $500.00 extra for the day with little or now work.

I later checked in this gift shop when I was in the area and they only had old stock of things that were unrelated to the area. So, there is your lack of PR and marketing right at home folks!

Heck I think every outfit should have a nice gift shop with stuff for kids, mom and pop, the casual fans(t-shirts, etc), and some stuff for the railfan as well. Remember you are trying to preserve some history aren't you....then have something related to that for sale as well.

In addition everyone should have some sort of on-line gift shop. This is a no-brainer. It can be run during the off-season as well. It can't be that hard. Internet stuff is not that expensive and someone in the group might be able to do a lot of the work. If not you can talk to my web guy if you like.

As I like to say, there is one guy who is well known in the rail video market, and its not cause their tapes are way superior than everyone elses.
They could sell Ice to Eskimos, and that comes through agressive marketing!!!

Just some of my experiences that hopefully can help someone!
Greg Scholl

sales@gregschollvideo.com

Excellent points everybody including Greg. Why do you folks think I'm majoring in Business Administration, Marketing (with one year to go)? Larry Obermeyer seems to be a wealth of marketing information since he has stressed the importance of marketing in a few of our conversations.

God Bless,
Gerald W. Kopiasz
Heartland Railroad Historical Society

> All the above posts are well thought-out.
> Being a product manufacturer I deal with a
> few stores and museum gift shops. There are
> a few that have their act together and a lot
> more that are living in 1950!

> Mostly I hear things like we don't have any
> money! Well duh, if you sold this or that
> you might!

> I got write a small book on experiences that
> are even sorta laughable in this regard, but
> I don't want to bore you.

> I can however mention one experience where I
> contacted a museum gift shop regarding a
> video we had just completed that dealt with
> a subject that actually ran by their place.
> We don't have any money right now!! Well
> this train was running there again later,
> and I contacted a sponsoring group, who took
> some on consignment. Guess what that group
> made $500.00 extra for the day with little
> or now work.

> I later checked in this gift shop when I was
> in the area and they only had old stock of
> things that were unrelated to the area. So,
> there is your lack of PR and marketing right
> at home folks!

> Heck I think every outfit should have a nice
> gift shop with stuff for kids, mom and pop,
> the casual fans(t-shirts, etc), and some
> stuff for the railfan as well. Remember you
> are trying to preserve some history aren't
> you....then have something related to that
> for sale as well.

> In addition everyone should have some sort
> of on-line gift shop. This is a no-brainer.
> It can be run during the off-season as well.
> It can't be that hard. Internet stuff is not
> that expensive and someone in the group
> might be able to do a lot of the work. If
> not you can talk to my web guy if you like.

> As I like to say, there is one guy who is
> well known in the rail video market, and its
> not cause their tapes are way superior than
> everyone elses.
> They could sell Ice to Eskimos, and that
> comes through agressive marketing!!!

> Just some of my experiences that hopefully
> can help someone!
> Greg Scholl


hrrhs@aol.com

> I just happened to be talking just now to
> the editor of the Sherman-Denison Herald
> Democrat(the local daily),a friend of mine,
> about the Austin Steam Train guys bringing
> the frame and cyinders of the 786 to Sherman
> Iron for repair. He just happened to mention
> that "those nuts" came yesterday
> by trying to pitch a new story about 4018.
> He didn't bite. Apparently some local guys
> invested in the project early on,and haven't
> seen squat done. He also expressed regret
> about having runstuff about it in the past.

> He told 'em to come back when they had
> something "real".

> Apparently the much maligned press has
> greater concern for truth and integrity than
> the rail preservation organisation entity
> involved.

Please e-mail me ASAP.......

kbcotton@flash.net

I think the biggest issue with this project is the fact that they did have sponcers (Lionel, Dr Pepper, Dickies if I remember correctly), and I'm sure they did raise some funds in there somehow, but to date nothing has been done on the locomotive. The "blame" on thier money going down the hole because the investors were "dot-com-ers" just doesn't fit these three companies.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Smokebox



"orhf dot org"

you are right; some museum shops arereally good and some are realy out of it.

Take the matter of post cards. They are the only kind of advertising that the visitors (patrons)
pay for rather than the other way around.

They are easier than ever before to publish. Every museum should have some in two areas. Some of their artifacts: buildings, rolling stock, artifacts. And also historic views of the area, the line they operate or preserve, that grand bridge that used to cross it.

I have collected post cards for years and hope to continue. and I want to include all those new artifacts that are out there!

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

> In addition everyone should have some sort
> of on-line gift shop. This is a no-brainer.
> It can be run during the off-season as well.
> It can't be that hard. Internet stuff is not
> that expensive and someone in the group
> might be able to do a lot of the work. If
> not you can talk to my web guy if you like.

To build a little further on Greg's comments, I have found a way to accept credit cards (even internationally) and host a "shopping cart" with no up-front cost, other than what you are paying now for web hosting.

It is through Paypal. You just create an account on Paypal (free), and use their tools to create links on a webpage. It is easy to do; your current webmaster should be able to do it with no problem.

The only fee is a small (<10%, but I can't remember exactly how much) fee on each order. You recieve notification of your orders through the e-mail account you specify.

That way, you don't have to mess with secure servers, shopping cart software, or pay someone else to develop and/or host your commerce site for you. Paypal handles all of that for you; if don't have a merchant account to accept credit cards now, you can still use Paypal to accept credit cards online. If you are indeed that cash-strapped, this is a zero-investment way to establish a gift shop online.

Paypal began accepting international orders a year or two ago. Since then, nearly all of my orders I have received since last November have been from overseas. It costs them and you NOTHING extra to recieve overseas orders; they just have to pay an import tariff when they recieve their order.

I am fully aware that some people dislike Paypal, and have had negative experiences with it. But I am not one of those, and given the tiny volume of my sales, I couldn't afford to offer my product online any other way.

Below is a link to my order page for "Surviving World Steam Locomotives". Notice that it set up to where a user can also print it out very easily, fill it in, and mail it in with a check if they prefer.

Feel free to try it out, and support "Surviving World Steam", by ordering a copy! ;)

-James Hefner
JDH Consulting
Hebrews 10:20a

"Surviving World Steam Locomotives" order form
james1@pernet.net

The old Shumlumagoo Central No. 1 isn't really
> competing against 4018, or even other types
> of museums, but against Hollywood, Broadway,
> Disneyworld, etc.

---

The public needs those basic things, like a good, clean toliet, way more than another acquired rare piece of railroad history. But, where do we put of time, talents and cash? Have you seen your toliet lately?

jimlundquist55@yahoo.com

10% wow that's a high rate for a commission. We go through our bank that handles our business account for Visa and Mastercard. Our rate is well below 10%, although you do pay a 50 cent per transaction fee. This can be a killer on smaller orders. I once read in a business magazine where some girl starting a porn site was getting nailed(pun intended) by all the transaction fees, since the site was selling $5.00 views,etc. They realized it was better to make a minimum of $10.00 or more and offer more, since the transaction fee was still 50 cents. Maybe a bad example, but the idea is the same. You simply can state, use your credit card, but minimum order with the cc is $20.00 for example. If they want to send a check for a small order then fine.
Each museum or gift shop doing any sort of business at all, should be able to get a decent rate based on their situation. If tied into a railroad there is lots of cash flow, meaning the bank will like that. Usually its make your own deal! Where's Monty when you need him, eh!

Greg

PS, We just changed servers, and they have their own security certificate, which now saves us an additional $100.00 per year for that.

Videos
sales@gregschollvideo.com

> 10% wow that's a high rate for a commission.
> We go through our bank that handles our
> business account for Visa and Mastercard.
> Our rate is well below 10%, although you do
> pay a 50 cent per transaction fee. This can
> be a killer on smaller orders.

Greg,

I should have done my homework before posting. Here are the fees for businesses (not individuals), from PayPal's website:

Standard Rate 2.9% + 30¢

Merchant Rate 2.2% + 30¢

It's even less than that if you are a Paypal Preferred member (1.4% + 30¢ for Standard, 0.7% + 30¢ for Merchant.)

Hosting your own service, or going through a provider, still makes more sense if you are dealing with high volume. However, I only sell 1-6 CD-ROMs a month. Any sort of monthly fee on such a low volume is too much; I'll give up the roughly $1.25 per CD-ROM to have the service available.

My thoughts are that if money is tight, and sales volumes uncertain, Paypal is a good way to get an initial commerce site up with no investment. If sales volumes turn out to be better than expected, one can always reinvest some of the earnings to develop a "real" commerce site.

-James Hefner (JDH Consulting)
Hebrews 10:20a

P.S. I am not in any way affliated with Paypal. Nor do I recieve any compensation for endoursing them. Just a thought....

"Surviving World Steam Locomotives" order form
james1@pernet.net

> The public needs those basic things, like a
> good, clean toliet, way more than another
> acquired rare piece of railroad history.
> But, where do we put of time, talents and
> cash? Have you seen your toliet lately?

An excellant point. I learned once in a church growth seminar that is not the preaching or the congregation or the other factors you would think are the deciding factor for most women in choosing a church, but the cleanliness and appearance of the ladies restroom! It could really made a difference in whether your museum/railroad is a one-time visit or a regular summer vacation.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a


"Surviving World Steam Locomotives" order form
james1@pernet.net

Thats a lot better deal for sure....Gee why not get a commission from PayPAL....you earned it! :)
GS

sales@gregschollvideo.com