How is your ridership this year? Any big gains? big losses?

Superheater@rrmail.com

About average.

Jim

http://psrm.org
Jim@psrm.org

Later winter and spring were strong, but attendance went flat in May and has stayed slow since then.

Wesley
The First NCTM

National Capital Trolley Museum

> How is your ridership this year? Any big
> gains? big losses?

I haven't seen much change either way. Our numbers are going to be down a bit this year due to not running our Easter trains because the railroad was in pieces with the big grant work. Ridership has been slowly growing each open day during the regular season, though. That's normal, things usually pick up when school starts 'cos people can't take long vacations anymore. They start school in August here for some unknown reason.

The South Carolina Railroad Museum
mconrad@msmgmt.com

> They start school in August here for some
> unknown reason.

Credit/blame No Child Left Behind and the teachers' unions for the earlier starts for public schools. Seems there is some theory about lengthening the school year, that more days in classes result in more learning. Additionally, few children these days need to help out on the family farm. ;-)

Seriously now. What is evolving is more of a year-round school calendar (making teachers 10- and 11- month paid employees, instead of being on the clock for only 9 months). The school year now is punctuated by more "breaks." On the wain is the traditional three-month Summer vacation. A 9- or 10- week Summer break is becoming more the norm. Seen in southeastern school calendars are full week vacations at Thanksgiving and Easter PLUS the usual two weeks at Christmas and week-long Spring Break.

Beach resort operators and amusement parks have had to adjust their rates and staffing to reflect these changes. For example, at Orange Beach, Alabama, the largest condo rental company this year cut their Summer Prime period from 9 to 7.5 weeks. Predictably, the premium rates went up about 15% for this shorter period. However, they renamed their rate structures to reflect the new school/break holiday periods (selected portions of the old Early and Late Summer Off-Peak became Spring Holiday Prime and Fall Holiday Prime). Not surprisingly, the rates went up.

It would be adviseable for Museum planners to check with their local public education systems to determine the specific twists and turns being built into your local school system calendars. My RyPN colleagues are welcome to contact me off post if you need any contact information for regional or state education associations.

Art Miller
Chair
TVRM Education Committee

PS: Ridership comparisons under this new school schedule will be less valid...still doable, just not as easy.


amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

> Credit/blame No Child Left Behind and the
> teachers' unions for the earlier starts for
> public schools. Seems there is some theory
> about lengthening the school year, that more
> days in classes result in more learning.
> Additionally, few children these days need
> to help out on the family farm. ;-)

When I lived in western North Carolina 20-odd years ago, the school started in mid-August and was out before Memorial Day. That was way before NCLB. There are relatively few kids who still work on the family farm today. I'm of the opinion tht the school years needs to be lengthened to 200 days to fit in all the extra stuff now mandated by Congress, which has no business doing so in the first place, but that's another story. It is impossible to jam in all that stuff while still trying to teach kids to read and write in 185 days! (Obligatory railroad content: I was running the Graham County Railroad back then.)


K4s1361@hotmail.com

I saw a sign in front of a school in South Carolina saying classes started yesterday, July 19. This is not a year round school. Amazingly they often do not finish until after Memorial Day, usually blaming snow days.

I think North Carolina is close to passing legislation requiring schools to start no sooner than August 25. They are eliminating five teacher work days. Some have been starting in late July or the first day of August. The beach resorts have been the primary backers of this change. The long school years are killing tourism which is major industry in this state.

John Bohon

jhbohon@yahoo.com

> I saw a sign in front of a school in South
> Carolina saying classes started yesterday,
> July 19.

John:

My previous post set forth general trends only. Yes, there will always be some exceptions where parents and school administrators agree to an occasional eclectic schedule for one reason or another.

For example, in south Mississippi, there are several coastal school districts that are taking a full week off for Mardi Gras, another week off for a sport fishing tournament, and a third week off for the cajun crawfish festival. Then, this district also will observe the same more traditional holiday breaks found in other systems.

The best advice is for each museum to do some research and plan their event and operating schedules accordingly. We sure don't want to end up like the PennCentral, running trains when no one is around to use them!

As for the financial difficulties with the tourism industry, I would suggest additional observation and research might show railroad museum's strategies to handle the changing school schedules. Nothing like borrowing a solution!

Art

amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

> I haven't seen much change either way. Our
> numbers are going to be down a bit this year
> due to not running our Easter trains because
> the railroad was in pieces with the big
> grant work. Ridership has been slowly
> growing each open day during the regular
> season, though. That's normal, things
> usually pick up when school starts 'cos
> people can't take long vacations anymore.
> They start school in August here for some

Up here in the snowy North, we're having another good year, the fourth in a row now where numbers are increasing over the previous year.

We don't agonize over school schedules, because people travel and enjoy themselves whenever they please. If we had to rely just on the local population for visitors, the doors would have closed years ago.

You don't need to segment your marketing efforts to a particular group. Do some surveying and research to find other core audiences. We actually extended our weekday schedule through September at the request of local hotel and resort operators who needed mid-week activities for their guests. Working with the local chambers and visitor bureaus also helps generate business, and you can tap into the convention business (spousal tours) as well this way. And don't forget the charters.

Hope you all have a great season!

Peace.

Jack

Conventional wisdom isn't very conventional nor awfully wise at times either.


East Troy Electric Railroad
jftrolley@aol.com