Well I doubt you'll see many donations to this project from readers on this board, but this investment will probably do more for improving public perception (and repeat visitation) than any single car/locomotive rehabilitation or restoration project ever will: new public restrooms in the Snoqualmie Depot. Check it out: http://trainmuseum.blogspot.com/2010/04/now-serving.html

Think the the money would have been better spent on a steam locomotive or a coach rehab? You just might have to guess again: most decisions about where to take a family on an outing are made by mothers. So, for 100 points and bragging rights, do mothers rate the museum experience largely by the . . .
a) size or type of the steam locomotive
b) the color of the coaches or the purity of the hue
c) the cleanliness and general appearance of the public restrooms

I'm sure it is difficult for some to accept that the answer is c) and I too feel your pain. Unfortunately, I can't change reality.

And yes, in the back there, I'm glad you asked: it did take a lot of effort and about three years to pull this off. Hopefully it will work out well for everyone concerned.

--Richard

If mothers are the decision makers, and they probably are, I'd take a cue from the breakfast cereal and toy industries and market directly to her children, just like they have done very successfully.

If the children start; crying, nagging and/or winning, it will surely sway her to go to the location they prefer.

That's the job of the "little blue guy".

Don't put too much faith in Thomas. That may get someone to you place one time; but the amenities you have and a "good time" will encourage return visits.

Besides good, clean toilets another important feature is hard surface walkways for strollers, wheelchairs and scooters. The whole family -- babies in strollers to grandparents on scooters -- need to be able to move around your site without worry about mud or deep sand or dust. So, for a good review, also think walkways.

When we built brand-new larger ADA accessible restrooms in the depot, positive responses from visitors skyrocketed. This is always a smart investment to make.

Yes, mothers do make most of the family choices of places to visit. If they have a pleasant experience, they will be more than happy to share that with their friends and family. Dirty and inconvenient facilities, lack of inviting gift shop selections, and surly staff will definitely guarantee you'll never see that family again, and they will not be shy to pass this information along either.

One to watch is "Chuggington" ... now on Disney channel in the US (Saturday mornings). Many people from Thomas/Bob the Builder appear to be involved in this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuggington

Toys from Learning Curve as well.

http://www.chuggington.com/#/chugger

Anyone care to dress up some cab units?

Bob

MRSR's concession car, is constructed in a baggage car. It has 3 main uses. The wide door makes for easy loading at a ramp, avoiding the steep steps on coaches. It also has a gift shop area, and food vending counter, which has helped gift shop revenue.

However, the feature that many passengers really appreciate is the large and well lit restrooms constructed on one end. The aisleway was shifted to one side, as in a Pullman and that space used for restrooms, one of which is ADA compliant. The response has been very positive.

Richard,

First of all, nice results! My wife and I are planning similar tiles for our next bathroom renovation at home.

My wife rates the visits on a few things. First being the overall ride / museum, etc. for her and our three sons. Did it keep her interested? Did it teach her something? However if the bathrooms are not working, filthy, or overall in poor condition the rest no longer matters. I feel the same way to a certain extent. A bathroom in poor or dirty condition, to me, is a tell-tale sign of the rest of the operation.

Chris

In the "days of the stream-liners", railroads were coming out with colorful advertisements, touting the greatness of new dome cars, beautiful scenery, and of course, [i]service[i]. It should come as no surprise that a community dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of this industry has a much greater job than simply collecting and restoring old rail cars. What makes trains so different from any other form of transportation is that it involves people like no other form of land transportation does. Trains were, and still can be, one of the most social forms of transportation. You met people on the train, be they fellow travelers or railroad employees. You can't do that, at least not to the same degree, in a car or even on a plane. A cruise ship is closest thing to a train in this regard. On a train, the employees were there to serve you, to make your trip comfortable, and to help you relax and enjoy yourself. Likewise, a museum that preserves and displays the history of this industry should pay attention to providing excellent service to its customers. If it does, word will spread, and prosperity is likely. If a museum neglects this area, word will spread, and a poor reputation will be quickly established.
Of course, the railroads would have had a hard time of it selling tickets if the service was excellent, but the train was shabby. Likewise, there must be adequate facilities and service for the museum to prosper.

I think the Northwest Railway Museum has taken another solid step forward by constructing these restrooms. The level of service is already there. Soon, the facilities will be there to match it.

yes, it does cost a lot to build bathroom facilities at a museum, so it pays to do it right the first time!

The magic number is 44; that is the number of seats in the standard tour bus. I can hear you thinking we are too small, too far away, not enough interest to attract tour buses. but the time will come when you will have them.

We have had our Visitor Center at the Western Railway Museum for several years now and people still say that they decided to stop because of the building and they wanted to find a place to use a bathroom!

We are on State Highway 12 and there is a sign at the turn off that says Railroad Museum so do not forget that ellement either. The more signs the better!

When you go to Disneyland the bathrooms are clean and shiny first thing in the morning; but they are still that way the last thing at night, that is the trick!

And if you really want to do them up in spades; the SF Maritime National Historical Park has intrepretive signs in the bathrooms explaining who and where people did their thing on ships. Why not do the same thing for trains?

Ted Miles

Ted.
Almost every modern tour bus is 55 passenger up to 59 passenger.
The 44 seater went out 10 or more years ago.
Trolleyira,
Tour bus operator

Never, ever, ever, ever shortchange the importance of clean, usable rest rooms. It can make or break any public attraction... though rest room filth doesn't seem to hurt the Dunkin Donuts stores around here...

That's because Dunkin Donuts is in the business of selling donuts, and most folks aren't going to be there long enough to actually use the bathrooms, unlike a museum or commercial tourist attraction. The same goes with any other fast-food place, since the majority of their customers are more likely to use the drive-thru window or just go in, place and pick up their orders, and leave rather than stay long enough to use the restrooms (and a lot of the characters that do stay long enough - or longer - are usually the ones who screw up those restrooms). Keeping the restrooms spotless (much less reasonably clean) is less of a priority for them, especially when they've got a lot of customers and they need everyone at the sales counters or in the kitchen, and most customers could care less (and the ones who do aren't numerous enough to really matter).

Museums and other tourist attractions are a completely different ballgame, and there's no point in comparing them with a business that's concerned with making sales and moving people through as quickly as possible.

I have to say I am really impressed with the views everyone has shared about the importance of neat and clean restrooms. I remain outraged at the cost of doing it right but am really pleased with the general appearance of the upgraded depot restrooms. The bad news is we get to do it again on our main museum campus, but those restrooms will be larger and will probably cost upwards from $600,000. So if you have any spare change . . .

--Richard

Another thing to think about....

Many times Port-O-Lets are used to add additional facilites for special events like DOWT. They can get nasty real quick. Anytime we use them we have them checked and cleaned constantly. It takes extra manpower, but its worth it.

Bill