I am interested to find out how the attendance was last weekend at the EBT. They have a very aggressive program this year and I hope that it goes well. It seems that they have gone from low key to offering everything in one shot. Hope that they can make some money as the Polar Express and Thomas events are costly for the hosting railroad.

Here's the words of someone who was there, who asked me not to repost the photos:

"The first-ever Day Out With Thomas event was held at the East Broad Top Railroad July 1-4 and July 9-10, 2011. A three-foot gauge version of "Thomas The Tank Engine" No. 1, from the popular TV series for kids, brought up the rear of diesel-powered trains which originated at the Orbisonia, PA station and went about two miles north and then returned to the station. The "Thomas" engine used at EBT, which was constructed at the Strasburg Railroad, has no prime mover and is towed or pushed along the tracks. The fare for all ages for a ride with "Thomas" was $18.00 for the 25 minute trip, and the trains on the first day were well patronized. The "Thomas" trains on the first day were comprised of seven cars and EBT caboose No. 28. In addition to the "Thomas" runs, EBT also ran three daily steam-powered trips to Colgate Grove and return with their 2-8-2 No. 15."

He said attendance was quite high for a Friday there.

I was not there last weekend, but observed at four or five Thomas trains were sold out on the ticketing site before train time and according to reports more were sold out on site.

The event continues tomorrow and Sunday. Of seven planned Thomas trains tomorrow, five are already sold out on the web site and a sixth reported as sold out by the EBT, so an eighth trip was added. Looks like tomorrow will be busy day at the EBT.

Next weekend is the first weekend of our 7th year hosting Day Out With Thomas at the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario. Our very first year in 2005 was our largest at about 25,000 tickets sold. Last year was our second largest at about 23,000. Ticket sales are down slightly this year, but a postal strike here in Canada probably made people hold off a bit because their tickets could not be sent to them by mail. We expect larger than normal walk-ups this year because of the strike.
We have found from past years the higher the gas prices, the more tickets sold. People tend to stay closer to home and make day trips when the price of gas is high. Day Out With Thomas is a perfect day trip if you have small kids.
Every year we have hosted Day Out With Thomas has been a big fund raiser for us. last year it allowed us to purchase the former 1913 Michigan Central locomotive shop we have been leasing from CN for 25 years and 16 acres of land around it. Without DOWT there is no way we could have done that.
http://www.ecrm5700.org

Proof that the EBT's old "in the middle of no mans land" excuse for poor ridership in years past, can be debunked and they can indeed bring the crowds in if there is enough of a draw (more than just the regular 50 minute trips), even at higher fares. It sucks that the royalties they will have to pay may not leave them with much, or may be a break even type deal, but its still good Public Relations for them right now, which they really needed.

Also possible proof that if they offered a full line trip, they would also pull in the same good numbers, regularly.

Progress is being made with fresh minds. Keep up the good work!

The amount of promotion being done for the EBT via Horseshoe Curve and the Railroader's Museum - alone - is probably more marketing than the EBT has ever had. It's great to see. I would not be surprised to hear that the Thomas attendance in two weekends added up to 3 or 4 months worth of regular ticket sales. I wonder how much of that traffic made it over to the trolley museum, too?

Rob

I am very pleased to hear about the interest in the Thomas trains!! Hope that the railroad ends up with a nice profit so that they will be willing to continue to promote themselves. This shows that "Thomas" will still bring out the young families in a depressed region with a depressed economy. At this rate, I am planning to come out in November or December to see the Polar Express trains. It is a five hour drive for me, but how often is there a chance to see EBT steam in the snow. I am sure that Mitch Goldman will be out there with his camera. Hope that the railroad has continued success with its 2011 promotions!!!!

The East Broad Top Railroad hauled many passengers over the past two weekends while Thomas was visiting. Here is a photo from July 9 (these are Thomas trains). More yellow notes went up on the morning of July 10. There were many sold-out regular trips as well behind EBT's own #15.



Several Thomas fans are still enjoying themselves as the EBT sets up a group photo at the end of the day, July 4.



Having track 1 in service for Thomas, along with the designed schedule of trains, allowed Thomas passengers to watch the #15 and her crew on each trip, which really generated a lot of interest. Even with full trains, there was plenty of room, no shortage of parking, only short lines for photos, room in the gift shops, no lines at the many bathrooms brought in for the event, everyone seemed to have a great time, and I think all the car hosts had more fun than they had expected.

More photos and comments are available on the EBT's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ebtrr