The HeritageRail Alliance announces the results of recent market research designed to get a better understanding of railroad museum visitors, trolley museum visitors, tourist railroad visitors, and non-visitors in order to better target and ultimately grow visitation. Specifically, the study explores brand health metrics across these visitor categories; profiles visitors and non-visitors; and identifies the reasons why non-visitors avoid heritage rail attractions.

The survey was performed by H2R Market Research of Springfield, MO, and was conducted among a professionally managed panel of adults living nationwide who have visited an attraction. Respondents were screened to ensure they were leisure travelers and were household decision makers regarding attraction visitation.

A total of 2,000 traveling visitors were interviewed for this study, providing a maximum margin of error of +/-2.2% at a 95% confidence level.

Among the total, 1,098 have visited at least one railroad museum, trolley museum or tourist railroad, which provides for a maximum margin of error of +/-3.0% at a 95% confidence level.

The survey results compare railway preservation sites to other types of similar attractions, discusses geographic distribution, brand health, visitor profile characteristics, functional and emotional drivers of visitation, degree of visitor satisfaction, and barriers to patronage. Also included are opportunities for the HeritageRail Alliance to inform, guide, and influence Alliance members and the industry. One of these opportunities is evolving the HeritageRail Alliance website to promote Alliance member sites and drive visitation. This opportunity is being fulfilled by the introduction of member profiles.


Each Alliance member can now self-promote themselves with their own member profile. An upgraded search function and home page portal will make it easier for the general visitor to find an Alliance member. Go here for an example: http://heritagerail.org/visit/colorado- ... -colorado/

The 2019 HeritageRail Alliance Market Research study is available to Alliance members only. Only hard copies will be distributed. Members in good-standing need to contact the Alliance Executive Director (contact@heritagerail.org), provide the name of an individual, and a mailing address for that individual.

About the HeritageRail Alliance
The HeritageRail Alliance was formed in 2013 by the merger of the Tourist Railroad Association, Inc. (TRAIN) and the Association of Railway Museums (ARM). The purpose of the Alliance is to lead in the advancement of railway heritage through information exchange, education and advocacy. The Alliance is guided by the principles set forth in “Recommended Practices” and incorporates other best practices generally accepted in the wider museum, preservation, and heritage railroad operations communities. Lastly, the Alliance exists to support a strong and vibrant railway preservation and heritage railroad operations industry.

FYI, you may want to update the security certificates on your website. On both my mobile device as well as my pc, the attached comes up - while I know your site is indeed safe, it may scare off others who want to visit your site. Plus, those who aren't very tech-savvy may not know how to get through it.

This website issue just happened a couple of days ago. We're working to get it fixed.

Aaron Isaacs, editor
HeritageRail Alliance

so... you are telling us that you have a study with information that we can't access? Thanks.

You can access it if you are a member of a member organization. I will be requesting a copy.

There are many reasons that railway preservation groups should join the Heritage Rail Alliance (no individual memberships offered):

Member groups get access to updated information regarding FRA regulations, museum best practices, expert services such as railway engineering and locomotive/rolling stock services, the HRA Parts Committee and network plus the opportunity to meet colleagues at annual conferences. The conferences offer the opportunity to visit member organizations, attend informative presentations and to network and learn from the experiences of other groups. Also, the Parts Committee has a meeting where you can meet other Parts Committee members and conduct business.

The parts committee permits members to buy/sell/trade parts, information and services. During the year, the group administrator receives and posts parts/information requests to the user group. If you need a part, you send your information to the administrator and your request is sent to railway museums and organizations all over the country.

Jeez man. Who peed in your Cheerios this morning? Lighten up.

I just received my copy of the market survey and it is very informative. The information is subject to a non disclosure agreement, so neither I or any other member of any HRA affiliate museum can discuss the information with non-members.

I have requested a second copy to circulate amongst our museum’s officers, as I feel that there is much that we can use to benefit our museum as well as other HRA member museums in our area. This is what many of us have wanted to see for years, but needed the resources of a large organization to pull off. Information like this costs real money to collect and analyze, so I have no problem with HRA restricting dissemination to members only. That said, that should be all the more reason for non member railroad museums or tourist train operators to consider joining.

Did I say something that was incorrect? It seems the organization should advertise the report to its members, since that’s the only people who can read it. That’s my opinion. Doesn’t mean I’m in a bad mood.

The members do know about it. It’s been one of the big discussions for the last couple of years. That doesn’t mean that the all the members of every member organization know about it though. This is why the organization is encouraging member organizations to send their younger members to the conferences and actively participate.

I wasn’t able to log in to their site because of the hack warning.... is this an organization that an individual can join?

No. Your museum would have to be a member for you to have access-they do not offer individual memberships. I happen to have affiliations with two member museums-Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and Old Pueblo Trolley, Inc. That permits me, as an individual to access the association resources and to represent the organization I am presently active with at association functions.

I’m an employee of a tourist railroad that is a member. I don’t think management would be really kind if I asked for a copy.... would be an immediate “why do you want to see that information?” Kind of response ha.

Enjoy the private “you can’t join” club!