Greetings,

For the non-excursion railroad museums out there: What have you found to be the most successful draw for patronage at your museum? I have heard the argument that most people aren't concerned with historical accuracy as opposed to some "main event" or attraction. What makes up a successful museum that keeps the people coming in?

God Bless,
Gerald Kopiasz
Heartland Railroad Historical Society

hrrhs@aol.com

Our museum isn't even open yet, but our top "draws" on an annual basis have been our "celebrity roasts" (held at various locations through the years... also our biggest fundraiser) and anytime a model railroad club has had a setup nearby.

Of course, I expect our "grand opening" will draw a respectable crowd, but the curators I've worked with tell me to have rotating exhibits at least twice a year, three would be better. Publicize them and have an interesting person as speaker during a special opening for each event. We have some great local talent, including published RR historians, so I can't wait to try this out.

Best Regards,

KES



http://kstavino.home.texas.net/RosenbergRailroadMu
rrm@texas.net

Special events of some kind which are newsworthy enough to attract the media and bring in many visitors.

Nice if some railroad theme can be the basis, but our biggest seller in Savannah is a blues and BBQ night. Expenses are minimal since local merchants sponsor it through in kind or cash donations.

We did OK with an underpublicized antique automobile event which conflicted with a downtown parade (timing is everything) and I hope to push the powers that be to do an old engine / technology themed event every year as well.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

You might try contacting a local G scale club. Many of these have portable modual setups. They draw a good crowd and are fairly cheap. They usually handle the setup and tear down themselves, all you have to do is provide the power and the advertizing.
Tom

ironbartom@aol.com

It seems that one key to success is to keep things in rotation and perhaps even going as far as to having something new. This brings up the question of whether any railroad museum conspire together to borrow exhibits between each other? For instance there's the Western Heritage Museum and Kansas City's Union Station that has an exhibit for so many months before it is replaced by something else. Granted these usually aren't railroad orientated, but are there railroad museums that take on this approach?

God Bless,
Gerald Kopiasz
Heartland Railroad Historical Society

> You might try contacting a local G scale
> club. Many of these have portable modual
> setups. They draw a good crowd and are
> fairly cheap. They usually handle the setup
> and tear down themselves, all you have to do
> is provide the power and the advertizing.
> Tom


hrrhs@aol.com

Gerald,

While the museums I volunteer for, the Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum and the New York Museum of Transportation, have a ride, it only runs from May through October. The R&GV RR Museum which is at one end of our 2-mile museum railroad closes down for the winter, but the NYMT which is at the other end, stays open for the winter at a reduced fare.

They are lucky enough to have some great people who built a 11' x 22' HO model layout. A great winter attractor for them as been "Bring Your Own Train Day" During several Sundays in the winter, they allow the visitors to bring in their own HO model engines and cars and run them on the "big" layout. Adults and kids seem to get real enjoyment out of it. Even made the local paper this week.

http://www.rochesternews.com/0114story8.html

So if you have a model railroad or as someone suggested could have some group bring one in, it alone will be an attraction, but allowing people to interact with it may be an even bigger attraction.

On another note, our ride is definitely our main attractor, but a restored static caboose that people can go in always seems to be a big hit with visitors young and old . We always try to keep one on display at the R&GV RR Museum when we are open.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

Until later,
Chris

> Greetings,

> For the non-excursion railroad museums out
> there: What have you found to be the most
> successful draw for patronage at your
> museum? I have heard the argument that most
> people aren't concerned with historical
> accuracy as opposed to some "main
> event" or attraction. What makes up a
> successful museum that keeps the people
> coming in?

> God Bless,
> Gerald Kopiasz
> Heartland Railroad Historical Society


New York Museum of Transportation
crhauf@frontiernet.net

> It seems that one key to success is to keep
> things in rotation and perhaps even going as
> far as to having something new.

Some years ago I read an article in the American Association of Museums magazine about changing exhibits. The concept suggested was that by changing special exhibits on a regular basis would bring back the same people again and again. The opening of a new exhibit also produces a reason for a write-up in the local newspapers, etc.

In the examples given the author suggested that a local community would use the same artifacts in different exhibits. An item could represent a product sold by a local merchant in one exhibit and they be shown in a home life exhibit next year.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

We consider traveling exhbitis a key part of our schedule, especially at our main museum facility. In addition, there are grants out there for doing such exhibits, either as the organizer or as the
borrower of such exhibits. In Michigan, one of the top organizations with traveling exhibits is the Michigan State University Museum's Exhibition Service program. We have used it time and time again, however I have been trying to argue for them to get some of their rail-related objects into a traveling exhibit with no luck to date.

TJG

MSU Museum Traveling Exhibition Service site:

http://museum.msu.edu/museum/tes/index.htm

> Gerald,

> While the museums I volunteer for, the
> Rochester & Genesee Valley RR Museum and
> the New York Museum of Transportation, have
> a ride, it only runs from May through
> October. The R&GV RR Museum which is at
> one end of our 2-mile museum railroad closes
> down for the winter, but the NYMT which is
> at the other end, stays open for the winter
> at a reduced fare.

> They are lucky enough to have some great
> people who built a 11' x 22' HO model
> layout. A great winter attractor for them as
> been "Bring Your Own Train Day"
> During several Sundays in the winter, they
> allow the visitors to bring in their own HO
> model engines and cars and run them on the
> "big" layout. Adults and kids seem
> to get real enjoyment out of it. Even made
> the local paper this week.

> http://www.rochesternews.com/0114story8.html

> So if you have a model railroad or as
> someone suggested could have some group
> bring one in, it alone will be an
> attraction, but allowing people to interact
> with it may be an even bigger attraction.

> On another note, our ride is definitely our
> main attractor, but a restored static
> caboose that people can go in always seems
> to be a big hit with visitors young and old
> . We always try to keep one on display at
> the R&GV RR Museum when we are open.

> Anyway, I hope this helps.

> Until later,
> Chris


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

While we do have rail operations, a big draw for us is a non-rail two-day Civil War reenactment. No rolling stock is used in the event except as stationary props. We don't even have any CW vintage equipment.

wyld@oc-net.com