We have the problem mentioned. We can't get enough volunteers to staff the large events. Our solution: we have a local event coordinator who does the "grunt work." He has a company the specializes in this. We pay him a flat fee contractually for the year and his expenses are direct pass through to us. It's not as much money as you would think. An example of what he does is for Polar Express trains he orders all the cookies, candy canes, chocolate milk,etc, stores them, packages them for hand out, and his crew places them on the cars for us. They also do the clean up at the end of the night. That leaves our people for train crew, car hosts, ticket agents, loaders, etc. Furthermore, we retain control as the event coordinator is answerable to the board.

The naysayers will always think negatively. If you think positively you will find a solution.

Bill

Well said to you all! This is exactly what I've been saying for several years.

Railroad museums and tourist railroads should be run like a business with a focus on preservation. Customer service is the key!

I am quickly approaching my 59th milepost and I can't remember when I wasn't a railfan. Some early memories include going to my dad's sister's home near New Boston, Ohio around 1957, give or take a year. I was upset somewhat that there were no children my age to play with so I spent my time by the Norfolk & Western main line that skirted my aunt's property. I am sure that I saw some of the 2-6-6-4's go by but I very distinctly remember the streamlined 600's pulling varnish. In 1960 my late father took me on my first steam excursion pulled by CB&Q 2-8-2 #4960. Over the years I've seen, ridden behind, in the cab, of quite of a variety of steamers. I've tried my hand at the throttle of 4 different steam locomotives, more recently Heisler #2 at the Silver Creek & Stephenson Railroad in Freeport, Illinois where I am a member. We operate over about 1 3/4 miles of track on a former Milwaukee Road right of way. I believe we represent what a steam shortline railroad back in the 1940's or 50's may have looked like with no particular prototype in mind. We operated 18 days in 2007 and have a similar schedule for 2008. Ridership is better over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday at the end of July when the Threshing and Antique Show takes place at the Freeport Fairgounds 1/2 mile from the railroad. This last year World War 2 reinactors fought it out along our tracks during this time. Our greatest ridership, or "fundraiser" takes place with our "Train of Terror" in October. Parents and kids come out in droves to ride a train, this time pulled by an industrial diesel switcher, past a variety of scenes designed to frighten young and old (but not as frightening as riding as a passenger through the south side of Chicago a few years ago, but that's another story). I take great pride in many of the museums that have spared no expense to restore a locomotive or piece of equipment to as near as possible to what looked like when built or when it was in service. The Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg is a good example of such a museum, and there are many others. And while I see its great value, in our case, we offer a representation of what a shortline railroad may have looked like. Our station is new. It houses the ticket office and museum, and was a donation. As of right now we sport the only operating steam locomotive within the state of Illinois. Our wooden caboose, built in the 1800's, is the oldest operating caboose in the state. For most of the public this makes no difference when deciding to come to ride. They want to come ride the train, have a good time, and not pay an arm and a leg to do it. Our "Train of Terror" is a great public pleaser, and they are the ones that, for the most part, pay our bills. I am a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. I think it is introducing a younger set to the hobby. For the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, it is their biggest fundraiser. Whether the museum is big or small, it takes money to operate. Give the public what they want, educate them in the process as far as some of the history-enough but not too much-and safety-and it can be a win-win situation.

I've seen it done and often, it's hokey in it's own right. The museum of Science and Industry's treatment of the Pioneer Zephyr there comes to mind. It's well done and informative, and about as interesting as watching paint dry, not to mention it's pretty hokey as well.
I've actually done a train robbery myself as a robber once (as one of my hobbies is cowboy action shooting and I have all the 1800s gear, weapons and clothing). http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19778& For me it was nice to combine a lifelong love of "re-enacting" and trains, even if I must admit it was horribly cheesy. The crowds loved it and I was told by several people who had ridden the train that it was their very first ride there and they had "always wanted to ride it but now we had an excuse." So this annual weekend event clearly got people to ride, who wouldn't have otherwise. Among them, I didn't encounter one person who felt cheated out of their time or money.
I volunteer time at a local aircraft museum and they make their bread and butter on renting the main hangar out for special events and their annual air show. That sure isn't preservation, nobody would say that it was, but everyone who attends these things seems to have a lot of fun watching planes flying and all the "carnival style" things that go on at an air show. Even really big, respected aircraft museums have similar shows to raise funds and bring in people who otherwise would never step inside to see a bunch of "dusty old airplanes just sitting there." I don't see what the difference is between that and "special" events like Polar Express, shoot outs and Thomas. What about the big "parade of steam" they had at Steamtown when it opened? Surely, that wasn't preservation and was there to please the crowd. So, is there a difference there or is that more acceptable because it was more focused on folks like us than it was for people who buy popcorn?
Realistically, what's the difference between having these "non purist" events and having, say, a gift shop on the premises? They sure didn't have those at RR stations and roundhouses back in the day, now did they? I think the public and the rivet counters can both realize the difference between historical preservation and a fun event for the public!

One of the big attractions at many aviation special events is the opportunity to see fully functional equipment up close at the same time that you have ready access to people who know the technical and operational details of that equipment really well. In comparison there are a lot of events in the railroad enthusiast world that almost completely the effort of amateurs.

Know of any groups in this hobby that have ever invited Chris MacDermott out to do a show-and-tell session with an ALCO locomotive during a special event? Do you think that would be a memorable thing to witness? Or would you be too concerned that it might offend and intimidate the local self appointed experts? Just something to think about.

MX

Philadelphia, Pa. "Inquirer", 1/16/8 Section E, Page 1 below the fold has an article about the success of the local professional baseball team's mascot. It says that Forbes magazine "notes that the top mascots have appeal to youngsters. 'Hook `em while they're young. It's a common corporate strategy: Appeal to young groups and secure a slew of customers for life'"

I've had a hand in a lot of air shows in my life, and other that the crews of current military aircraft, most of the staff folks you encounter as "professionals" at air shows are- more often than not- volunteers with little more knowledge than the average railroad tourist operator volunteer. Tooling around in my WW2 Jeep through the crowds or walking along in my WW2 uniform, I've had hundreds of people asking specific stats and info on aircraft because the people operating them had no idea what the answers were.

No Message

IMHO the problem with "the industry" as a whole is we run around worrying if what we say and do will offend someone. get real, if you exhist, you have offended someone (eventually)
I have seen quite a number of orgs (not just rr orgs) die from: letting one person run everyone off, taking on a project that should have never have been, degrading intelligent discussion into personal attacks(usually in a passive aggessive nature), and downright theft, verbal abuse, or undermining the authority of peolpe trying to keep things afloat
I quit a car club when the meeting turned into a 1 hour argument about t-shirts.
heck if we can't decide on t-shirt logos, what kind of real decisions could they make!

That is why we as an "industry" have no national mag. or huge "in you face to the public at large" existance. Why does this website not have a huge technical library listing? Why do people end up paying for what can be gotten free? Why do artifacts sit rusting away because rustoleum is not the original paint? Where is our national register of rail sites? I can go on and on

but the answer is because no one cooperates. everyone has drawn WAY TO BIG lines between each other. (purist/hack/showman/jerk/etc) GET REAL OR WE ALL DIE!!!
In my opinion, if orgs want to survive we have to, in this specific order:
1. put a true business man in charge that is/was self employeed and VERY successful (damn the feelings)
2. make things MOVE (purist be damned), it all we have is a 1938 20 ton switcher with a blown up motor, put an old dodge motor in it. old fireless, lay 75 psi compressed air to it and lets go. we're lucky if people will come more than once if nothing moves. (the public is too ADD ) that said, never butcher, make everything bolt in and it can always be undone later if need, but things gotta move! SAFELY
3.sell yourself don't just ask the schools to come out, go to them give a talk on railroad safety. have a county craft fair, car show, flea market, lawn fete (remember those) the bottom line is the bottom line.
people get board with history real fast unless is moves like sesame street

Now the big question is how do we start a national movement?
What are we going to do to further NATIONAL interest in railroading?
talk is cheap, lets do something that makes an impact for future generations. (like going 250mph..lol)

dr dodge

The point I was driving at was this:

Would inviting one of the few surviving former employees of a defunct locomotive builder to take part in a special event be given anywhere near as high a priority as some of these other ideas for "attractions"?

In my experience, it would not, and that is a shame because it will always be possible to find someone to dress up as Santa Claus but former managers of the American Locomotive Company will be much more difficult to locate in the future.

"This is the wake-up call you requested....."

The clock is running and very few people seem to be paying attention to it.

Hey, not a bloody bit of my museum knowledge has meant a dime in comparison to watching my dad run a small business. Its called CASH FLOW. Learn it --- or die.

That's o.k. --- we're the locomotive that was used in the movie, and we don't get a @$# dime, but that another story of "things you walk into"..... We DO run with THE engine from the movie --- and guess what? WE can't afford to hand 30% of our ticket money up front for the use of the name, either.

That said, our North Pole Express meant $301,000 to the positive, thanks to a huge surge of Chicago traffic we had never seen before thanks to an article in the Chicago Sun Times. Over 1/2 of our positive cash flow - it keeps the doors open. Period.

TJG