To add to your statements Mark, I agree that now is a time to act. The majority of the younger population today(under 35ish) do not really know what to have interest in(outside of what the media tells them to). They did not go out and experience the world with the parents, the parents gave them a key to the house, permission to go into the refrigerator and a place to sleep. A majority never went on a family vacation and have not been exposed to much of what this country has to offer. So, lets expose them to something that the media has primed them for...I can easily hear the comment being made,"WOW, this is just like what they showed on modern marvels!"

Michigan. They've already got 1225, and because it's peninsular, most of the state's rail network is in the hands of shortlines and regionals that are friendly to steam excursions. You can ride shortlines from Gaylord to southern Ohio.

Small plans won't work here. One event at one site won't work for this. Stop thinking like preservationists or railfans and become a theatrical producer.

The mission is to create an entertainment spectacle that can go around the country and celebrate the history of American industrial heritage through the visceral impact of steam power. The steam locomotive was the critical component necessary for the industrial revolution - so it ties into pretty much everything.

There's going to be a tie in with relevance to just about everybody by using steam as the common thread rather than the only element in the story. Steam locomotives personify raw mechanical power as the common element.

With our economy faltering and our foreign policy facing difficulties is there a better time to look back at the time when we led the world in industrial might and ingenuity?

I'm thinking not.......but again, it has to be big, splashy, and have really good music. Dancing girls nice too, as well as some good Studs Terkel stuff. We gotta make the ground shake with our power and our whistles must wake the dead to grab the public.

Another Railfar Redux won't attract anybody who wouldn't go anyhow. This must be far bigger than just us or it isn't going to fly.

Anybody else outside the box here?

dave

You know what I always think of? Titanic. Yeah, the movie about the ship. When that movie came out there was plenty of scoffing from the historic steamship crowd, but you know what? People went to see it, and it made a lot of MONEY.
If James Cameron had made another stuffy documentary, it would have sold like a Pentrex video. Instead, he made a movie that was historically accurate (mostly) and all of a sudden his target demographic was, well, everyone. The same can be said to a certain extent about the movie Pearl Harbor.
It seems to me the writing is on the wall, with Polar Expresses and Days out with Thomas being the big money makers (which is really the name of the game) for the year, that we have to find a way to grab a persons attention any way you can, and learning the history behind the story will follow. AFT did it for me.

And BTW, I love Pentrex Videos....Dave

It is interesting that two of the very people expressing views on this topic are the very reasons I left the preservation/tourist railway world after 20 years of being involved including a time on the R&LHS board. One of the individuals for told me things that they thought I wanted to hear instead of dealing with the problem and the other for being a major part of the problem of both disrespecting and belittling their fellow employee that it nearly destroyed the organization because of the wedge it drove between volunteers and paid staff. One must look at the results that one creates as well as their goals to see their true impact. We often create more damage than good when we do not keep an open mind.

In the case of the organization affected, most of the volunteers made a decision to support the project inspite of its poor leadership so many more generations can enjoy it.

Robby.

With all due respect, you cannot be in preservation and be thin skinned. It doesn't work. Almost every preservationist I know is a "character" of one sort or another. Egos abound. Personalities clash. Volunteers leave. And that's even without the Internet!

Internet Ego Effect amplifies everything by a factor of ten, most especially on forums/discussion boards. It has an extraordinary way of "taking hold of" people. It can bring out a whole new side of someone you'd known for 30 years -- not a pretty one either. Sadly, most people don't wake up and realize their mistake, they just sink deeper into it.

Which is why I recommend against museums having discussion forums. Blogs with comments are better. Wikis are fine. But forums -- no way. Just think of the recent scuffles and angry departures we've seen on RyPN, and imagine it happening among your key volunteers. Sure, that happens anyway sometimes, but the Internet can make it happen a LOT faster.

As Henry Ford said, "If I asked my customers what they wanted, they'd say faster horses."

Indeed, shoving product at consumers is an auto industry specialty. Why were they cranking out SUVs in 2006 as oil skyrocketed and people wanted 50mpg cars? Because they had planned 2006 production years in advance. So they marketed, discounted, gave away free fuel, whatever it takes. Sold every car. There's no other choice -- it's not like there's some big landfill in Detroit where they dump all the unsold cars. Production once planned MUST be built, and a car once built MUST go into the hands of a buyer. You win (Chrysler, 1982) or lose (GM, 2006) on whether the cars you planned to build fit today's market.

So. How would you do that if you were a railway museum? What if it was simply not an option to not have 50,000 visitors this year? Like the auto industry you were willing to do ANYTHING to have that happen. What would it take?

Regardless of what you eventually end up calling "the year of the steam locomotive", if you folks are going to do it in 2012 you have less than four years for everybody who will be involved to learn how to generate publicity and communicate with the public. The primary downfall of the preservation industry and hobby are that their efforts to communicate their events and activities often do not get to many people other than railfans (and as Sandy has so eloquently pointed out on occasions, the railfans often don't spend much money). When the audience shows up there are often very few new faces present because a lot of outfits can't get the word out beyond their own membership. If you are going to have a national event, incompetent publicity efforts are not going to make the grade.

MX (Obviously Not My Real Name)

Considering the condition of the auto industry I am not totally convinced that their strategy is the best one. To answer the question posed above, it would take more money than we have. I did some research on running a national ad campaign for heritage railroading in general that would air on the major networks during prime viewing time for our target audience. After some tweaking to make it more affordable it came out to $45,000,000 for the season. The exposure would be good but wouldn't even be noticed compared to what the auto makers put out there.

I agree with Mark that we need to be proactive however we don't have enough powder to waste on an unclear target. It is my experience that speculative expenditures of limited resources have yielded limited returns. On the flip side, more targeted expenditures have resulted in less wasted resources and greater returns.

As to cooperation, I totally agree. I think it is ridiculous that TRAIN and ARM have separate conventions. If we were GM and Ford maybe there would be a reason but we are a teeny, tiny industry that needs to consolidate and coordinate all our efforts.

To me the bottom line is awareness of our existence as an industry. Secondly that awareness must create a curiosity on the part of the public. This awareness must be built over time by taking advantage of every opportunity. Creating a big event that will cost a huge amount in hopes that people will suddenly seek us out is not logical. This was brought home to me when I traveled to the west coast last year on the train. This was about six months after the Amish shootings in Lancaster county - about five miles from the railroad. In casual conversations with people, only one couple connected where I was from to that incident. It had been forgotten for the most part. When I consider the amount of national coverage that received I am shocked.

To sum up, I believe the only way we can maximize our impact is with cooperation, a realistic view of who we are and our capabilities, and a consistent targeted message that hits home in the most effective and predictable manner.

This is a good thread. I am glad we are getting the constructive comments from Linn. I agree that if this event were to be coordinated with limited funding mostly out of our own pockets and those of friends - well - we probably could find more efficient ways to get good publicity.

When I suggested a huge, multi-event, barnstorming historical steam train, I was thinking it would only happen with the funding and support of Other People's Money. Money that would not normally be even an option to any railroad or museum related item. It would need to be such an eye-catcher that people would talk about it for years. I'm sure every American who was around in 1975 recalls the Freedom Train, at least having heard about it.

Four years would probably be a too accelerated pace to have a successful event, unless every big mover and shaker signed on tomorrow. Looking at a timeline, the only thing that makes sense to me is the transcontinental sesquicentennial, which is 2019. The tour could happen in 2018. Which gives 9 years for set-up. That is also 9 years for steam restoration projects underway to be completed (also giving them a worthy goal). Perhaps in that time an insurance program could be made for the hangar queens so more big steam might be live for the event.

If it were to happen.
Olin Anderson

This has been a most enlightening and educational thread in which many of the participants have offered ideas to make a celebration of this magnitude possible. Here are my thoughts from inside of the rail industry.

To gain national awareness and interest leading up the celebration, I believe that such an event has to be built, like a structure, with a solid foundation to support what will follow. Rail industry support is a critical building block in the foundation. Without buy-in from the railroads to assist with equipment and location logistics, the chance of this taking place is remote at best. To make it truly a national event, there is only one carrier which ties all of the corners of the country together, that being Amtrak.

Amtrak has proven its willingness to work with private car operators (AAPRCO and RPCA), steam groups (4449, 700, 3751, 261, 614, to name a few) and private train sponsors (Grand Luxe, C. P Huntington Chapter's annual New River trains, 20th Century Railroad Club, TUT, etc.) to keep passenger trains and steam locomotives in the public's eye. It seems like a natural unified force to me.

I have attached below an editted copy of Amtrak's news release announcing what it calls "National Train Day". I won't go into the specifics about the celebration but I believe that this might be the rest of the foundation on which to build. Why couldn't this become an annual event at which private cars, steam locomotives and historic diesels, along with modern equipment, were placed on display for the public to enjoy? It could start with small equipment displays, both private and Amtrak-owned along with that of any interested carriers, at various locations across the country. One such event with which I am familiar is the now, much toned-down Galesburg Railroad Days. I sure there are similar celebrations which have or are being done in other places. With proper advertising and support, these events could be grown to include excursions (both locally and to the event to bring in additional participants). Diesels could be supplemented with Amtrak certified steam locomotives. As popularity of these events grew and flourished, a relationship would be built between Amtrak, the carriers and the preservation community to engage in a true national event. Realistically, these relationships would be years in the making but I believe this approach, in which a comfort level is achieved between the principal participants, would be a logical way to approach the issue. Your thoughts?

Don C.

AMTRAK TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAIN DAY
Events scheduled in Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles

WASHINGTON – To raise awareness of the vital role rail plays in our nation’s transportation system, Amtrak announced today that it will celebrate its first annual National Train Day during six weeks of celebrations culminating on Saturday, May 10, 2008.

“With ridership growing to record levels, we continue to see a strong demand for rail travel as a link between growing communities,” said Alex Kummant, President and CEO of Amtrak. “Passenger and freight service is on the rise, and there’s never been a better time to celebrate the railroad industry and passenger rail service in the U.S.”

Amtrak’s celebration of National Train Day will begin six weeks prior to May 10 with special promotions, events, partnerships and an advertising campaign. On May 10 Amtrak will host events at four of its largest stations, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where visitors may take part in a variety of activities including live musical performances, exhibits, trip planning, VIP appearances and trip giveaways.

Serving as spokesperson for National Train Day is television personality Al Roker. Mr. Roker will experience, first-hand, the benefits of rail travel when he travels from New York to Washington, by train, for the day’s festivities.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of Amtrak’s National Train Day because as a native New Yorker, I can attest to the vital role trains play in our everyday lives,” Roker said. “Whether it’s a quick business trip or a leisurely vacation, the train is a great way to get there.”

Heritage and Future

The date of National Train Day, May 10, holds special meaning as it is the anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. At Promontory, the east coast and west coast were connected for the first time by rail. From Promontory in 1869 to the creation of Amtrak in 1970 to the launch of Acela Express in 2000, Amtrak employees across the country will celebrate the history of train travel while looking towards the future on National Train Day.

For more information on National Train Day and planned events, visit NationalTrainDay.com. Event details will be announced as they become available.

Somewhat relevant to the subject of obtaining relevance - CSX has been sponsoring Morning Edition on NPR with the message that their trains can carry a ton of freight 423 miles on one gallon of fuel. This message (which I would like to have them contrast to fuel economy of trucking) does two things: puts trains into a context of solving a national problem today and tomorrow (thus increasing pub lic awareness), and being a good greenish concerned corporate citizen.

A small step, but when was the last time a major freight hauler tried to put a message like this across?

BTW, dreaming is much easier and cheaper than action, to answer your question. Yes, we need a champion with political and business connections and a largish wallet to start things off.

dave

I checked the fuel economy of our Tractor-trailers for the 2nd half of 2007, it's about 6.5 miles per gallon of Diesel, earlier in 2007, before we got some new rigs, it was only about 5.75 mpg. Back in the 1980s, a Pennsylvania state fuel tax auditor told me that he would challenge anyone who claimed better that 4 mpg for similar service.
If I'm generous and say that half of our miles are fully loaded at 80,000 lbs. gross, 40 tons, and the other half are empty at 28,000 lbs. gross, 14 tons, how will you cut the tiny mustard seed? Not all trips are full loads, and slightly more than half the miles are empty, we have almost no back hauls at all. I guess that CSX gets the same fuel mileage hauling a ton of empty freight car as hauling a ton of freight, and includes fuel burned while stopped at signals, so my answer is that TYBR can haul a ton of freight less than 175.5 miles on one gallon of Diesel fuel.

Anyone remember the classic 1950s EMD shot glass with the F7 on the front and the wording on the back: "This much fuel oil burned in a GM diesel locomotive will haul one ton five miles".

That was of course at .408 lbs. per BHP-Hr. fuel consumption, nowadays the diesel locomotive builders are closer to .330 lbs. per BHP-Hr.

MX

Years ago I imagined a major steam locomotive gathering somewhere centrally located, like St. Louis, for the dawn of the new Millennium. I thought 2001 would have been a great time and a neat tie-in to call it "2001 a Steam Odyssey" - yeah, ok, kind of corny, but easy to remember. That was just before the whole mainline excursion business collapsed in the wake of the Sunset Ltd. wreck and the subsequent insurance crisis.

One suggestion I would make about timing on any such event. I would definitely make it an off-year event. Avoid leap years, as they are both Olympic and Presidential election years. I wouldn't wait nearly 10 years to do this. The oil situation isn't going to get any better and travel is going to become more difficult and expensive in the not too distant future.

As for coverage of rail-related things on cable. A quick note of up-coming programs. The History Channel has a couple of things in production to look for. "Modern Marvels" spent a considerable amount of time taping at CSX's Waycross and Huntington shops, to be aired in April. They also had a crew taping the Ringling Bros. red train loading up and departing Baltimore earlier this week (including a helicopter) for "Extreme Machines". I don't know when that will air.