.

" it isn't a side of the road tourist trap either that Strasburg is quickly turning into again. "

I'm going to let others debate Steamtown and the 26, but I think the above statement is a gratuitous, nebulous, unnecessary and inaccurate insult. I visit Strasburg regularly, most recently for the 7/6 Chocolate Express. The food and service were excellent. Hardcore railfan, no? Ringing endorsement from the Mrs? Oh yeah. ("I'd do that again"). The equipment is in fine shape, the staff is polite and professional.

There are a lot of tourist traps in Lancaster County, but the Strasburg Railroad isn't one of them.

Can we get more roadside tourist traps like Strasburg? Quality in mechanics and appearance and serving customers in ways thay convert them from just disinterested riders into people who want to ride trains........and will choose to do so given more opportunities in the future.

I don't really want to turn them into railfans; railfans are the problem, not the solution. Until railfans start to measure by the yardstick of the general public instead of their own they aren't worth the trouble of pleasing.

dave

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It wasn't meant to be an insult. The trains are just fine. It's everything else that seems cheesy. Pint Sized Pufferbelly? The Cranky Cars? For a railroad that says it's still a public utility, these things seem unnecessary. I'm out there quite a few times per year and lately I've been finding it not so enjoyable. The atmosphere around the station to me screams empty your pockets. Will I eventually stop going there? Not likely because to escape this I can still get on a train and get away and to add to that, the railroad is inviting a lot of outside things in. The Antiques Roadshow was cool. Trains and Troops is still one of my favorite events. I'm really looking forward to the Steampunk event in November. But outside of these special events, I'm losing interest. My apologies if it sounds like I'm bashing but it's just the way I view things (as a customer I might add).

"It wasn't meant to be an insult."

You have a funny way of expressing admiration.

"The trains are just fine. It's everything else that seems cheesy."

I guess that's not meant to be insulting, either.

"Pint Sized Pufferbelly? The Cranky Cars? "

You need to expand your horizons beyond your own interests. The first time I took my then 4 or 5 year old niece to Strasburg, (Thomas) I quickly realized that a child that age needs multiple short, tactile attractions and all that "cheesy" stuff put smiles on their faces. She's beyond the cranky cars now, but will be in tow in a few weeks as we "staycation" in Paradise.

"For a railroad that says it's still a public utility, these things seem unnecessary. "

Public utility is a type of regulation, not a straightjacket. Then again, you aren't running the business, are you? You don't have to please customers, make payroll or capital improvements.


"I'm out there quite a few times per year and lately I've been finding it not so enjoyable. The atmosphere around the station to me screams empty your pockets."

I guess Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors screams empty your pockets too. Are you an adult, capable of managing your money? You can sit on the benches all day and watch the trains, nobody is going to grab you by the ankles and turn you upside down and shake the loose change out of your pockets.

"Will I eventually stop going there? Not likely because to escape this I can still get on a train and get away and to add to that, the railroad is inviting a lot of outside things in. The Antiques Roadshow was cool. Trains and Troops is still one of my favorite events. I'm really looking forward to the Steampunk event in November."

So in other words, they have plenty of stuff to appeal even to you with your oh so discriminating, high-brow tastes?


"But outside of these special events, I'm losing interest."


Well then, perhaps Kelly can ask Linn to ditch all these crowd pleasing, keep the crumb-cruncher demographic happy (who in a couple decades will be the custodians or the scrappers of these things) attractions to preserve your interest.
I like seeing happy kids, active and engaged in something other than a 4 inch screen babysitter.


If I want to see kids that are bored, tired and upset, I can go to the grocery story at 10PM when the dullards that don't realize their toddler should have been sleeping for a couple hours go shopping.

That should do wonders for their bottom line. Ever hear the phrase "it's not all about you"?

"My apologies if it sounds like I'm bashing but it's just the way I view things (as a customer I might add)."


"Tourist trap" and "cheesy" are just so easily misunderstood.

Perhaps now you can tell us how CNC lathes don't belong in a steam shop.

"It didn't sound nebulous to me."

I'll revise my initial remarks. I was on a roll and my mordant keyboard was a little ahead of my uncaffeinated brain.

Dave - Your statement is brilliant! I have been pushing this idea in so many ways for several years now on this site. I only participate by writing checks to organizations...I just don't feel like I belong in the railfan community. Sometimes the railfan community comes across as a "rail fans only club".

The world is full of wonders...if your eyes can see beyond the headlight. Strasburg Railroad is one of these wonders in my opinion.

Keep up the great work Strasburg.

I haven't been fortunate enough to visit Strasburg yet. However I would never say that they were a cheesy tourist trap. Everything I've seen or read about them, they are a top notch operation as well as a terrific restoration facility. They do not exist to satisfy the needs of railfans. If that were the case, they would have gone out of existence long ago as railfans seem to be the most stingy folks around when it comes to spending money.
We always had an army of railfans (Foamers) pestering us on the 1522, asking where the good locations for photos were, how to get there, inundating us with incorrect "facts" from their vast knowledge base and generally getting underfoot. The people who bought tickets and rode the excursions we pulled were not railfan heavy. Or at least not the rabid variety but the variety who admired what our group accomplished and were happy to spend money to ride behind us.
Whenever we were on display, we had our souvenir car open and a "begging box" at the foot of the engine. The public overwhelmingly supported us, not the railfans. Most of them appeared when we were running asking for lots of smoke, slip the engine and blow the whistle.
Bottom line: Strasburg, whatever you're doing, keep it up. If it gets too much for you, feel free to move out here to Missouri.

Dear God! What has happened to us when we bash the Strasburg?

"We" aren't, Richard....the subset known as "they" are. I think most of "us" know better.

dave

I've said before, and I'll say it one more time, The Strasburg Railroad is perhaps the best run standard gauge railroad of any class in the United States, as well as being a World class tourist destination that I would rank with attractions like Cedar Point in terms of it's breadth of public appeal. Anyone looking to improve their tourist railroad would be strongly advised to pay them a visit for a couple of days and take copious notes. If I were not now about eight hours away I'd probably be visiting there once in a while. I would advise any fans planning a trip from across the pond to include both the museum and the railroad as part of their itinerary. It may not have all of the features of some of the more detailed preserved railways in the UK or other European countries, but it's about the best this country has to offer.

Ditto the positive comments on Strasburg. They have created a destination for rail enthusiasts as well as the masses. They do so tastefully. They set an example of things all in railroad preservation should heed-reliability, creature comforts, atmosphere, attention to details and cleanliness...the things that matter to the 95% of visitors who ultimately pay the bills (and from whom future preservationists may arise). And they have set a standard of preservation practices and capabilities (their shop updates are always great reading) that, when combined with a business model geared towards present and future financial success, should be a boon to railroad preservation for years to come.

I have yet to make it up there, but the day I do, I'd love to lock Kelly and Linn in a room with a tape recorder and video just to pick their brains for awhile. To keep them talking, I would buy the pizza....

I know you can't see me, but I stood up to clap my hands for this reply. Well done.