It's a pretty straightforward question. In your estimation, provide one example of what a successful railway museum looks like and support why you believe this indicates success.
Photographs are a good way to do this, but if you use a photograph, please support the image with appropriate text as to why you believe the photo indicates success.

I would like to compile this into a useful resource at some point in the future, but for the time being, it will exist on RYPN to inspire and motivate us.

Thank You,

Stephen Piwowarski

I always appreciate museums that are good at transporting you back in time...one or more spots that you can enjoy views free of anachronisms from outside of the timeframe being portrayed. The best example I can think of is the Critch Tramway Village (National Tramway Museum, Derbyshire UK). Their 'main street' truly looks like it was plucked from time more than 100 years ago.

Are we allowed to say Strasburg, because for many reasons I think they are the best museum.

I was really looking for evidence of a successful railway museum, rather than the best. By Strasburg's own accord, they are not a Railway Museum, unless you mean the Railway Museum of PA at Strasburg. However, for the purposes of this exercise, I would be willing to consider them, if you feel they have elements which make them successful as a railway museum, rather than simply as a heritage railway.

If you do indeed mean the Strasburg Railroad, I'd appreciate it if you support your statement with evidence that indicates what elements make the Strasburg Railroad a successful railway museum.

Thanks,
Stephen

Is Strasburg really a museum? Yes, obviously they run steam, but they don't claim to be a museum, and they readily adopt new methods and approaches that, while practical, are also modifications of the equipment. For example, they have a different method of making coach side sheets. (I won't say exactly what, as I don't want to get the details incorrect, but it it's not the original method.)

Nobody can argue they're a very successful tourist railway. Maybe one of the best in the world. But how closely are you holding to the "museum" bit? I seem to recall hearing "The museum is across the street..."

Would you consider the B&O museum successful?

It's got longevity, good programming, good curation, and good attendance.

I would and I agree with your supporting evidence. Furthermore, they were able to bounce back from a major setback. Can you think of a specific example of something they do that reflects their success?

Stephen

Their annual Holiday Festival of Trains.

They usually need police officers to direct all the traffic on busy weekends, and families get exposed to model railroading, historic artifacts, interpretative displays and a real live train ride, all at one place.

I am not sure there is an "ideal" successful railway museum, but if there was, it would have the following attributes:

Sustainable Business
Income covers expenses - Not overly reliant on a single special event to break even - Can afford occasional investments in growth and improvements - Debt, if any, is responsibly managed

Ongoing Restoration and Maintenance
Making progress in taking care of the collection to accepted standards - Collecting new equipment at a sustainable pace following accepted standards - Net reduction in unrestored and non-maintained equipment over time

Popular
Entertaining for families with children - Good reviews - High rate of repeat attendance - Positive "word of mouth" - Good attendance on non-special event days

Educational
Fulfills duty to provide a benefit to the general public that goes beyond entertainment - Successfully cultivates new constituents for railway preservation

I mentioned "sustainability" in the previous thread.

Sustainability takes many forms. A museum, or museum-like operation, must be able to keep enough money/revenue on hand or coming in to continue and maintain operations--and, if part of the mission, to expand. It must sustain enthusiast and community interest--generations of school field trips, participation in community affairs/events, new/different reasons to come, etc. And it must groom future generations of stewards and supporters to comtinue the mission, or if need be change it to suit changes in the community and world around them.

There are some museums that manage to fail--their endowment runs out, the market changes (not enough people care any more about, say, Liberace, Roy Rogers, or arcade games), urbanization and gentrification ruins their setting, the town gets bypassed, whatever.

I am painfully aware of a couple museums out there, railroad and non-railroad, that are on a dangerous path to possible self-destruction. One has managed, through onerous volunteer requirements and the like, to drive away several successive turnovers of volunteers and docents, to the point where leagues of past "alumni" keep wondering where they get anyone left to keep the place staffed. Another has a fundamental clash between the "professional" staff (the ones hired because they had degrees and not any interest in the specific field) changing the mission away from the core direction upon which the museum was founded. Another allegedly managed to render almost the entire membership voiceless by removing the members' ability to vote on any changes at the museum.

When things like this happen, it often removes the incentive of the people who would give their time, energy, and/or monies/assets to such institutions. The museum may trade the wooden craftsmen or conductors for the grant-application-writers. Long-term, this may affect not only the ability of said museum to attract the next generation of volunteers, but also the next generation of members and supporters. Even government-owned rail museums like Steamtown NHS and the state-run rail museums are not immune from this, as anyone who's watched this forum for some time will be aware.

A couple of the rail museums that many would consider "well-regarded" nationally and internationally have apparently, reportedly been having some serious problems in these regards. I fear for their long-term futures.

I nominate Wilmington & Western / Historic Red Clay Valley Inc., as one of the successful ones.

TVRM has to be at, or near, the top of anyone's list.

They've got an excellent and well maintained collection. A shop that produces world class work. Tons of visitors and repeat business. One other thing that I think they have that's important is a terrific relationship with a class one that has lead to some significant donations.

Related: Another (non-RR) museum shutters:

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/c ... -no-reopen

What did they do wrong? Or not do?

Willingness to deaccession a major item (C&O 1309) in order to allow it go to a location where it may better represent the mission of the industry.

Agile adaption of showing some of the best aspects of their collection in a native setting; how they tell the civil war railroading story through props and arrangement in the confines of a roundhouse.

Inclusion of other railroad related organizations into their programs (inviting local model RR clubs to set up displays during the holiday seasons).

Bob

Went out on to their website to verify what it was.... Oh, THAT one. I remember that. I've been in Lowell more times than I can count and never actually went in there. Even my wife, who was very involved with sewing and crafts and fascinated by the looms and hit all the NPS mill exhibits, gave it a 'pass'. When my kids were little, I nearly had to drag in the NPS mills because it sounded boring, thought they were 'way cool' to watch run, but this museum got a puzzled look back and 'naah'. Just like a train, the secret is to have something moving. Even if it's an unfair characterization at this point, the name alone didn't help even if the collection may have been outstanding.

It's also away from the NPS center of the world and not easily within walking distance of the NPS visitors center; i.e. you really have to want to go there. Most likely to notice it at the end of day when leaving town, and their hours were 10-4. While it's just across the road from the Swamp Locks trolley station, that's a four-lane arterial with no crosswalk adjacent, and no parking area visible except in the Lowell Sun parking lot, which was before the museum itself was clearly visible. Too easy to miss and hard to get to unless you were really familiar with Lowell on a repeat visit. Lowell in general is tricky to drive around with no logical street pattern and other than the NPS lot, a challenge to park in.

It might have actually done better outside of Lowell, here, it's almost in competition with time and interest of the NPS exhibits, which at the visitors center, are actually pretty good. But there are some lessons here. I think Lowell in general is better than most people give it credit for as a museum/attraction and earns a 'better than expected' rating. In railroad terms, it would be like opening another static railroad museum in Strasburg - only on the other side of town.

If you look at the reporting it also appeared like they were trying to get folded into NPS control and integrate into the system, apparently that didn't work either.