The Chatham Area Transit route map (PDF) seems to show that it is possible to take transit buses from the Savannah Airport and Amtrak station to the Georgia State Railroad Museum.

The NC Transportation Museum's website says that you can get to the museum using Amtrak, but it requires a short taxi ride.

I went there on a Sunday and worked out that it was quicker to get off at Tamien LRT (I was inbound from Santa Theresa whist riding the system) and walk, rather than go back Downtown and get the #73. I had intended to get the bus into the City after visiting the Heritage Park, but had discovered the Santa Clara brewery on my walk from Tamien (one that had slipped under the radar in planning that vacation....), so I just had to walk back again so I could sample their products en route!!!

Between 1958 and 1971, the Delaware Valley Short Line trolley museum in Tansboro, N.J. had Public Service Coordinated Transport of New Jersey bus service, Rte. 123, Frankford, Pa. - Atlantic City, N.J.. There was 1 round trip per day on weekends and holidays, no weekday service

The Wilmington & Western's Greenbank terminal is about 500 feet from a convoluted series of stops of the DART Rt. 6 bus between Wilmington and Newark, Del., but service is only hourly on Sundays, their usual day of operations.

Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (one of the best railway museums in the country!) is within walking distance (or a short cab ride) from the new Dearborn Station which serves Amtrak and local bus routes.

I think the blog author is trying to solve the wrong problem. Yes, it's frustrating when a museum is just slightly-out-of-reach from the nearest public transit, but quite frankly, it's a non-issue for most museums. Reading the article, it sounded like the kind of argument 14-year-old Otto would have made, being frustrated by not having a car and depending on public transit to get me where I needed to go.

The Naugatuck Railroad connects physically to the end of the Metro-North Waterbury Branch. Occasionally special excursions are operated to Waterbury, and in fact, I remember when we used to operate Thomas the Tank Engine from Waterbury. Guess what? People didn't care to drive to "beautiful" downtown Waterbury, pay for parking at the downtown garage, and hope that their car wasn't broken into while they were on the train (this is a real problem, not suburbanite paranoia). Ignoring those facts, it's a 2.5 hour train ride from Grand Central Terminal to Waterbury, a 1.5 hour trip if you start from Stamford. That's a lot of traveling and connections. Plus, the train connection only benefits those who are traveling from New York or points along Connecticut's shoreline towns. Doesn't help 14-year-old me trying to travel from the Hudson Valley. I'd have to ride one 45-minute train down into GCT, and then start my trip along the coast to Connecticut.

Danbury Railway Museum is located right next to the Metro-North station in Danbury, coincidentally the end of the Danbury Branch. Same problem as with Waterbury, where the train service only benefits those starting their journey from GCT or the Connecticut coast. It's still a two-hour train ride from GCT to Danbury.

The Essex Steam Train/Valley Railroad does connect right to the Northeast Corridor at Old Saybrook, Conn. I think I saw photos from 30 years ago where the Valley used to run a one-car diesel shuttle to connect to Amtrak trains at Old Sayrbook. Of course, there's now a lot more service at Old Saybrook with the introduction of Shore Line East commuter service in 1990. Essex is in an interesting location that's not too far from New Haven or Hartford, and both locations have good rail service... But once again, by the time you make all your connections, you've spent hours on the train before you even get to the train you wanted to ride in the first place!



I could go on and refute the other examples, but this quote really drives the nail in the coffin for me, as I can tell from this the author really has no practical experience and is speaking strictly from the heart. Passion and enthusiasm are good. But as I learned a long time ago, if it was "potentially lucrative" the railroad museum would already be doing it. EDIT: In fact, the Saratoga & North Creek abandoned their Amtrak-timed schedule because they weren't generating enough business from it.

Railroad Museums and Tourist Railroads are leisure time activities. Either you are driving there or you are arriving on a tour bus, but either way, you're on your own schedule. What a happy accident that a handful of railroad attractions are accessible by train (Danbury Railway Museum, Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Saratoga & North Creek Railroad, New York City Transit Museum, California State Railroad Museum, Orange Empire Railway Museum are just some that come to mind). But it's not a requirement for success, and it's also probably not practical, either.

-otto-
a former 14-year-old who took trains to go see other trains.

That's what I've been thinking through this whole discussion... Has anybody with a transit connection done a survey to see how many visitors are actually using it?

My impression, of even the urban dwellers who say they don't like to drive, is what they mean is they don't like to drive IF THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE DESTINATION. Solve their parking problem, and they are happy to take a drive in the country (although some urban dwellers seem to have a problem with the concept of parking on grass).

I really think this is a nonissue.

As someone who spent many years selling tickets at a tourist railway that was just out of reach of downtown and transit access I will say, you may be surprised how many people take taxis (and now Uber) to railroad museums and tourist trains. I would say half of them, at least, would have taken a taxi or Uber anyways.

I never have a car when I travel by myself, so I've taken public transit to reach many railroad museums and other attractions. Uber has made it MUCH easier and cheaper. I never liked taxis because you never really knew when they would show up, I remember waiting outside of the railroad museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg for a good hour waiting for a taxi who would "be right there."