Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents from a museum patron / non-NRHS member.

If a museum depends on visitors to survive finanially, they really need to get a objective and unbiased opinion from third party who has no connection to the organization to come in and give the organizers a fresh objective view of how the place looks to the average Joe and see what's appealing and what detracts from the experience.

I'll start out by saying that most of these places and the people that volunteer have good intentions. But I've seen volunteer organizations in general pay the price for having a "take who we can get" mentality.

First and foremost - they need to clean up their image. Get all of the junk and crap out of public view. A fresh coat of paint here and there can do wonders to spruce up the appearance of just about anything. I've seen some places that looked more like junkyards than a functioning railroad yard/station/whatever the "theme" may be. You can't save every last locomotive, piece of rolling stock (or parts of rolling stock) in the name of preservation. Junk is junk. If it's been sitting around for years getting rustier by the month with no real plans to make it an attractive exhibit or asset to your collection - part ways with it. If it's metal, it's got scrap value which can in turn be used to fund more worthwhile projects.

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I've seen one too many fat slobs with no people skills to meet and greet people at an exhibit somewhere. I don't care if people are fat - but if they look like crap, act like crap and treat people like crap, the public ain't coming back next year. Word of mouth can be a powerful advertising tool, as well as a powerful deterrent for future visitors.

Crowd control - some places that have popular events do little for crowd control, parking, etc... These can turn into liability issues down the road if left unchecked. But don't put someone with a bully cop-wannabe attitude in charge of crowd control either.

As much as people love to hate places like Steamtown - they should visit these places and learn some lessons from them. The more successful museums are popular for a reason. They're managed by people who have the business skills, people skills and vision to see things from the point of view from the average Joe looking to spend a few hours with his family somewhere. You can't run a place as a railfan attraction when patronage from the general public is your lifeblood.


les@nessman.net

Hey man, quit making so much sense!

mrcooltrains@yahoo.com

Les -

thanks for the wake-up call. A third person point of view is a great idea. And, yes, toss the junk - or at least get it well of of site.

Jim

>And, yes,
> toss the junk - or at least get it well of
> of site.

Offer the junk first, before scrapping. Many of us need some particular parts or type of car.

dave


irondave@bellsouth.net

Thank you for recognizing the professionalism at Steamtown. As one of the participants in the TVRM World Tour, we found out first hand the resources that their professional staff can provide. The trip to SNHS, the RR Museum of PA, and Strasburg has already had a profound impact on TVRM. For pictures of this merry band, visit TVRM's new website and click on the News page.

As for railfans having no people skills, I know of some policemen and lawyers and even a few airline employees that are similarly ill-suited to public contact. That said, it behoves museum leaders to match duties with abilities.

If I can find it, I will post a page from my 1970 Western Air Lines training manual about what not to do when in front of the general public. You could not say those things today without getting hate mail or lawsuits from "The Alliance of Fingernail and Cuticle Biters" or other interest groups promoting the rights of a minority to participate in some other gross act.

TVRM'S New Website
amiller@rtms-movietrains.com