Folks,

Got a promotional e-mail from the B&O Museum advertising their reopening this weekend.

Buried in the fine print below the "FREE Parking, FREE Train Rides" promotions is the new adjusted admission price:

Adults - $14
Seniors (60+) - $10
Children (2-12) - $8
Children under 2 – free
Museum Members – FREE

Annual membership is $45 adult, $40 senior, etc.--see http://www.borail.org/membership/individual_family.asp

I had read business-journal reports that these prices were to kick in after the grand reopening in the summer, when the rehabilitated car shop would be opened as display space. This compares to a pre-collapse admission of $8 or $9.

Does this elevate the B&O Museum to the rank of "most expensive railroad museum"?

Most expensive museum? Probably not and certainly not for long. But an interesting experiment to see what the traffic will bear.

I wonder how other museums price their admission and services. That is, what the public sees as value received?

Certainly a clean indoors 'conventional' musem display area will be perceived as value added, and amenities count too. A ride would be value added, but how long must it be, and what is too long to hold interest? If more than one ride experience is available, should all be included?

Is the admission all inclusive like amusement park 'passports' - or do visitors have to face surcharges once they have their tickets, and are inside the facility? Such as an extra for an interactive presentation, for a shop tour, or for riding in a 'first class' accomodation?

The number and placement of exhibits might also be a double edged sword. If there are too many things to see, equipment is poorly placed or displayed, difficult access, and not yet completely restored, will visitors choose to wait till 'next time'?

Free parking is almost a necessity - does any museum charge a fee for that yet?

All of the above and maybe more must go into some form of component pricing and value analysis. A MAJOR cost component is the expense for insurance which is sky high with a ride included. So we have to start with fixed costs which must be met and hopefully add in value for the visitors.

In an ideal world we can cover fixed costs, remain open, and net some revenue to re-invest in the infrastructure and facility. Or are there any preservation operations that have reached their goal and do not have ambitions for more equipment, longer rides, more land, or better exhibits?

I bet that many of us would like to maximize the number of visitors at the lowest possible cost (to them) to help spread the word and at the same time legitimize the service we provide of preserving history in an educational sense. But it might actually be more profitable to double ticket prices, and markedly reduce operating costs, netting more overall revenue while at the same time cutting down wear and tear on the artifacts we strive to preserve.

Has any one got some ideas on these factors?

Bob Kutella

I don't think these are unfair prices. Considering that the money is helping preserve so much history. I'd rather spend it there than at Disneyland, where all you do for the $100+ just to get in the door is to line the owners pockets.

The B&O Museum used to charge separately for the train ride, which was only avialable on weekends. If memory serves, it was 8 admission and 5 more for the train, which makes the price comarable to the new admission which includes the now-daily train excursion. For a point of comparison, CSRM is currently 6 admission and 6 for the train ride.




The National Air and Space Museums new Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles has an interesting twist on this. Admission is free--but you have to pay to either ride a shuttle from downtown DC, or pay 12 bucks to park on site! There is almost no other way to get there to enjoy the theoretically free admission.




I can think of one! See my RyPN Editorial on the Fort Collins Municipal Railway...

Museum of Modern Art in NYC reopens after long rennovation next week.
Admission to be $20.00

And you can still get into ALL our sites for $10 with a passport for all fours sites, or $5 with admission for just one. Wow. Maybe time to rethink.

TJ

In all fairness..........

When the renovation is complete, I presume the following will be included in the admission:
-the Roundhouse--right now, just the rolling stock minus the many displays that were wedged in between.....
-the old display areas and building--I understand the former gift shop is now the main entrance, to address ADA wheelchair access
-the outside displays--includes a raised platform simulating a station island, for both display and presumably passenger train boarding
-IN THE FUTURE, further display space in the passenger car shops (currently under rehabilitation and still being used for restoration/storage at the moment)
-the model railroad--wherever it gets put (and as "historic" as the old layout was, it's really time to bring that model railroad up to the 21st century.....)
-the train ride, which I am told will also include a stop at the new Restoration Shop, where an observation gallery will permit visitors to observe restoration in progress.

Now, I'm not complaining about the price. What I AM worried about is that the ticket price increase may move the museum out of the "impulse" visit category and reduce overall traffic. Visiting the Museum may also become an all-day exercise rather than a quick visit--which also discourages casual visitors.

(Incidentally--"free parking" may actually become an issue, as Baltimore, in need of more blood-from-a-stone revenue, is increasingly instituting paid parking, increasing rates, and restricting parking in residential areas--and the B&O Museum *is* conveniently close to the Orioles and Ravens stadiums.....)

In all fairness..........

When the renovation is complete, I presume the following will be included in the admission:
-the Roundhouse--right now, just the rolling stock minus the many displays that were wedged in between.....
-the old display areas and building--I understand the former gift shop is now the main entrance, to address ADA wheelchair access
-the outside displays--includes a raised platform simulating a station island, for both display and presumably passenger train boarding
-IN THE FUTURE, further display space in the passenger car shops (currently under rehabilitation and still being used for restoration/storage at the moment)
-the model railroad--wherever it gets put (and as "historic" as the old layout was, it's really time to bring that model railroad up to the 21st century.....)
-the train ride, which I am told will also include a stop at the new Restoration Shop, where an observation gallery will permit visitors to observe restoration in progress.

Now, I'm not complaining about the price. What I AM worried about is that the ticket price increase may move the museum out of the "impulse" visit category and reduce overall traffic. Visiting the Museum may also become an all-day exercise rather than a quick visit--which also discourages casual visitors.

(Incidentally--"free parking" may actually become an issue, as Baltimore, in need of more blood-from-a-stone revenue, is increasingly instituting paid parking, increasing rates, and restricting parking in residential areas--and the B&O Museum *is* conveniently close to the Orioles and Ravens stadiums.....)

Museum admission prices seem to be rising fast, and I suspect it's past time. The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village get around $18 each, or a combination ticket at a healthy discount. The Revolutionary War fort replica at Mackinac City gets, I think, around $8 for adults for a high-quality show with actors. In both cases there's a slight discount for kids.

I can recall the Henry Ford agonizing over whether to increase ticket prices around 1980. The decision as explained to me was to raise prices and provide a more intense experience to a smaller, but more interested, clientele. I believe this has been enormously succussful. On my last visit there with my son (age 9) the premiere exhibits, such as the Rosa Parks bus and the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion house, each had their own lecturer. That costs money, but this personal contact is essential to a good experience. Keeps the junior-high-school kids in line, too.

Before opening the (admittedly rudimentary) Steam Railroading Institute to paid admissions, we studied the admission prices of dozens of other attractions around Michigan and the country, for both small and large museums of technology. If there are complaints at $5 a head, I'm not aware of them. It's still unsettling to me that I've got to pay or point to my name on the membership roster (no card needed) to get in, but that's from force of habit, caused by too many years of offering no value to visitors and charging accordingly. This is emblematic of the change of mindset that you've got to go through when you begin operating on a commercial basis and selling showmanship.

Almost overnight we sold out 9 days of "North Pole Express" trips behind the 1225 at what I consider elevated ticket prices ($55 a seat). This was impelled somewhat by the massive media attention drawn by the "Polar Express" movie. But these will be expensive trips to operate, with lots of extras and a children's event at the destination. Charters of the restored PM caboose are still available at $1,000, but going fast.

So I'm gradually getting used to sticker shock at museum ticket windows. The B&O tariff sounds about right, maybe even low for the DC area, which seems to use a different currency from the rest of the country.

Inverse sticker shock also exists, mostly at publicly-owned facilities. One old-building village with a big-time railroad operation always surprises me with its low admission. This organization is now conducting studies to determine if it can afford to remain open. Admission is $5, with a slight surcharge for the train ride. Could there be a connection?

I think museums should also compare themselves to alternate entertainment venues, such as going to a ball game or to see a movie.

I think that the big museums like this one still compare favorably to other forms of entertainment, and are educational to boot. It may not replace "free entertainment" (i.e. walking around the mall), but you are getting something for your buck, and it is better than closing the doors because you can't afford to stay open.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

[quote="Alexander D. Mitchell IV"]In all fairness..........

-the model railroad--wherever it gets put (and as "historic" as the old layout was, it's really time to bring that model railroad up to the 21st century.....)
-the train ride, which I am told will also include a stop at the new Restoration Shop, where an observation gallery will permit visitors to observe restoration in progress.

FYI, to address ADA issues, the model railroad has been moved and completely rebuilt inside C&O heavyweight coach #725. #725 has been moved directly behind the instruction car on one of the new elevated platforms that have been built. I've seen the layout, and while I shall miss the old one, nobody will be disappointed in its replacement.

In addition to the ADA problem, the old railroad had 50 year old wiring that was condemned by the Fire Marshal in the aftermath of the roof collapse.

FYI, I shall be a docent there one Sunday each month, starting with this Sunday.

Doing the math here.
(And I apologize for how this lays out)

No Membership, One Annual Visit
Me $14
Significant Other $14
Significant Other's 9 - year old $8
Significant Other's 14 - year old $14
$50

Probable 2nd visit with 9 - year old
Me $14
Significant Other's 9 - year old $8
$22

Total Annual Cost $72


Individual Membership, One Annual Visit
Me $45
Significant Other $14
Significant Other’s 9 - year old $ 8
Significant Other’s 14 - year old $14
$81

Probable 2nd visit with 9 - year old
Me $ 0
Significant Other’s 9 - year old $ 8
$8

Total Annual Cost $89

Dual Adult Membership, One Annual Visit
Me and Significant other $65
Significant Other’s 9 - year old $8
Significant Other’s 14 - year old $14
$87

Probable 2nd visit with 9 - year old
Me $ 0
Significant Other's 9 - year old $8
$ 8

Total Annual Cost $95

Family Membership, One Annual Visit
All four of us $75
$75

Probable 2nd visit with 9 - year old $0
$ 0

Total Annual Cost $75

Conclusion: A family membership costs me 3 dollars more than the probable two accompanied visits. I will almost certainly spend enough in the museum store on either visit to make up the three dollars. Seventy-five dollars plus the cost of some crab cakes is a very good price for two good family outings. I can't take the kids to Great Adventure for that... and the cost of all four of us going to a movie comes distressingly close.

The museum will have my check for a family membership.

M.E. Allen

At least you will get to see some first rate equipment well preserved! Unlike Steamtown, As of the first of the year you will be charged just to come on the properity to see a collection of locomotives, and rolling stock rotting into the ground! Example, Reading T-1 2124, along with others on display need paint so bad they are turning blue! Rolling stock rotting into the ground! F. Nelson Blount must be turning over in his grave!

Ed K. cp. Laurel Run

So Ed, tell me how the ex RDG engine at Baltimore is doing. Better then 2124? How about the B&O 2-8-2 and 4-6-2 and the C&O streamlined engine at Baltimore as well? Other pieces? Also, does this mean you will stop recording Steamtown's trips?

Can we not slam Steamtown NHS so often please?

Not to mention the B&O has been around for a lot longer and they are mostly a static museum.

Joshua

In 1995, when Steamtown first started charging a fee, scores of visitors, their arms laden with shopping bags from the nearby mall would argue endlessly about the $6.00 fee to see the museum, especially on days with no train to Moscow, which they expected to be run at the drop of a hat.
As the museum price rose and eventually fell back to $6.00, people decided to make the most of their money, indulging in the programs, movies, exhibits and yard shuttles, now offered every day, regardless of excursion activity.
I understand where Mr. Mitchell is coming from, with an impulse visitor "just wanting a look around" feeling fleeced, but these people have to judge their time and money accordingly. Only you can make an experience worth your time and money. I'm sure most B&O visitors will get more than $14 worth out of a visit, if they invest the time.