Little Engine That Could

bobyar2001 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:39 pm

At Danbury, Connecticut. Who can tell us more about this one? Is this the answer to high-priced Thomas fees? Who built it? Powered or unpowered?

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... bydate%3A3

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:50 pm

It's an Allan Harper venture, discussed here on RyPN back in September 05:

http://rypn.sunserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18427

Replica built by Strasburg:

http://www.thelittleenginethatcouldtour.com/links.htm

bobyar2001 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:53 am

Thanks, that explains it. Is it self-powered, or must it be pushed? How have the Little Engine events been patronized? I saw the Thomas event on a recent Sunday at Strasburg and could not believe all the people there. I hope they made a ton of money, because they sure earned it for dealing with all that crowd.

co614 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:39 pm

I've been told the the Little Engine shtick is a poor drawer-nothing remotely close to Thomas. Obviously the thing that makes Thomas work is TV. Its regular appearance on PBS generates the following of 2-8 year olds who make up the audience at the live events towing along mom or grandma/pa. Without regular TV exposure the lLittle Engine will never be a major draw.
Ross Rowland

scrmcurator · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:52 pm

I'd like to hear about this from someone who's been involved with an event. I've looked at the previous discussion and there's very little info. Anyone?

Chris Salmonson · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:15 pm

what's next? Tootle?

Stephen Hussar · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:21 pm

Chris Salmonson wrote:

what's next? Tootle?

Maybe NBC will bring back "Supertrain" ;-)

H.O. · **Posted:** Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:08 am

The problem I see with The Little Engine That Could is that it is unpowered, thus it has no "voice" to say "I think I can, I think I can." Whoever came up with the idea must not have thought this part of the story through. Little Engine was one of my grandaughter's favorite bedtime stories, and when we first went to a Thomas event at Strasburg I made a point of calling her attention to the stack talk as Thomas also seemed to say: "I think I can." That is where I think Little Engine has failed. TV exposure is what makes the difference for the non-powered versions of Thomas. Yes, live steam is much more expensive to operate - but it might be worth it to bridge the gap. The Little Engine That Could without "I think I can" just isn't - no matter how much it looks like the artwork of the book!

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

If I self publish my latest idea, "Articulation Station: The Adventures of Emma the EM-1" do you think Linn and the gang could whip one up? :-)

Rob

johnacraft · **Joined:** Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:53 pm **Posts:** 660

Chris Salmonson wrote:

what's next? Tootle?

Given Tootle's propsensity for straying from the tracks . . . probably not.

Although perhaps Hulcher could be a sponsor of the event. ;)

JAC

NH1402 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:22 am

Although the engine is not powered, it does hae a "voice" in the form of a CD played through speakers tha say "I think I can" and "I thought I could". It also has a smoke generator to simulate steam(it even comes out the cylinders).It is a nice piece of work by the folks at Strasburg.
The number of people coming to the event was way far fewer than Thomas. Given how much exposure Thomas has, that can be expected.

dkouz · **Posted:** Sun Jul 16, 2006 12:11 am

What would you like to know? For those interested, I shall try to remember to take pictures of the inside tomorrow. MRyM.org

scrmcurator wrote:

I'd like to hear about this from someone who's been involved with an event. I've looked at the previous discussion and there's very little info. Anyone?

Warren · **Posted:** Sun Jul 16, 2006 8:13 am

robertjohndavis wrote:

If I self publish my latest idea, "Articulation Station: The Adventures of Emma the EM-1" do you think Linn and the gang could whip one up? :-)

Rob

Sounds good to me,but then you have to have Brenda the Baggage Car,
Clarrisa the Combine, Dora,Daisy,Della,Delilah,Dana,Denise,Daphne,Darci,Dawn,Debra the Day Coaches, Dinah the Diner, Catherine the Club Car, and of course Olivia the Observation Car. All B&O heavyweights in blue and gray (what else?) Sorry,couldn't help it!

scrmcurator · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:53 pm

The questions I'd like to know are:

What costs are involved?

Are the costs up-front, a percentage of ticket sales, or both? If a combination, what's up front and what's a percentage?

About what percentage of the gross revenue does the host railroad see?

What's the average ticket price for most events, and how is that price viewed by the public?

What kind of operating practices do the franchise owners want (for example the Thomas folks want a 30-minute trip that doesn't cross a road)?

How many volunteers are required to crew the event?

What is the typical operating scenerio?

Are tickets presold like the Thomas events, or are they on demand?

How much lead time does planning an event require? It's about a year for Thomas IIRC.

How is the engine moved between events, and what portion of those costs is the host railroad expected to bear?

Does the LETC franchise bring their own gift shop or do you sell through your own store during the event?

Someone on our Board mentioned this as a possible alternative to Thomas at about the same time this thread started (great minds think alike?), so I'm trying to get some outside info from other groups before contacting the LETC folks themselves.

bobyar2001 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:44 pm

As the unit is unpowered, I wonder if there might be a possibility of linking up with an alternative energy group to actually power it by some new means, to publicize both. Given that every newspaper uses the phrase as a headline for anything to do with railroads (little depot that could, little caboose that could, etc..), I think it might get good, if shopworn, publicity. Perhaps hybrid technology, with an alcohol or hydrogen-fueled engine or the like?