Just out of curiosity, how is everyone’s summer going? We are matching our ridership from last year which was our largest year ever (13,014 riders.) We took a hit in April and June, but had slight increases in May and in July which is our largest month of the year. So far August is running slightly ahead of last year. So how is everyone’s season going?

I might add, Ely is considered the most remote incorporated city in the lower 48.

Dear Mark:
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat (Valley Railroad) is down about 8% for August so far. We attribute this to the bloody hot weather we had earlier in the month and riders lost due to curtailed schedule when we hit a garage truck last week. Overall for the year we are down 3%. Our dinner train continues to be a bright spot for the year, with ridership up 22% to date. "Thomas" (TM) tickets are selling well, over 1000 more sold than this time last year. Our North Pole Express is selling very well. All Parlor Car seats for all departures sold the first day they went on sale (I guess we didn't jack up the extra fare enough).
J.David

Mark,

With our offering here at the Museum and the Visitor Center at Horseshoe Curve (we are not in the excursion business) we are dead even with our attendance from last year which is down about 10% over the previous 3 seasons. We are not a "vacation destination" here in Altoona either but rely on the fact that we are approx 3 hours or less from other major metropolitan areas and have outstanding highway access to downtown Altoona. By the way, my total attendance is 50,000+ per season (Apr - Dec). In our best years, when the "new" Museum opened in 1998 (we have been around in one form or another since 1980) and for a few seasons thereafter, our attendance was 90-100,000 and above.

I can't seem to find the last "Gazette" but I believe the current ridership is down somewhere about 8%. This is not my area so to speak and don't quote me on the 8%. I presume ridership is down because of hot weather and gas prices. As a rifle competitor I know the participating shooters at matches is way down, probably at least 25% from last year. I have heard the Dells and other tourist operations are down also. Again this is just hearsay. In years past we had bus loads of school kids, I asked earlier in the year and was told that not to many buses were coming, no explanation.
I brought up Thomas as a possiblity a few years ago after talking with the management/shop people at National RR museum in Green Bay. They were enthusiastic about it and said it was a win win situation. I was pretty much told that it wasn't in the realm of possibilities at Mid Continent. Oh well. Without steam running so folks can see something that they don't see everyday at any RR crossing, I feel that is also a detriment to tourism. Not trying to step on anybodies toes about diesels, but to many people a deisel is just another RR locomotive seen just about anywhere. So there might be a few reasons for a downturn in ridership.

Congradulations to anybody who is holding there own this year. Creative marketing would help some places I think.

Except for a slight downturn in August, due to some disgustingly HOT weather, ridership on our New Hope Valley Railway is running about 10% to 12% ahead of last year's numbers. Improvements in our Museum Store, Casey Jone's Attic, have also netted an increase in sales there.

Our weekend ridership levels have been soft for several years. First the fire, then the sniper incident and then some bad weather cycles (hot summer, cold winters) have combined to hold attendance down. Our weekday school program continues to hold its own.

Wesley
National Capital Trolley Museum