Over my lifetime, I have worked for and been a customer of my share of heritage railroads and railroad museums. Each one has been a unique experience in one way or another. But recently, I wondered… what made those experiences memorable, and what can heritage railroads and museums do to continue making revenue, and drawing public interest? How do we measure success in heritage railroading? This article will delve into those questions and answer them with some insights. Without further ado, let’s purchase a ticket and step on board.
- A Great Collection or Fleet
- Running Trains or Trolleys
- Informative Tours or Exhibits
- Unique Experiences
- Special Events
A Great Collection or Fleet
What we remember most about the railroads or museums we visit is the equipment on display or in operation. As I mentioned in a previous article, steam locomotives (especially operating ones) are effective at drawing interest because they are such remarkable machines. One steam locomotive can become the focal point of an entire operation or collection, such as the C&O 1309 at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Diesel and electric locomotives can also be excellent attractions. This is particularly true of trolleys or subway cars, which are often great for guests to explore by viewing and climbing inside. Trolley cars, which are often beautifully painted and decorated, draw eyes and cameras alike, especially if they are being operated.
It’s not just the locomotives that make the experience memorable. The rolling stock is equally important, if not more so, because the guests will be riding in them. Therefore, it is important to keep the coaches clean, neat, and well-maintained, especially if they are being used on moving trains. Even cars serving as display pieces should be presentable because people will often take photos of them. You don’t want a messy car appearing in family photos.
Running Trains or Trolleys (When Possible)
What sets historic trains apart from other vintage vehicles or vessels is that they can move. A building or ship is largely stationary, as are many other kinds of exhibits, but a moving train is a unique experience that invokes more than just our sense of sight. A running steam locomotive will be belching smoke and hissing with escaping air, making it much more dynamic than a display engine. Working on a steam locomotive also involves learning skill sets that can’t be learned anywhere else, such as firing a coal-burning boiler.
Furthermore, having operating locomotives or trolleys allows the museum to offer rides, such as a streetcar trip or a sightseeing excursion. Trolley museums, for example, can use trolley rides to showcase how the historic equipment worked during the heyday of streetcar travel. It also adds a feeling of nostalgia to the experience by invoking images of a simpler time when travel seemed less complicated than it does today.
Invoking nostalgia isn’t limited to trolley museums but extends to heritage railroads as well. Railroads that operate historic equipment can recreate the experience of riding a train during the golden age of rail travel. For example, the Naugatuck Railroad in Connecticut operates equipment that was previously in service on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, such as the FL9 diesel locomotive 2019. Their onboard experience has uniformed car hosts punching tickets, just like during the golden days of rail travel.
Train or trolley rides don’t necessarily have to be long in duration to be memorable. Some smaller museums, like the Danbury Railway Museum, offer train rides just inside the museum’s display yard. This allows their guests to experience moving equipment in action and provides a unique perspective on the yard: viewing it from aboard a moving train. During my last visit, I went on a brief train ride that took us out to the edge of the museum’s trackage and back. Simple, but effective in that it provided an experience other than viewing stationary exhibits.
Informative Tours or Exhibits
To help make a train or trolley ride memorable, it must inform the guests as well as transport them. For example, after boarding guests, a trolley motorman will introduce themselves and tell some about the history of the trolley they are operating. This helps the guests better appreciate the equipment and connects them with riders throughout the trolley’s history. It also allows the riders to feel secure and informed if the motorman is educated about the trolley’s history and operation.
Those principles also hold when operating trains and locomotives. Typically, during an excursion by train, a train crew member will provide a narrated tour about the history of the locomotive, coaches, the railroad itself, and sights visible along the line. The narrated tour, especially one spoken live over a PA system, enhances the ride experience by informing the guests and allowing them to take away more than if they just viewed the sights and equipment.
Not all organizations can operate their trains or trolleys for excursions, which is perfectly fine. There is still a great benefit to using stationary displays, particularly if the museum leans into what makes their local history so interesting. For example, the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore has a great exhibit about the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s role in the American Civil War. This kind of display informs the public without using a working train, and the museum enhances that exhibit by displaying pre-Civil War railroad equipment.
Stationary displays can also be used in conjunction with moving ones. The Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut has a layout showcasing the history of the trolley network that operated in the area. The layout is housed in the museum’s station building, which the operating trolleys connect to via a stretch of rail. To enter the museum proper, one must ride a trolley, further enhancing the guests’ visit.
Special Events
Special Events at heritage railroads and railroad museums can follow a variety of themes or serve different purposes. They can be educational, such as a visiting speaker, or purely for entertainment, such as a themed train ride. An example of a themed event is hosting a haunted house attraction during October. Those events draw scare-seekers from all over the railroad or museum’s region.
As said above, events can also be educational. My favorite examples of this are the “Engineer for an Hour” programs that allow paying clients to operate locomotives under the supervision of a qualified engineer. These events inform the client about locomotive operations and entertain by offering a rare opportunity. Operating a locomotive is truly a unique experience for the average person.
Some events may require using copyrighted property under an agreement with said property’s owner. Two of the most common examples of this are the very popular Day Out with Thomas event and The Polar Express train ride. Thomas & Friends and The Polar Express are owned by Mattel and Warner Brothers, respectively. Hosting either of these events requires agreeing to the property owner’s terms and conditions, plus organizing the event exactly as they wish. They also take a cut of the profits, which can be a painful loss to small organizations.
No holiday is more associated with trains than Christmas, making it an unwritten rule that railroads run holiday trains if they can do so. For many heritage railroads, Christmas events are their most popular and profitable excursions. The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat in Essex, Connecticut is renowned for its North Pole Express holiday experience, which makes up a sizeable share of its business. The neighboring Railroad Museum of New England hosts their holiday train excursions each year, and in 2023 the museum reported selling 30,000 tickets.
Conclusion
Success, like many things, is subjective, and there are ways to judge levels of success in the historic rail community. I have outlined some here, including having engaging exhibits, hosting special events, and having an excellent fleet. These are just some of the ways that you can determine the success of an organization. At the end of the day, all heritage railroads and museums have the same mission: to preserve, educate, and entertain. The history of railroading across the world is preserved thanks to these groups. It’s up to us to ensure that their work can continue.
Have you visited or volunteered at any historic rail organizations? Let me know in the comments. If you like my content, subscribe to the blog, and tell me what other topics you would like to read about.
As always, thanks for reading!