Tourist railroads, gas prices, and passenger service

In MA, the Cape Cod Central is proposing service to Middleboro, MA to connect with commuter rail trains, thus linking Boston with the Cape. In ME, if the Downeaster gets exanded to Brunswick, the Maine Central I believe will provide service beyond to Rockland.

In this time of high gas prices and gridlock, does anyone think this type of "tourist/connecting" railroad to exisiting services will increase?

Chicago's Metra has proposed expanding service on its Milwaukee West Line to Huntley, IL, which is about a mile from where the Illinois Railway Museum's mainline ends. Should Metra implement the proposed extension, IRM has a deal with a nearby trail commission to split the cost of a necessary bridge, and its mainline would likely be extended upon the completion of said bridge to a "transfer point" where the Metra station has been proposed. This would make it possible (for many people) to get to IRM almost entirely on mass transit.

At the same time, it would be a neat little revenue source for the museum to offer one-ride tickets from Union to Huntley (about 5.5 miles) for those in the former to get to the latter's train station, and vice versa when they return. I've never heard anyone there thoroughly suggest it though, and I don't doubt that it might change things when people are riding for a purpose other than recreation.

byte: There's a fine line between museum operations with newly-superseded equipment, and regular passenger operations. The FRA hasn't come down on any museums or tourist railroads for offering point-to-point service before, but if IRM decides that they want to run a scheduled, primarily commuter passenger service from Union to Huntley, they could be walking a fine line.

At the same time, it's a great idea if these railroads are set up for it. A lot of tourist railroads are already common carriers, and they obviously have the manpower to maintain passenger cars, motive power and a depot at either end. Either they could operate using their own equipment (as long as it's FRA approved for regular service), or they could be contracted by a metropolitan transit authority to run a shuttle with that authority's equipment. Either way, it has the potential to become a large moneymaker, but it isn't something that a museum could run only when it wanted.

Another fine line is tax status. The IRS could determine that the non-profit museum corporation now running connecting/commuter service is now a for-profit entity, and there goes the 501c3.

Constant service would hurt old equipment in the long run too, you'd have to budget money and shop time to keep things running. Adding heat and AC and lighting and whatever else the old coaches lack will cost, and have to pass FRA or some other federal regs. Track would have to be up to par.

Insurance!!! $$$

All-volunteer groups would have to pay people to work there now.

Nice to dream about taking a cool old RS3 and some heavyweight coaches to the connection, but the costs might be tough to swallow.

A connection from the commuter line to the museum would be one thing, and fully within the operations of a non-profit, weekenders taking the train to the attractions, but the other way around might not be in the best business interests of the museum.

If I'm not mistaken, at least in the cases given, both the CCC and MERR are both for profit.

GSC wrote: Constant service would hurt old equipment in the long run too, you'd have to budget money and shop time to keep things running. Adding heat and AC and lighting and whatever else the old coaches lack will cost, and have to pass FRA or some other federal regs. Track would have to be up to par.

ADA accessibility would be another killer. Lots of museums have ramps or lifts for wheelchairs to board the train, but I don't believe the rolling stock itself needs to be "certified." If they were to run anything, it would need to have ample space for a couple of wheelchairs. Lots of preservation groups would NOT want to remove seats for this, and rightfully so - it would make the rolling stock inaccurate for demonstration purposes.

Yes, ADA as well.

Pine Creek RR is in the process of refurbishing a Carroll Park & Western combine, with a side door and wheelchair lift, to satisfy the ADA regs we know are coming. Do it before we're told to.

Other lines would probably go to high-level platforms, and maybe the combine coach route if they can.

It will all cost some big bucks. I don't think tourist lines or museums, non-profit or otherwise, would be able to handle big changes like this. By the time things are done, people will be used to the gas prices and go back to their cars.

"I'll stop driving when the price of gas goes over a buck! (1972) That'll show 'em!"