During almost any other year, most tourist railroads would be catching their breath following a busy weekend of Easter-themed excursions and preparing for the next major weekend event — Mother’s Day — before diving right into the busy spring and summer travel season. But 2020 is proving to be anything but a normal year.
From coast-to-coast, tourist railroads and museums have closed their doors because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While some have said they hope to reopen at the end of May or June, depending on when it is safe, others have announced plans to remain closed well into summer. On April 14, Maine’s Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum announced that it was suspending all public excursions until at least Aug. 8, when it will hold its annual members’ picnic. In the meantime, once social distancing rules are relaxed, the museum plans on having volunteers attack a backlog of maintenance projects on the railroad. “The WW&F is seizing the current crisis to move forward as a stronger organization,” museum officials wrote on Facebook.
Some museums are coming up with unique ways to stay in the public eye. Earlier this month, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum planned to run an excursion in honor of the 90th anniversary of the book “The Little Engine That Could.” When that got canceled, Executive Director Mark Bassett instead read the book in front of a cold NNRy No. 40 on Facebook. The museum has also continued to share updates from its most famous resident, Dirt, an 11-year-old cat that lives in the shop.
Brian Solomon, a noted author and photographer and marketing manager for the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire, said that while large operators like his can weather a delayed start to the season, he worries about the smaller museums and railroads operating on thinner margins.
“If most of your income comes from the three months between Memorial Day and Labor Day and you lose half of that, it’s going to hurt,” he said. “It’s a difficult time for tourist railroads.”
In the meantime, there are still ways to support local railroad attractions by making donations or buying something from an online gift shop. Museums will also be looking at the rail enthusiast community for support when they do reopen.
“Railroad enthusiasts should support their local tourist railroad when the virus has subsided and this is over,” Solomon said.
—Justin Franz, Railfan & Railroad Magazine
