Westmoreland Scenic RR troubles

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Meeting to determine fate of Westmoreland Scenic Railroad
Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Directors of the Westmoreland Scenic Railroad will meet Saturday night to determine the fate of the circa 1930s diesel train that has provided two runs a week for tourists and train buffs.

Jeff Dull, 53, of Youngwood, who heads the nonprofit organization that leases and runs the train, said the 6 p.m. directors meeting will decide if the train will start up again.

The railroad made its last run in December and was scheduled to start up again for the summer this month. Money and organizational problems have kept the train off track, Dull said.

Since 2002, the railroad has made scheduled weekend trips on existing county freight rails from the historic train station in Scottdale to Sand Hill Berry Farms, a working farm and restaurant in Mount Pleasant. On Wednesday nights the train made two round trips from Bruster’s Ice Cream on Greengate Road in Greensburg to Route 119 in South Greensburg.

Tourists bought modestly priced tickets – adults $10 on weekends, $5 on Wednesdays – to ride the leased train, a well-preserved red diesel engine from the 1950s and two slate gray 60-passenger coaches.

Train buffs who made up the organization included professional engineers, conductors and trainmen. The scenic railroad depended on ticket sales and state grants and ran on a county-owned short rail line.

The passenger cars remain parked on side tracks near Youngwood. An article in the April edition of Rail Pace Magazine, published in New Jersey, said that the engine has already been sold to a line in Wisconsin.

Dull, 53, an electrician and self-proclaimed train buff, said the group had hoped that the scenic railroad would promote the legacy of trains for a new generation, as well as become a tourist attraction.

2

How sad. [:(] [V]

It sounds like their mind is already made up if they have sold the engine. To bad for tourist and railfans. [:(] [V] [:(] [:(!] [:(]

3

i liked it better when it was the Lural Highlands senic…had the old steamer… where i got my start… nothing like fireing a little hand bomber steamer on a weekend for fun…
csx engineer

4

[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

Meeting to determine fate of Westmoreland Scenic Railroad
Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Directors of the Westmoreland Scenic Railroad will meet Saturday night to determine the fate of the circa 1930s diesel train that has provided two runs a week for tourists and train buffs.

Jeff Dull, 53, of Youngwood, who heads the nonprofit organization that leases and runs the train, said the 6 p.m. directors meeting will decide if the train will start up again.

The railroad made its last run in December and was scheduled to start up again for the summer this month. Money and organizational problems have kept the train off track, Dull said.

Since 2002, the railroad has made scheduled weekend trips on existing county freight rails from the historic train station in Scottdale to Sand Hill Berry Farms, a working farm and restaurant in Mount Pleasant. On Wednesday nights the train made two round trips from Bruster’s Ice Cream on Greengate Road in Greensburg to Route 119 in South Greensburg.

Tourists bought modestly priced tickets – adults $10 on weekends, $5 on Wednesdays – to ride the leased train, a well-preserved red diesel engine from the 1950s and two slate gray 60-passenger coaches.

Train buffs who made up the organization included professional engineers, conductors and trainmen. The scenic railroad depended on ticket sales and state grants and ran on a county-owned short rail line.

The passenger cars remain parked on side tracks near Youngwood. An article in the April edition of Rail Pace Magazine, published in New Jersey, said that the engine has already been sold to a line in Wisconsin.

Dull, 53, an electrician and self-proclaimed train buff, said the group had hoped that the scenic railroad would promote the legacy of trains for a new generation, as well as become a touris

5

Does any one know which RR in Wisconsin is getting the locomotive? what kind of locomotive is it ?
It’s difficult to make money on tourist trains, especially if you have high fixed costs such as equipment leases. A note to future tourist train operators.
Randy

6

Always sad to hear about these kinds of things, hopefully something good will come of it and another line will start up somewhere.

7

High fixed costs of maintaining track (or contributing to someone else’s MOW in the case of a trackage rights train like this one) and of leasing or purchasing equipment are often enough to tank many excursion trains. This is especially true when you consider the low headcounts at most tourist railroads, especially those without major attractions.

All you need to do is compare the business model of the tourist train at $10 a head on average for passengers with a small short line getting $300 per car to move lumber or grain with 1,000 or so carloads a year operating a couple times weekly. Pretty easy to see that the tourist train has to move 30,000 revenue passengers just to get the same revenues. The Tourist train also has greater costs in that it needs things like adequate stations and restroom facilities (don’t forget ADA compliance required) and of course much greater advertising costs just to get people to be aware of it’s existence and bring out the customers. Tourist trains are rarely a profitable business as a result.

LC

8

You hit right on the head!!
Randy

9

Like Limitedclear states, it is hard for a tourist railroad to make a go of it. I help on a tourist railroad as an engineer and brakeman. If it wasn’t for all the volunteers helping I doubt if the railroad could make a go of it.