There are two problems the the WRM has that that they cannot do anything about:

1. The very hot weather April-October.
2. No good restaurants anywhere near RVJ.

It is amazing that the WRM has, in the past, been able to attract good crowds in spite of those two things.

About hot weather --
The summer heat does not go away until late October. Remember -- we have “Indian summer”. September and October are usually quite hot.

I used to go there a long time ago -- in the early 80s, but I doubt I will ever return, after reading what some people have said about what has been going on there lately. The WRM has to have a “product” that is very dependably good, or people (in this case, me) will not believe it is worth the trouble to go there. Being dependably good is extremely important.

I remember fondly the “Cavalcade of Power” way back then, when they got every piece of equipment that could run and paraded them around the loop. Each car would stop briefly right by the lawn, and the announcer told everyone a little bit about that car, and what he said was very interesting. I really enjoyed that, even though I much prefer “real” trains. And it didn’t matter to me that some of the cars in the Cavalcade were not completely restored, and were rather faded and some had parts missing. All I cared about was being able to see them RUN.

Back then, the lawn was kept up and was nice and green and was mowed. Back then, the place looked pretty good to me.

About the visitor experience, in general ---
I remember what a priest told me a long time ago about getting people to go to church: “It has to be more fun than a picnic.” He was right -- and the same thing applies to every activity that is voluntary, and in this case, it applies to RR museums. The folks at the WRM need to take this seriously. As some people who run RR museums have realized, visitors must first be entertained. Education is part of the visitor experience, and must be done in a way that is fun.

Then people will come back, and will tell their friends about the fun they had -- and some of those people might go, too -- and in this case, to the WRM. And that, in turn, may cause some folks to decide to join and become volunteers. You just never know.

Before I became a railfan, when I was planing my family’s vacations, I always looked for something interesting and different for us to do -- something we had not done before. And I read advertisements in the AAA magazine and, later, the info in the “Steam Passenger Service Directory” that was put out by an NRHS chapter in New York state. That is how I first found out about the 8444‘s summer excursions.

You have to tell people -- and in an attractive and winsome way -- what you are doing, or no one will show up. That old Directory had just one page for each organization, but it had all the info you needed -- a photo of the train or locomotive, the location, the date(s), the ticket prices, and contact info. That book was a godsend.

Back to RVJ ---
It is wonderful they got that huge donation of “several million dollars”, but -- is that alone enough to keep their doors open? I ask because I do not know. RVJ’s electricity bills and their liability insurance premiums must cost them a lot. In any csae, I wish that they had not chased away all the diesel and steam people. But they did what they did, and it is what it is. And they do have 3 of my beloved Key System Bridge Units, and at least one operates. Ahhhh..... memories.....

This is a fascinating thread. Thanks to all who have contributed useful information.