Ted Wrote:
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> First off, I was just asking if anyone had any
> experience of such an operation (or if something
> similar had been tried). Nobody said I'm trying to
> finalize a business plan to seek funding.

Then what the heck are you trying to do?

>
> 1. If modern dinner trains have such short
> lifespans--wouldn't trying a different marketing
> strategy be a potentially good move, at least for
> periodic special runs?

Why don't you try it an see for yourself? Or do you want someone else
to go broke trying it? The most successful ones have today have little
or nothing to do with what was done 70 years ago. Except rails.

NOTE: People did not ride trains solely to eat.

> 2. I don't know how many people it would appeal
> to. Nobody in the US gives much of a crap about
> history but there sure are a lot of museums
> around. And, everyone eats--just look around. It's
> probably easier to find the Holy Grail than a
> skinny American today.

So, how many of these museums you speak of have successful dinner
trains like you seem to want. There might be a few, but not very
many.

> 2a. That's what marketing is for--to educate the
> public about a product or service.


> 2b. I'm talking about recreating food, not dining
> cars with spitoons and no A/C.

Have you looked at a dining car cookbook from the 40's?
And nobody said anything about spittoons or no A/C except you.

>
> 2c. Railfans aren't the sole target market. If
> they were no dinner train would have ever left the
> station platform.

You got that right.

> 2d. See response to 2c.
>
> 3. How the heck would I know costs that when I
> haven't even decided on the first dish?

An excellent point, from someone who has no clue. The
labor costs alone would kill you.

> 4. Public life will return to "normal" after a
> vaccine is in place. Did the world population
> spend the 1920s hiding because of the Spanish flu
> pandemic? No, and it'll be the same for Covid
> after effective vaccines are in place.

You hope. Exactly what is "normal?"
>
> With few exceptions, your comments apply to ANY
> dinner train operation and don't address my
> specific question: "has any dinner train operation
> really attempted to explore different roads' menus
> via a series of trips?"

Because that is not what you said initially. And they
have not because it would not be salable at a price
anyone but the wealthy could afford.

There are reasons why there have been so many expensive
failures in this business. That you haven't thought about
it besides your personal fantasy is dinner is just one of
them.

By all means, try it yourself and see what happens.


>Sorry if you had a bad
> dinner train experience (or worse yet, your dinner
> train operation went belly up due to lack of
> imagination).

Way wrong on both counts, kid.