RailRoadFan.com

This weekend is the Howell Melon Fest, and the GLC/Steam Railroading Institute will be running hour long diesel powered passenger train rides out of Howell. Looks to be four round trips a day.

http://www.howellmelonfestival.com/melonfestexpress/

Mmmm...melons.

Train has GLC 399 facing north and GLC 396 facing south with only two cars. First train departed on time at 10am. Shortest melon train ever, but don't think they sold to many tickets last year, No generator car, no souvenier and snack car, no bi-level cars, nor the two AA cabooses that usually have been on it.

Lake Central Rail Tours experienced the same decline in tickets. If there hadn't been any trips for some time, tickets sell well. Subsequent years, sales drop proportionally the longer the trips have been offered. It's my theory that people will take their kids for a ride about once every 4-5 years. if offered every year, they say, "we can take it next year", they assume it will always be there.

Big problem with theses trips... Cost for tickets. You go to the festival with you're family, lets say 2 adults and 3 kids, and the price of (1) 1 hour train ride can blow the entire weekends budget or more for a family. And with disposable income not what it used to be the choice is easy... Free/cheaper activities in town.

Right and the line isn't exactly a great line to ride north of town or at least from what I experienced last year. They said they wanted to go south but it didn't work out with CSX. It wasn't bad for just me buying one ticket but having 4-6 tickets for kids and adults would be too much for most families.

Didn't work out with CSX is an excuse... Trust me. Back in the day yes the traffic on that line could create a little bit of delay at the automatic interlocker at Ann Pere but now it the CSX delay isnt really a factor.

atrainguy60 wrote:This weekend is the Howell Melon Fest, and the GLC/Steam Railroading Institute will be running hour long diesel powered passenger train rides out of Howell. Looks to be four round trips a day.

http://www.howellmelonfestival.com/melonfestexpress/

Ahhh, so this is why I saw passenger cars on the interchange track at Anne Pere on Friday evening as I was heading east on I-96.

399 & 396 on the ends with two coaches in the middle... When i was there on Sunday it did look like they had many people for the one hour trip!!!

Dave