WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Virginia's Rail Heritage Region hopes to bring in tourists

Virginia's Rail Heritage Region hopes to bring in tourists

Some organizations in our area are on the right track towards building a better economic future.

From Covington to Lynchburg to Roanoke, this region is rich in railroad history; now it's official. Virginia's General Assembly has designated this area Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. The idea is to attract more tourists by promoting multiple attractions.

"Then they spend money on hotels and motels, they eat and they also shop, so that becomes a major economic boost for the region," explains Bev Fitzpatrick with the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

Today's announcement was made at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, one of six museums and societies that teamed up on the effort. They are:

C&O Heritage Center
O. Winston Link Museum
National Railway Historical Society, Blue Ridge Chapter
National Railway Historical Society, Roanoke Chapter
Norfolk & Western Historical Society
Virginia Museum of Transportation

Here is the full press release:

(Virginia's Rail Heritage Region)—Six rail-related museums and historical societies in western Virginia today announced the Virginia General Assembly's designation of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. The designation formalizes the group's ongoing cooperative relationships with the goal of attracting more tourists—and more tourist spending—to the region.

The primary goal of the partnership is joint promotion of the region's significant rail heritage tourism assets: multiple museums, active rail lines, historic sites, and the activities of the historical societies. By promoting multiple attractions, the partners expect visitors to stay more nights in the region—and spend more while here.

According to research by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, visitors to museums in Virginia spend 4.5 nights in Virginia, compared to an average of 3.2 nights by non-museum visitors. Museum visitors also spend more in Virginia: traveling parties that visit museums spend an average of $968, more than double the $449 spent by traveling parties that do not include a museum visit. On the national level, according to research conducted by the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Commerce, fully 40% of all leisure travelers in the U.S. actively engage in cultural and heritage travel, and 24% of U.S. leisure travelers (36 million adults) plan to take a cultural/heritage trip within the next 12 months.

As evidence of the national and international draw of the partner organizations:

„h The O. Winston Link Museum reports New York, Washington, DC, and London as its second, third, and fourth top cities of travel party origin.

„h 65% of visitors to the Virginia Museum of Transportation originate from more than 100 miles away, with half from out of state or out of the country.

„h While the Norfolk & Western Railway operated in only six states, the Norfolk & Western Historical Society has members in 40 states and 16 foreign countries.

„h The recent excursions hosted by the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society included passengers from California and Canada.

The partners have a history of working together: on joint events including fund-raising events, joint ticketing, cross promotion, national advertising, and even the loan or transfer of very significant archives and artifacts such as locomotives.

The designation will enable the partners to work together in more powerful ways. Efforts are already underway: the partners have developed a logo for the region and a rack card, and a web site is under development. In addition, the partners are collaborating on grants that would provide additional funding for live rail web cams in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Clifton Forge; highway signage; and national advertising of the region.

The Region encompasses the following jurisdictions, all of which supported the designation:

„h Cities of Bedford, Covington, Lynchburg, Roanoke, and Salem

„h Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, and Roanoke

„h Towns of Amherst, Buchanan, Clifton Forge, Iron Gate, Troutville, and Vinton.

The partners thank and acknowledge the significant contributions of the Honorable William H. Fralin, Jr., Delegate of Virginia, and the Honorable John S. Edwards, Senate of Virginia, the chief patrons of the Resolution, as well as the local governments throughout the region, and the partners' own members and boards of directors.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 783

Designating "Virginia's Rail Heritage Region"

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 26, 2009

Agreed to by the Senate, February 24, 2009

WHEREAS, the region, including the Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, and Roanoke and the Cities of Lynchburg, Bedford, Covington, Salem, and Roanoke and all the towns therein, involves the largest concentration of rail facilities in Virginia, owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, and the Southern Railway Company, including the shops in Roanoke where the most modern steam locomotives in the world were designed and built, the Clifton Forge shops of the C&O Railway, and the Southern facilities at Monroe in Amherst County; and

WHEREAS, with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Historical Society in Clifton Forge and the Norfolk and Western Historical Society in Roanoke combined with the Roanoke and Blue Ridge chapters of the National Railway Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, this region has the largest base of rail enthusiasts in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the region is the location of the Commonwealth's official transportation museum, the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, designated by the General Assembly in the 1980s; and

WHEREAS, the region also contains the O. Winston Link Museum, featuring America's finest collection of professional photos taken of Virginia railroads in the 1950s, when steam was king on the Norfolk and Western; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate "Virginia's Rail Heritage Region" which includes the Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, and Roanoke and the Cities of Lynchburg, Bedford, Covington, Salem, and Roanoke and all the towns therein and encourage state agencies and local governments to work together to promote and encourage rail tourism in their respective areas of the region, to include working with the Commonwealth Transportation Board to establish appropriate highway signage; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the city councils and county boards of each locality in "Virginia's Rail Heritage Region" as an expression of the General Assembly's support.

VIRGINIA'S RAIL HERITAGE REGION PARTNERS AND ATTRACTIONS

C&O Heritage Center

Rick Tabb, Director | 540−862−8653 | www.cohs.org

705 East Main Street, Clifton Forge, VA 24422 | Monday-Saturday 10-4 Sunday 1-4

The C&O Railway Heritage Center is a railway heritage museum and educational visitors center that tells the story of the C&O Railway. The Center honors the essential American story of how our nation grew, how we lived and worked, and how we were all connected together by twin rails of steel. The C&O Heritage Center is presented by the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society.

O. Winston Link Museum

Kimberly Parker, Director | 540-982-5465 | www.linkmuseum.org

101 Shenandoah Ave, Roanoke, VA 24016 | Monday-Sunday 10-5

Between 1955 and 1960, photographer O. Winston Link created unforgettable black and white images that documented the last days of Norfolk & Western's steam giants and the people and places along its lines. The Museum's collection features more than 300 stunning photographs, audio listening stations, a documentary film, artifacts and recreations of Link's photographic settings. The Link Museum is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia.

National Railway Historical Society, Blue Ridge Chapter

Rick Johnson, President | Norris Deyerle, National Director | www.blueridgenrhs.org

The chapter has more than 75 members from all over the central Virginia region, representing a variety of railroad related interests: history, preservation, modeling, and photography. The chapter hosts an annual Lynchburg Rail Day and model railroad show.

National Railway Historical Society, Roanoke Chapter

Jeff Sanders, President | www.roanokenrhs.org

The Roanoke Chapter, with over 150 members, is involved in the preservation of western Virginia's rail heritage, most specifically that of the Norfolk & Western and Virginian Railways. For the past 41 years, the organization has been active in the restoration of historical rail equipment and excursion train operations. The most recent excursions ran successfully November 7- 8. The restoration of the Virginian Railway's Roanoke passenger station will be the Chapter's largest project to date.

Norfolk & Western Historical Society

Ron Davis, President | www.nwhs.org

The Norfolk and Western Historical Society, Inc. is dedicated to preserving and disseminating the history of the Norfolk and Western and Virginian railroads. The Society publishes a quarterly magazine, The Arrow, for its 1,400 members throughout the US and 16 foreign countries. The Society maintains an Archive in Roanoke of over 9,000 cubic feet of historic drawings, photographs and other documents from the two railroads, with an index to 85,000 items from the archives accessible on its web site.

Virginia Museum of Transportation

Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., Executive Director | 540-342-5670 | www.vmt.org

303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 | Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5

Home to two of the most powerful steam locomotives in existence today—the Class A 1218 and the Class J 611—the Virginia Museum of Transportation regularly attracts visitors of all ages from across the U.S. and 45 foreign countries. Through exhibits, artifacts, and an outstanding collection, the Museum tells the rich story of Virginia's transportation heritage. The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Also visit: The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk

City of Roanoke

Stretching approximately 1/3 of a mile along the railroad tracks in the heart of downtown Roanoke, the Railwalk is part museum, part linear park, with more than 20 story boards and numerous rail artifacts.

RAIL HERITAGE TRAVEL MARKET PROFILE

Our target market and audience are the railfans, or railroad enthusiasts. Railfans from other countries travel to the U.S. frequently, particularly from England, Australia, and Germany. Railfans are interested in all aspects of rail transport systems: their interest may be broad, or more focused on a particular geography, equipment type, or corporate line.

Railfans are frequently male baby boomers, and often retired, but people of all ages and both genders are fascinated with trains. Railfans are likely to travel alone, or with friends or their families. They will travel to see something they have never seen before, and many keep lists to be sure they've "seen it all." Many railfans have worked for railroads for some or all of their careers, or had relatives who were rail employees who handed down stories to their family members. Others grew up in railroad towns or near the tracks.

Many are fascinated with enormity of the massive engines, or the complexity of rail operations, or the corporate success of American railroads. Others are nostalgic for the days of steam and the bygone days that railroads represent. Toys, movies, computer video games, and popular culture—from Thomas the Tank Engine to Playstation 3 simulations to Monty Python's Flying Circus—extend the appeal to all ages and a broader demographic. Railfans, therefore, are diverse but passionate in their interest, and hungry for authentic and unique rail experiences.

Although an older American industry, interest in trains has remained steady and now is anticipated to grow because of President Obama's recently announced plans for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines. These lines—even the promise of lines—are expected to excite new interest in rail in these areas, many of which are heavily populated regions within an easy day's drive of western Virginia.

In Virginia's Rail Heritage Region, railfans can indulge in many of their favorite activities:

„h Experiencing locomotives and rail cars, past and present

„h Observing and photographing active trains and railway operations

„h Visiting railroad lines, stations, and other infrastructure

„h Learning rail history, trivia, and stories

„h Appreciating the preservation and restoration of rail equipment, artifacts, and historic sites

„h Delighting in the detail of model railroading

„h Exploring railway art, architecture, and photography.

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