North Platte, Neb.– Helping the Union Pacific Railroad celebrate its 150th anniversary, North Platte Rail Fest attracted near record numbers. “Our best estimates are that Rail Fest attracted 15,000 railfans over the three-day celebration,” said Ginger Ady of the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “We spent the early part of the week polling each individual event organizer and calling the area hotels and attractions to get their attendance numbers.”
What those numbers show is that the North Platte Rail Fest continues to grow in popularity. According to Original Town President and Rail Fest Chairman David Harrold, “All of the events, whether geared for locals like the UP Family Day events or the Bailey Yard tours that attract Railfans from across the world, grew in attendance in 2012.”
Rail Fest’s national and international appeal can be seen in the fact that visitors were logged from 33 states and 11 foreign countries. According to Ady, “Rail Fest’s promotion campaign was hugely effective this year. Railfans saw our advertisements in dedicated rail-related magazines such as Trains and Model Railroader, and historic publications such as True West. Many such as Yoshitaka from Tokyo and Claudio from Buenos Aires made the trip to the United States specifically to visit Rail Fest in North Platte.”
All of this comes at a time of year when the travel season is on the decline, known as a “shoulder” season within the industry. “Events that come after Labor Day are very good for the North Platte economy,” said Ady. “Because of the busy Interstate 80, visitors to summer events can sometimes find it difficult to find rooms, and end up paying a premium price. In September, occupancy drops and these visitors fill rooms that otherwise might remain empty.”
The impact could be seen all over the area, as many of the railfans stayed for multiple days so they could photograph trains throughout Union Pacific’s corridor through Lincoln County. “Communities from Brady to Sutherland saw railfans stopping to watch the trains at different vantage points,” said Harrold. “Railfans don’t just want to see one train, they want to see them all.”
Plans are already underway to organize Rail Fest 2013, which has already been named one of the American Bus Association’s Top 100 Events in North America, scheduled for September 20, 21 and 22.