New England already has prices close to $4 a gallon with predictions of the price going towards $5 by the Summer driving season. This will affect tourists who drive or fly to VT, NH and Maine. It also affects volunteers getting to the museums they support. Many volunteers are retired and on fixed incomes so they may be cutting back the hours they work. Last time the price hit $4 (2008) demand dropped by 4 - 6%. The drop in demand moderated the rise in price so that may happen this year as well.
Time will tell as we get closer to Spring and Summer what the loss in family travel will have on tourist and museum railroads. Special events and train ride price incentives may help some people choose where to go on vacation. The "staycation" mind set will be big this year with families taking day trips to places closer to home. Local promotion of railway museums may bring in more people from the surrounding area than it has in previous years.
Plan for the worst and hope for the best is what some are saying. What happens will be somewhere in between.
Stewart