The Washington Idaho & Montana Railway History Preservation Group

Why We Still Wave at Trains

When we were young, we didn't know where the train was coming from, or where it was going, but no thrill compared with the train crew waving back at us.  Train engineer was the coolest, greatest job we could imagine. 

The engine crew waved back to us, sometimes blew the whistle or rang the bell, and controlled their huge locomotive and the long line of clanking cars with ease.  We dutifully counted each car, marveling at the colors, the different types, the sheer number of them all. Finally, the caboose would appear, the conductor saluting us as their train faded into the distance.

We imagined the train engineer's seat, hand on the throttle, to be the best spot on the train. But we were pretty sure the cupola seat in the caboose, rocking along at train's end, was a close second!

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We all have a fascination with the railroads and with good reason:  They developed our communities, enhanced our paychecks, and helped define our unique culture. Trains represented local progress and economic prosperity.  Towns without railroad service withered and died.

Recently, as markets have declined, so have our towns and the railroads that built them.  But even as our economic engines shift gears and our culture evolves, railroad history is an integral part of who we are and what we can become.

The Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway History Preservation Group (HPG), Inc., a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, was founded to preserve the history of our local railroad through today, and the Potlatch Lumber Company through 1930.  The HPG embraces the Potlatch Idaho community’s railroad culture and we share it with others.

We also promote the railroad as it exists today. Our historic preservation projects include restoration of the Potlatch Idaho WI&M Railway Depot and now the rejuvenation of its second floor into offices to support rail-served commerce and other small businesses. We also sponsor historical, artistic, and cultural events that nurture pride in the depot and a sense of place inspired by the railroad that built the community.

We have a lot of fun doing what we do. We’re still kids at heart. When we hear the distant horn of an approaching train, we pause our tasks, gather on the depot platform, and wave at the locomotive crew.

I don’t know about the others, but I still want to be an train engineer when I grow up!