Speeder Riding Tips

If you plan to ride the speeders in Potlatch on July 11 or 12, we post the following background and tips for a safe and fun experience:

Thank you for your speeder (motor) car ride ticket purchase. Below are a few tips and recommendations to enhance your experience riding the rails.

· The ticket(s) you have purchased indicate the ride departure time on the reverse side of your ticket. Please be present on the depot platform prepared to board your ride at least 15 minutes before your departure time.

· Please follow the instructions given by the platform and boarding personnel. Do not attempt to board your car until instructed to do so.

· Speeder cars by design have limited seating capacity. Every effort will be made to accommodate your group in the same car. However, due to the fact that most cars are unable to seat more than 2 persons in addition to the operator you may need to be split up. (We will not know until ride day which cars and capacities are available.)

· Children 8 years of age and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (16 years of age or older) and ride in the same car.

· Wear sturdy footwear. Walking along the rails to board and to turn your car at the end point can be quite rough.

· No smoking or consumption of alcohol is allowed while on board or for the duration of your ride.

· The owner/operator of your car is a member of Pacific Railcar Operators, an organization of railcar owners that enjoy riding on various railroads throughout the Northwest. Each operator has volunteered to provide your ride at his/her own expense. Please take a moment to express your thanks to your operator for the opportunity to have this experience of riding the rails.

· Proceeds from the sale of tickets are used by the WI&M Railway History Preservation Group, an IRS 501c3 non-profit organization, for preservation and restoration efforts of the Potlatch Depot and other projects.

· Above all, be safe and enjoy your day with the WI&M HPG.

· THANKS AGAIN for your support.

Getting Ready...

With the two-week countdown begun, Don Somers and Jack Coyner have been out weed whacking around the depot. There is no shortage of weeds to whack and no shortage of work!

Meanwhile, Jim West, daughter Tory and her boyfriend Jarred got the curtains hung in the boxcar in preparation for the music event. The blue velvet curtains are a perfect enhancement for the Bennett boxcar stage and everyone should be ready for some great bluegrass music and even some dancing! Thanks again to Troy High School for the donation of the theater curtains!

The Speeders Are Coming!

Speeder presale tickets available July 6

The 6th Annual WI&M Railway HPG History Days are slated for July 11 and 12. With keen competition for speeder car rides, presale tickets will again be available this year, guaranteeing rides at specific times. The presale tickets, on sale at US Bank (Potlatch branch) starting July 6, will be $15 for adults and $10 for age 12 and under.

Tickets purchased at the depot on the day of the event will run $10 for adults, and $5 for age 12 and under. Those tickets will be on a first come first served basis.

This year’s ride options include trips from Potlatch to Princeton, and from Potlatch to Kennedy Ford, with speeders starting the rides at 9 am. A silent auction will be conducted on July 11 for longer excursion rides to either Marshall WA or Moscow.

In addition to the speeder rides, there will be bluegrass and fiddle music on the newly painted Bennett boxcar stage from 11 am to 6 pm. There will also be a food court featuring Tyler Renz’s barbecue lunches and drink sales by the Boy Scouts. The Extra Fare Barbecue by Tyler Renz will be Saturday evening with tickets priced at $10.00 for adults and $6 for 12 and under. The barbecue tickets can be purchased ahead of time at US Bank or at the depot.

Inside the depot freight room, visitors can view the historical pictures and displays provided by the Potlatch Historical Society and the Latah County Historical Society, and railroad themed products will be for sale at the Company Store.

Plan to attend the full day of family activities!