Palouse Empire Rail Society comes to the end of the line

Palouse Empire Rail Society, the group of railroad enthusiasts who sponsored spring swap meets and put up model railroad displays in Pullman, has officially come to the end of the line.

Ken Vogel, one of the founding members of the group, said the remaining members decided to officially disband the society and distribute its treasury to other railroad projects around the northwest.

A retired Pullman clothier who moved to Winlock where he and wife Sally constructed a replica depot next to the main railroad line between Portland and Seattle, Vogel said group members made the decision after determining not enough interest remained to carry on.

The society had $7,800 in its account which was built up off proceeds for its annual swap meets and dues. They opted to make donations to the Washington & Idaho Historic Preservation project at Potlatch, Dayton Depot, South Cle Elum Depot, Inland Empire Railroad Society and the Oregon Heritage Foundation, the organization which maintains two historic steam engines.

“We wanted people to know that we’re still preserving railroad history,” Vogel said.

Departure of the society was signaled this spring when their annual swap meet was discontinued. The meet brought in vendors of model railroad equipment and railroad memorabilia and books for purchase and trade by enthusiasts.

The society staged 16 of the swap meets over the years with the last one in 2010 at the Schweitzer Engineering Events Center. Prior location for the event was the Beasley Coliseum concourse.

“There just wasn’t that much interest in keeping it going,” said Vogel, who came over from Winlock to take part in the swap meet last year.

Railroad fans and the vendors complained about the disappearance of the meet, and, Vogel noted, the Lewis & Clark Model Train group plans to stage a meet next year at the Nez Perce County Fairground.

Vogel noted the Palouse Society started with five railroad fans gathering at Neill Library. He said that initial meeting was called as a result of railroad talk he and the late Dr. Andrew Devlin exchanged during lulls in Pullman Memorial Hospital board meetings.

The membership list grew to about 80 railroad fans, but shrunk to between 25 and 30 after they started charging dues.