Conducting Christmas cheer
<p>Preston Miller operates his many model train sets that were on display for the public this past Sunday in St. Ignatius.</p>
<p>Josiah Cappel watches as a model train comes barreling towards him, while Abigail Cappel (middle) and four-year-old Aiden Courville (back) have their eyes glued elsewhere.</p>
<p>Sunday's transfixed train spectators included Reegan Stinger (purple coat), Enzo Stinger (red coat), and Keaven Stinger (background).</p>
ST. IGNATIUS — For both children and adults, there’s something spellbinding about watching toy trains circle their tracks, clattering timelessly through idyllic miniaturized scenery.
St. Ignatius’ Preston Miller knows the feeling all too well. The lifelong train aficionado boasts a staggeringly impressive collection of vintage toy trains and real-life railroad memorabilia housed in the the old Ravalli rail depot behind Four Winds Indian Trading Post. Miller had bought the old depot for just $200 in the early 1970s - fully stocked with old ledgers and rail equipment - when he learned that it was going to be torn down and sold for scrap.
“I couldn’t let that happen. … It had been central to the history of the area,” said Miller, mentioning the fact that the station was the destination of the buffalo shipped in to inhabit the National Bison Range.
On Sunday, Miller engaged in a public version of show-and-tell when he opened the depot’s doors to share his passion with area children and their families through the Running of the Toy Trains. Miller has coordinated the event for the past couple holiday seasons, and intends to continue doing so in the future.
“It sure is fun to watch the little kids look at them,” said Miller from his conductor’s post at the controls of the train sets. “And big kids too,” he adds with a laugh.
Miller says that the response from the public has been strong - a notion underscored by the steady stream of families that crowded into the old train station throughout the afternoon.
“We had such a good turnout last year, I don’t know why I didn’t do it every year before that,” said Miller.
“He’s just a collector at heart,” says Miller’s wife, Carolyn Corey, who believes that wistful nostalgia is at the root of his love for the hobby.
“It’s his connection to the past - that’s what he loves. It’s not so much about collecting stuff. It’s remembering things and keeping them alive.”
Miller hopes that some of the simple joy of his train sets - or enthusiasm about collecting things in general - will rub off on some of his young visitors.
“They learn there’s more to life than things with buttons,” Miller says, alluding to video games and other modern-day technological distractions that consume an inordinate portion of kids’ lives.
The exhibit may also inspire renewed interest in the colorful history of rail, itself. Reflecting on Montana’s rich railroad heritage, Miller expressed some surprise that there is not more regional interest in toy trains. However, based on the number of kids entranced by Sunday’s demonstration, a few new area rail enthusiasts have likely been christened.