Toy train show breaths life into historic Ravalli Depot
A MODEL of the famous Blue Comet, which once ferried passengers between New York and Atlantic City, receives a helping hand from conductor Bob Saint-Louis during the annual Toy Train Show at the Four Winds Trading Post on Sunday. (Photos by Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
THE HISTORIC Ravalli Railroad Depot, relocated to it’s present location by Preston Miller, was once again filled with the sights and sounds of trains on Sunday.
Dozens of Mission Valley residents enjoyed a real life “Polar Express” on Sunday, as they braved blizzard conditions to visit the annual Toy Train Show outside St. Ignatius.
Displayed in the restored Ravalli Railroad Depot building outside the Four Winds Trading Post, the holiday tradition featured a sampling of various miniature locomotives from the collection of antique aficionado Preston Miller.
From a rare 1930s-era model monorail to an
immaculate recreation of the famed Blue Comet, which once whisked passengers between New York and Atlantic City, the show entertained both parents and children alike.
“It’s really impressive,” St. Ignatius resident Greg Plimmer said, while watching his two children Dalton and Sawyer crowd the table holding the display. “They’ll probably want some of their own now.”
For Miller, sharing his passion for collectables with future generations provides the inspiration for putting on the show each year on the Sunday after Christmas.
“You have to see it from their level,” he said, bending down to watch the trains steam along their serpentine tracks.
Viewed at eye level, the display took on another life as details such as miniature train toilets and smoke-spewing engines came into view.
Complete with a model stream, forest and a wooden station, the scene resembled the historic Ravalli Railroad Depot, which once served as the region’s transportation hub during the late 1800s.
Miller, a life-long collector and connoisseur of historic preservation, bought the building in 1970 for $200, when he learned it was scheduled for demolition.
After moving it several miles north to its present location, Miller said a friend gave him several model trains to complement his purchase.
“That gave me the idea, and then I went a little haywire,” Miller said, gesturing to the toy-filled display cases that now line the room.
Miller said he hopes his collection can inspire people to take pride and enjoy the elements of their past.
“It’s sad that people these days think that having less is better,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with having things. It’s just fun.”
And fun it was for Bob Saint-Louis, who was filling in as show’s conductor for his first time. As he guided the trains around their tracks he couldn’t help but let out a smile as bright as any child’s in the room.
“At 70 years old, it makes me feel like a little kid again,” he said.