Polar Express makes stop at Plains School

The Polar Express is making a stop at Plains School for the month of December, compliments of train enthusiast Bill Beck.

The Plains resident set up the train and a winter village last week and left it in charge of train "conductor" Thom Chisholm, the school superintendent, who will turn the train on periodically throughout the school day.

"I think the teachers like it more than the kids," said the 77-year-old Beck, who worked on the train village for about six hours. He finished Monday by drilling holes in the 4X8-foot plywood base in order to run the lights of the eight town structures to the power strips attached to the bottom of the base, which sets atop two bookcases in the school library.

This is the second year that Beck has loaned his train to the school. He bought the Polar Express a little over a year ago to add to his train collection at his home. "I got to thinking, why have it just set in a box? Why not take it to the school so the kids can enjoy it," said Beck.

"I got a lot of oohs and ahhs last year," said Marlee Meredith, the school librarian. Her son Cooper Meredith, along with Greg Tatum and Carson Becktel, all fourth-graders, watched Beck work on the village lights Monday evening. He gave them a special preview of the Polar Express going around the track. All three said they liked the animated movie, "The Polar Express," which was released in 2004. The librarian said they watch it every year.

Beck said he likes having his Polar Express at the school. "I set it up for them. If they like it, then that makes it all worthwhile," said Beck, who also loaned a Northern Pacific train set with an engine and a dozen passenger cars to Rocky Mountain Bank for its Christmas decorations. Beck said the Northern Pacific used to routinely run through Plains.

Beck has been a serious train hobbyist since 1968 and has over 30 locomotives and more than 100 cars, including a Lionel Pennsylvania steam engine he received when he was 6 years old in Illinois. "I've always been fascinated with trains," said the retired Navy senior chief. His oldest train dates to the early 1930s. He has an entire town set up in his basement with several trains that can move in and around the town, along with locomotives and cars on shelves throughout his home. "I don't have any in my bathroom, but I'm thinking about it," he said.

His Polar Express train has an engine, coal car and three passenger cars. His buildings include a hotel, church, tavern, grocery store, train station, and homes, along with an ice skating rink, a bridge, a tunnel, and figures from the movie.

The trains will be at the school until after the holidays. He plans to set it up again next year, maybe with a bigger village.