Photo courtesy Mike Baxter

Ken Walden, volunteer "station agent," looks exactly like he belongs in the Tomball train Depot. Dressed in an old-fashioned train conductor's suit and hat, with a white beard and wire rim glasses, he spends weekends volunteering at the Depot, sharing stories and giving tours to visitors of all ages.

In the step-back-in-time atmosphere of the Depot, antique train station benches and illustrations of the station hanging on the wall remind visitors of Tomball's history. Walden tells stories to help keep that history alive.

Walden was involved with the Tomball Centennial Committee in 2007, during which the city decided to build a train museum. Walden, a retired construction industry man, said he always liked trains, so his job as the official train expert at Tomball's Depot made sense.

"I worked in the construction industry that was affiliated at times with the railroad, because I just liked trains," Walden said. "I always have. I remember the old steam engines from the 1950s and my fascination with trains hasn't waned since."

Walden is the only person to volunteer as station agent, a job he requested.

"I asked to be involved with the museum and that's how I got the job of 'station agent'," Walden said. "Like any hobby one might have, the knowledge one has about it is always growing. I am the curator and historian of the Depot, but I'm also something of a train buff myself. If one is interested in steam engines, it automatically becomes a history research endeavor."

Tomball Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist said Walden has brought more than history to residents and visitors to the museum and the city.

"He is true and faithful and he just beams whenever you talk to him about the museum or trains," Hillegeist said. "He was on the cover of the chamber of commerce's annual magazine a few years ago and people have never picked up an issue of the magazine quicker. I feel that his job of historian and curator brings a lot of joy to learning about history and interest in the town, not just preserving the history."

Hillegeist said that as Tomball moves forward, its history gains more importance.

"The bottom line is that we don't know where we are going until we know where we have been," Hillegeist said. "The railroad industry had a huge influence on shaping Tomball and with corporate relocations and expansions involving the energy industry, as well as talks of a possible high–speed rail line linking Houston and the outreaches of the oil and gas industry, we are going back to our roots, in a way. For citizens to remember that history is so important."

For Walden, his lifelong interest in trains and the railroad industry keeps him sharing that knowledge. He said he particularly enjoys sharing the history with young people because that's how the history keeps on going.

"I think the thing I enjoy most about this job is that there are a lot of youngsters who haven't heard a lot about trains because they aren't much in our lives today," Walden said. "As a historian and storyteller at the museum, I get to share a little bit of my interest for trains with them. A lot of the visitors come back to relive the railroad industry days or are learning about it for the first time. I really enjoy that aspect of making the history come alive for them."