Library displays Windham model maker's tiny trucks

By Kaysa Jalbert

Some hobbies keep us busy in the present, some prepare us for a challenge in the future, others are like creating a time machine to bring us into the past. Since 1988, Raymond Philpot of Windham has been restoring miniature metal trucks as a collector’s item, and from now until the end of April, four of Philpot’s model trucks are on display at the Windham Public Library.

Miniature trucks created by Raymond Philpot of Windham
reflecting Windham's past and history are on display on the
second floor of the Windham Public Library through the 
end of April. COURTESY PHOTO

What makes this display especially interesting for locals is that each of the items exhibited are replicas of vehicles that would have been seen in Windham's past. There’s a red snowplow from ML Rogers circa 1950s to 1980s, a vintage blue snowplow circa 1930s, a mustard-yellow Jim Rogers septic tank truck, and a blue George Emerson & Sons Enviropac trash truck from the 1980s.

“It has been great to hear from locals who recognize the vehicles, kids who love the bright shiny trucks, and adults who recognize the amount of work that went into the miniatures,” said Sally Bannon from the Windham Public Library. “I was thrilled when Mr. Philpot agreed to exhibit this collection. Library staff and patrons have always enjoyed his past displays, so I knew this one would be another winner.”

Philpot built each vehicle from scraps and pieces of metal toys such as Tonka and Buddy L and many of the pieces he finds are either on their way to the dump, available at a valid price at an antique shop or on eBay or given to him.

“I’m not really a collector, so I don’t buy things, but I collect them because I don’t want mother nature to take care of it,” says Philpot.

What he has come to find over the years is many of the trucks have already been collected, and what’s left are parts and pieces of “what looks like junk, broken old toys” that can be salvaged, he said.

What led Philpot to picking up on this hobby is his experience both as an auto mechanic and a Windham historian. From 1975 to about 2000, Philpot operated J & R auto body shop in Windham. Many of his regular customers were the ones to give him miniature parts. Additionally, Philpot has been part of the Windham Historical Society for much of his life.

“I’ve been involved with race cars, trucks, body repair and paint jobs. Always been automotive oriented since Day 1,” Philpot said, but in a way, he meant it.

Since his high school days in the 1960s, Philpot’s been involved with this type of work.

It was also in school, eighth grade to be exact, that Philpot became immersed in history and not global or U.S. history.

“I hated history, it was the worst thing that could have happened to me, that is, until I took a class on Windham history and that was it, I was hooked,” he said.

Philpot has been searching Windham History ever since. He’s had displays at the library in the past and at the Windham Historical Society. Additionally, his collection of old fire trucks has been put on display at the Windham Fire Department during the Fire Apparatus Day there.

Back around 1990, there was a Windham High School teacher who tried to start a hobby collectors show at Windham High School and Philpot had his trucks displayed there for the school year, but the show did not last as an annual event.

He says that he was inspired to start this hobby back in the late 1980s from a friend that was fixing up miniature automobiles that represented old trucks from across the U.S. and selling them at truck shows. The friend was copying the names of vehicles he’d seen back in the day instead of turning them into modern ones, so Philpot caught onto that and decided to restore them to look like cars from New England.

“I make them, I collect them, and occasionally I give them away to someone it has a meaning to,” he said.

Some of his miniatures have been given to the family of a late friend, and he said they are always greatly appreciated.

In total, Philpot has about 75 to 100 miniature trucks and gets to work on a new one maybe once or twice a year.

“The parts are scarce now, a lot of people are collecting them and selling them on eBay,” he said. “Some people think they are like gold and set a high price, but I’m not a collector, I just want to keep them from being put into the earth.”

Philpot’s model trucks are now on display on the second floor of the Windham Public Library through April 30. <