A decorative toy train that’s lit up children’s hearts in Brocklehurst for the past 10 years was stolen sometime Saturday night.

Thieves made off not only with the rolling stock but with the tracks as well, said homeowner Mernie Graham.

“It’s just so disheartening,” Graham said. “They crawled under the big tree and unplugged it. They pulled the spikes out of the ground and away it went.”

She and her husband, Garry, are less concerned with the material loss — the train is worth about $100 — than they are with the damaged caused by vandals from year to year.

One year, someone tossed a brick at their reindeer and sleigh display, crushing one of the reindeer’s heads. A horse-and-buggy light display was damaged. Then there was the jumping reindeer display, which was stolen.

The couple creates the displays for others to enjoy.

“We get people stopping outside all day long, thanking us. People really appreciate you doing it. One lady had her grandson in a wheelchair and it was the only place he wanted to come.”

They reported the latest theft to police and hope that someone might see a toy train suddenly appear. The trains are built for indoor/outdoor use and are not that common, Graham said.

She doesn’t think they can replace the train or whether they’ll have the desire to carry on with the light display next season.

“They just don’t bring those out anymore.”

They have surveillance cameras, partly because of the vandalism but the camera wasn’t aimed at the tree where the train was set up.