Rod Stewart went to extraordinary lengths bringing model train collection to UK

Rocker Rod Stewart went to great lengths to keep his model train collection on track when is come back to UK

Rod Stewart went to incredible lengths to keep his model train set in one piece when it moved from the US to England - hiring giant shipping containers and setting up an entire wood workshop in California for the job.

The details are revealed in Continental Modeller magazine which says it was "an expensive exercise" but only about 5% were damaged on the road.

And that was music to Rod's ears - in part because it was securely packed by the same people who organise the logistics for his music gigs! The singer showed off his incredible scale model railway layout last week known as "Grand Street & Three Rivers Railroad" in his country home in England. Despite devoting thousands of hours to it, the 79-year-old continues to try to perfect it and is enhancing the setup to make it even bigger and better.

The set is a 1:87 scale North American model and has a main running line totalling in excess of 900 feet and "thousands of small details and figures filling every square foot of baseboard". The footprint of the layout is currently 62ft x 27ft but the track goes around the layout four times before it returns to its starting point.

Before anything was removed in Los Angeles, a grid plan of the old layout was made recording the location of all scenery, structures, and details. Based on the grid location identification, these elements were securely packed for safe shipment by Rocket Cargo, the company that handles the logistics for Sir Rod’s concerts.

The contents of his incredible model collection then filled a large two bay garage.

It was split into 46 sections which were built to make re-assembly easier and these were placed into three 40" shipping containers which travelled from the port of Los Angeles through the Panama Canal to Portsmouth.

Once back in the UK, Rod hired a project manager to help with the landscaping of the new setup as Rod found through experience that his partial colour blindness rendered his "scenery a bit too red". But Rod continues to make new buildings for the model, even when he is on tour.

He told Railway Modeller Magazine last week: “When I walk into my workshop, it’s like entering the gates of heaven for me. It's just ahhh...this is my time.

"I would say I spend, on average, four or five hours a day if I can. Even if there's twenty minutes I go over to my workshop. In twenty minutes I can get quite a lot done. And it's really taken over my life somewhat. In a wonderful way."

We told last week how Rod is now proud of his model railway hobby. Asked about it, Rod added: "There was a time I hid away from it. Because I thought railway modelling and rock'n'roll don't go together and I was sort of embarrassed. But I'm not anymore, I'm proud of it.

"I mean obviously music is my main life's work, but this is definitely second.

"It's the greatest hobby in the world. It really is - it's just bloody brilliant. I love it."

* The full details and photos of Rod's railway transfer from LA to the UK features in the January issue of Continental Modeller magazine, out now.

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