Rod Stewart’s not just into chart-topping hits, he’s spent the last three decades quietly building a model railway that might just outlive him.
According to his wife, Penny Lancaster, the 80-year-old music icon’s detailed train set could very well become a museum piece once he’s gone.
During a chat on Loose Women, Penny said, “Rod will live on. His railway that he’s worked on for 30 years will be a museum piece. For sure.” And she’s not exaggerating, the set is massive. We’re talking about a 1,500-square-foot replica of World War II-era Manhattan, complete with running trains, vintage cars, trucks, a 1940s Pennsylvania Railroad station, and full-on American city scenes. It’s named Grant Street and Three Rivers City, and it spans 124 feet long by 23 feet wide.
Rod even makes sure parts of it travel with him when he’s on tour so he can work on it during his downtime. Yep, the rock legend is hauling sections of his train set across the globe.
And there’s a personal touch too. Nestled among the miniature buildings is a nod to his football loyalty: a Celtic Coal and Steel building, representing his love for Celtic FC.
He started building the railway back in 1993 after moving into his Beverly Hills mansion. Since then, it’s become his second great passion. In an interview with Railway Modeller, Rod said, “When I walk into my workshop, it’s like entering the gates of heaven. I spend four or five hours a day if I can. Even if it’s just twenty minutes, I get a lot done.”
It wasn’t always something he was confident sharing. He admitted he used to hide his love for model railways because it didn’t feel “rock ‘n’ roll.” But not anymore. “Now I’m proud of it,” he said. “Music is my main life’s work, but this is definitely second.”
Penny, who shares two sons with Rod, Alastair, 19, and Aiden, 14, says it’s the kind of creation that deserves to be passed down or put on display. And honestly? She’s right.
A model railway that big, that detailed, and that personal? It’s more than just a hobby, it’s Rod’s legacy on rails
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