He did a LOT of the work himself. His helpers were mostly for electrical and wiring. In one of the MR articles, they talked to those guys who mentioned that even when Rod was on tour, they'd leave one night and come back the next day and there's be a new building in place that wasn't there the night before. That's what Rod's money got him - instead of waiting another coupel of months for a tour to end, he got to fly home between shows and check out the layout.
I see no reason to doubt it when he says he did much of the structure modeling himself. Goes along with the part of this article that mentions gettign his wife involved in taking photos of interesting scenes he saw while travelign around, to late use as modeling references.
And yes, in one of the MR stories it was mentioned he does have a British outline OO layout in one of his homes over there.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
BATMAN...just by his enthusiasm, he is a pretty capable modeler.
I'm with you on this one, Brent. Whatever part of it that he's done or had done by someone else is beside the point...it's a great-looking layout and I get the impression that he takes a lot of enjoyment from it.
My layout's nowhere near finished, but I can't think of anyone whom I'd ask to help work on it, not because there's no one capable, but simply because it's mine, and only I can envision what I want it to be.
Wayne
kasskabooseWe really don't know much much (if any) he did alone.
Well, we all get help building our layouts whether it is buying a ready to roll a piece of rolling stock built by someone at a plant, or something else. I would not judge anyone by what he did or didn't do on a layout, we can all be called out on that one.
I don't think people build something like a MRR for vanity purposes, especially when such a large percentage of the population chuckles when they hear "toy trains" so I give him credit for getting it done.
Like all of us having time to work on the layout is a big factor in what one can do himself. I have a friend that is a well-known country singer that lives in Nashville, he has stayed at my house when he has come through Vancouver on tour. I know very well how hard he works every day of the year so, like all of us, we do what we have time to do and pay for the rest, so stop trying to find fault and just enjoy what has been created. My tummy tells me just by his enthusiasm, he is a pretty capable modeler.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Bravo for someone more (in)famous than us enjoying MR. I too take his efforts with a grain of salt. We really don't know much much (if any) he did alone. To his credit, he did bring more star power to the hobby.
mbinsewi Maybe MR will do an article on the finished product.
Well consider this: all the Rod Stewart interview/articles in MR (2 or maybe 3 articles as I recall) were written by Carl Swanson, starting when he was on MR's staff but continuing even after he was reassigned to Classic Toy Trains magazine.
Carl is the newly named editor of MR so I'd say the chances are good.
I also noticed that the photos in the article posted above were by Steve Crise who did the photos for the MR articles -- there is a distinctive rich golden patina to his model photos that somehow helps create a feel of a past era. If I recall the track plan directly there was a large empty area on one side of the layout. I also seem to recall that R.S. does model British trains too -- in his UK home or homes.
Perhaps you have seen the video where the audience laughs at him when he is asked about his model railroad hobby and he gets rather angry about it. I saw another recent U.K. article where he once again felt obliged to "defend" his model railroading hobby as if it is something nobody else does, and I find this a little surprising in a country known for so much great modeling. But based on various YouTube vids I have seen over the years, and British entertainment writers I have read, it seems that the British who cover the entertainment industry in TV or print media are even more vacuous and superficial than their American counterparts, hard though that possibility may be to imagine or comprehend.
Dave Nelson
Rod did a trmemdous amount of kit assembly, and kit bashing to create the finish project.
I really like it. I think the details look more realistic for the time period he is modeling, and it's not so "over the top" with decay, trash, and run-down scenes, as the F&SM.
My opinion.
Maybe MR will do an article on the finished product.
Mike.
My You Tube
This has been all over my Facebook feed.
Joe Staten Island West
I showed it to my wife and she commented, of course he can build a fancy super detailed layout, he has millions, why not? But to Rod's credit, he appears to have done a lot of kit building and designing and the layout came out looking quite good by any standard.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
i thought it was virtually complete when he had the ragazine article ??
oh well ...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7678617/Rod-Stewarts-secret-hit-track-Veteran-rocker-finally-lets-world-legendary-model-railwa.html?ito=facebook_share_article-top&fbclid=IwAR3MpG9iLFDF8_aymgH8VKAH4bkIE9kRRDo4Tm12wARTbPgp8Mw4mbZDYWo