Jools Holland, musician and tv host - may not be too familiar to people in the US but he's quite well known in England, and he has played with people that you would know.
Not only that, he has a locomotive named after him at Pecorama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pwEd22uY8Y
This loco is fitted with a special dual control and is used for the driver experience where you get to run it. An instructor rides in a car behind with access to the override regulator and a brake, and also with a video display showing the water glasses in case you the trainee forget to operate the injector.
Now, just as soon as its safe to travel, I am making plans to head to England...
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
He's not familiar to me, but as you say I may have heard him through other musicians.
The only other celebs I know of in model RRing are Neil Young and Rod Stewart. I'm sure there's more.
I never heard of him either but he has a Model railroading video
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
That's pretty cool.
My wife has heard of him but she was born and raised in England. But
i never heard of him. I expect most Americans havent either.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I really first heard of him playing on the video recording of Mark Knopfler's Night in London concert. Then saw there are episodes of his Later---with Jools Holland show (at least the musical acts) on YouTube - been around a long time, and a lot fo well known acts have been on his show. And for this past New Year's Eve bash, he did a piano duet with Rick Wakeman which I found on YouTube.
Jools is primarily known in the US for hosting "Later...with Jools Holland", a long running music program something like the old NBC "Midnight Special". It's been around a long time on BBC Two, and airs here on BBC America. Given that the opening credits show him travelling to the BBC on an elaborate model railroad, I'm not surprised to learn he is a modeller.
Thanks for sharing. I'd love to hear about your trip to England. I bet that country has a ton of MR events.
You caused me to explore other actors with MR layouts. See if you recornize anyone from here: https://mrr.trains.com/magazine/press-releases/2007/10/top-10-celebrity-model-railroaders
kasskabooseYou caused me to explore other actors with MR layouts. See if you recornize anyone from here: https://mrr.trains.com/magazine/press-releases/2007/10/top-10-celebrity-model-railroaders
I would question numbers 8-9-10. Two of them are fictional characters afterall.
Joe DiMaggio was hired by Lionel in the late 1930's and appeared in their advertising at the time and I think hosted a Lionel radio or early TV show. I don't know of any evidence he was himself a model railroader, or had a layout etc. He was just paid to do a celebrity endorsement, like he later was hired by Mr. Coffee.
You have to be a little careful with Lionel back then. They often had celebrities pose with Lionel trains who weren't modellers.
Holland is mostly known here in the States for his work as an original member of the early eighties band Squeeze and the 1981 song "Tempted".
SB
Interestingly, Squeeze recorded a song called "Electric Trains" many years after Jools Holland had left the band.
Jim
Southgate 2 He's not familiar to me, but as you say I may have heard him through other musicians. The only other celebs I know of in model RRing are Neil Young and Rod Stewart. I'm sure there's more.
NFL Hall of Famer Carl Eller is a model railroader, I've seen him at train shows here in the Twin Cities a few times.
Although he's kinda forgotten now, Vaughn Monroe was a major singing star from the late 1930's into the 1950's and was a model railroader. Much like Rod Stewart, he used to travel on the road with a toolbox and kits etc. to work on. (You might hear him on the radio singing "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" at Christmas time...or if you watch the original "Die Hard" movie.)
Stix led me to explor more famous folks who love trains:
https://www.smarttinc.com/who-plays-with-model-trains/
Agreed that some were paid to be around trains while others really enjoyed them.
The TM DVDs on Mandy Patinkin, Frank Sinatra, and Tom Snyder's layouts are all well worth checking out, even if you're not a 'toy train guy'. Snyder was also the host / narrator for their Lionel 100th anniversary DVD.
That famous blue grass banjo player Howard Zane has a model railroad
BigDaddyThat famous blue grass banjo player Howard Zane has a model railroad
My persepctive would be the famous Model RRer Howard Zane is a bluegrass banjo player.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
You have to think outside the box
Jools Holland played the piano solo in the Fine Young Cannibals 1989 hit, "Good Thing." Here he is playing the piano on the song with FYC lead singer Roland Gift on his TV show:
zugmann BigDaddy That famous blue grass banjo player Howard Zane has a model railroad
BigDaddy
I'd second that; I've been listening to Bluegrass since the 1980's, and I never knew he played music. I suspect he is in a part-time / local band?
Guess you don't read those little bios they put in MR to accompany layout visit articles? At least once and probably more in their coverage of Howard's layout they have mentioned he plays banjo in a bluegrass band.
There's a local modeler here who has the same name as a member of a really good local bluegrass band I saw back in the 80s - and he seems to be about the right age too. I keep wondering if it's the same guy. They made a few records - got mine signed - and then sort of disappeared. Oh - and this modeler is from the same town they were from as well.
wjstix I suspect he is in a part-time / local band?
Howard can speak for himself, but he's 80 years old, he's not looking to knock Cardi B's WAP off the charts. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you will be a better person if you don't google it.