Celebrities you never knew enjoyed model trains and railways

What has Johnny Cash, Winston Churchill, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Roger Daltrey, Joe Dimaggio, Rick Green, Gene Hackman, Tom Hanks, David Hasselhoff, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Neil Young , Gary Coleman joint?

All of these celebs love to watch miniature trains that run around miniature mountains, rivers, and towns.

In short, they are all model train junkies.

Johnny Cash, the American singer-songwriter, did television commercials and endorsements for Lionel Trains in the 1970s.

Neil Young is part owner of Lionel Trains.

Rod Stewart, between getting into blondes and who knows what else, has spent considerable time and money building model trains. In fact, Rudd’s impressive version of New York’s Grand Central Station, complete with 100 feet of tracts, buildings, and figures in ’40s-era dress, graced the cover of Model Railroad’s October 2007 run. An honor Rudd claims means more than just being on the cover of The Rolling Stones.

imagine.

The late Gary Coleman is a die-hard model train enthusiast. In an online interview with ABC News, he said, “I’m currently doing Lionel trains. I’m doing them as typical as possible, even though they are toy trains. I still want to do it as realistically as possible.”

Gary Coleman has also allegedly left his entire collection of trains to Allied Model Trains, The Original Whistle Stop, and The Train Shack in Los Angeles, so if you’re a train designer, you know you’re in great company. You can even get Frank Sinatra’s train layouts on DVD.

So what is the attraction of these trains?

First of all, it’s not a game. Enthusiasts will tell you they are works of art. They are miniature versions of the real thing. They work like the real one. There are a huge number of skills that you need to master in business planning. You are a jack of all trades: semi-competent carpenter, electrician, metalworker, painter, sculptor and designer all rolled into one.
There is also the joy of escaping. You can forget the task of living for hours on end while you contemplate a plan for a perfect world, all of your own making.

It is never complete. Just look for more things to add to your model to make it perfect. Add a mountain here, a pond there, and more trails. The list is endless. It can take years. Then, of course, there’s the sheer thrill of seeing your trains spin around the track.

No wonder so many celebrities are addicted to model trains!