Rod Stewart's Article Reviewed...

[wm3798]

Well, it came in the mail today, and frankly, I'm impressed.  While he farmed out the tedium of benchwork and wiring, much of the actual scale modeling is his own work.  Friends have contributed various details, but the man genuinely enjoys kitbashing and scratch building.  And the work is substantial... because it has to be.

When he's touring, he moves his family to a hotel in Chicago so he can be just a few hours flight from anywhere in the country where he has an appearance.  He's home (at the hotel) after most performances to maximize the amount of time he has with his wife and child.  For the few hours he has to himself, he has the hotel staff move furniture around so he has a "shop" area in the hotel suite.  Some of the structures he does are over 5' high, (The illustrations in the magazine are quite impressive) when they're done, he flies them home, and puts them on the layout.

He lists George Sellios as an inspiration, but I gotta tell ya, he out-Sellioses Sellios.  And in a far more believable manner.  I've always thought of the Franklin and South Manchester as hopelessly cluttered with a ridiculous level of detail.  Stewart's layout can be interpreted as equally so, but it's done in a setting (Manhattan) that's far more believable and elegant.  According to the interview, Rod loves big cities like Chicago and New York, and that passion is translated into his model landscape.  While Sellios looks at the world through the lense of the Great Depression, Stewart celebrates the city as it was in the late 1940's.  While the streets are cluttered, they never come across as dumpy.  While the structures are enormous, they're in porportion with each other and the overall setting.

Like Sellios, the track plan is relatively simple, but it's obviously fun to run trains in and out of the urban scene.  According to the article, his next effort will be to model the Pennsylvania mountains in a connecting room, which currently houses the large staging loop.

Overall great fun to read, and impressive to look at.  And as stated elsewhere, the whole issue is a keeper.  Even Tony the K's article is amusing as he relates a weakness for freelance even as he pursues the prototype to its utmost on his current effort.

This edition should sell in the jillions.

Lee

[CoalPorter]

"This edition should sell in the jillions."

If only they would print jillions.
I wonder if MR anticipates a larger than normal demand?
I hope this doesn't become an eBay item...at least the HO'ers arn't into collection feeding frenzies like some N people.
I made a special trip by the LTS today, but the mag. is not in the store yet. I haven't bought MR in about 5 years, but maybe I sould have subscribed.

[RS-27]

I was impressed, even the wife was impressed. 

A showcase for his modeling and a 'railfaning' plan to watch trains go by.

In  a sidebar, Rod commented how interviewers are "amused by the idea of a popular entertainer playing with little trains",  and how they don't seem to get what is involved in the hobby.

The other layout featured isn't too shabby either:  a broken L shaped layout of Switzerland's Gotthard Pass area, about 60' long and 5 to 8ft wide, 300' mainline run... in Z scale.


Bob in IDaho

[keystonecrossings]

I was thrilled his layout was partially inspired by the Pennsy!

[wm3798]

Just as your wardrobe is inspired by his "Tonight's the Night" video... ;D

L

[amato1969]

Ouch, man.  Remember when you could actually see that video on MTV???

[Mark5]

Ouch, man.  Remember when you could actually see that video on MTV???

Remember when MTV was really MTV and not empty-V?

[ljudice]

Yeah, remember when MTV ran videos???

But who needs them with YouTube - almost every video I've ever searched for is over there, even from the 1980's, including my favorite 1980's video:

[nscalesteve]

Remember when MTV was really MTV and not emtpy-V?

emtpy-V ...that is the best description for this crap TV
(money for nothin and chicks for free)

[nscalesteve]

But who needs them with YouTube - almost every video I've ever searched for is over there, even from the 1980's, including my favorite 1980's video:

yeah, Claudia Brücken has a nice voice but the look...    

[MrKLUKE]

.

[nscalesteve]

including my favorite 1980's video

and this was mine:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XacRmnUo4cc

and I still like it...   ;D

[FrankCampagna]

/>
Frank

[hegstad1]

I have to chime in and say I was impressed with the article as well.  When I saw last month that they were going to feature his layout I assumed it would be a custom built job but his buildings and skills are top notch.  I hope they will do a follow-up in the future when he gets some of that Pennsylvania countryside done.  Besides Rod, I know Neil Young is a big train guy (didn't he help bail out Lionel a few years ago?)  Any others out there?

Andrew

[bsoplinger]

Sheesh, you folks are making me feel old. I remember watching this as the first vid broadcast by a new channel:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6LB6Q_oycfQ