I Didn't See That Coming, Part 1

MODEL RAILROADER MAGAZINE: Visiting Rod Stewart's Three Rivers City model railroad
October 26, 2007

"Having been a model railroader for 20 years, and an avid reader of your magazine for longer, I thought you may be interested in publishing some photos of my layout."

So began a letter to Model Railroader Publisher Terry Thompson. Even though MR receives many letters from readers hopeful of seeing their model work in the magazine, this one was unusual in being signed by entertainer and song writer Rod Stewart.

The photos enclosed with the letter revealed a superbly built HO scale model railroad featuring a Manhattan-like setting with some model skyscrapers. Terry contacted Stewart's England-based secretary and expressed an interest in featuring the railroad in Model Railroader.

Carl Swanson, now the Editor of Classic Toy Trains but then serving as a Senior Editor at Model Railroader also extended an invitation to Rod to visit the Kalmbach offices. Rod took Carl up on the offer and visited the Kalmbach Publishing Co. offices on April 21 when his 63-show North American tour brought him to Milwaukee. Rod met several member of the Model Railroader staff and took a tour of the MR club layout the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy. Rod said that seeing the HO layout in person was the highlight of his visit.

In late April, Carl flew to southern California, met with a Los Angeles-based freelance photographer, and visited Stewart's layout housed in a 1,500-square-foot room on the third floor of his Beverly Hills home. "The photos of Rod's layout were impressive," said Carl, "but it wasn't until I saw it in person that the real impact of it hit me. The level of craftsmanship is staggering."

Shortly before Carl's visit was over, he got the proverbial "offer he couldn't refuse." Rod invited him to accompany him on his private jet to fly from Los Angeles to Chicago. It's not every day that editors enjoy chef-prepared meals at a Beverly Hills estate and then fly home with an international rock star in a Gulfstream jet. The trip also gave Carl the chance to ask a few more questions and find out what its like to be a modeler while on tour.

Carl's article about Rod Stewart and his HO scale 23 x 124-foot Three Rivers City layout appears in the December issue of Model Railroader. The article has many color photos and a track plan of this spectacular layout. Carl add, "Three Rivers City is among the finest model railroads that I've ever seen."

The December issue of Model Railroader featuring Rod Stewart's layout will be on sale at newsstands in the U.S. on November 6, slightly later in other countries.

Want to see more of the finest model railroads in the hobby? Subscribe to Model Railroader magazine today!

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Apparently, Mr. Stewart said that making the cover of "Model Railroader" was a bigger honor for him than any music magazine!

UPDATE: Ken Mitchroney sent me some scans from the magazine. Enjoy!