Celebrities & Model Trains

Most everyone knows about Neil Young, but to stimulate more interest, I will now mention someone who now has her own TV show and has bought Lionel trains at a LHS shop (not far from where I live) in the past.

She also went to the law school I attended, Albany Law School, and was 1 year ahead of me there.

Who am I describing? None other than Jeanine Pirro.

I suspect her train related purchases were gifts for her son when he was a child.

I would love to see her on the View. The world would be a better place if more people had trains.

Late night host Tom Snyder was a huge Lionel fan and don’t forget about one of Disney biggest creatorsWard Kimball I believe he was behind Mickey Mouse both how entered that great roundhouse in heaven!

Actor Mandy Patinkin of Homeland, The Good Fight,...Has a not-too-shabby 42' x 17' O-Gauge layout

Singer Rod Stewart is known to travel during tours with an HO train layout that gets setup in his hotel room. Maybe a little unwinding between shows?

@RJT posted:

Late night host Tom Snyder was a huge Lionel fan and don’t forget about one of Disney biggest creatorsWard Kimball I believe he was behind Mickey Mouse both how entered that great roundhouse in heaven!

Mickey predates (1928) Ward Kimball at Disney (1934,) he did embellish Mickey into much as what we see today. 

@Sean007 posted:

Singer Rod Stewart is known to travel during tours with an HO train layout that gets setup in his hotel room. Maybe a little unwinding between shows?

He actually has a 1500 sqft layout at home. Besides a little running in the hotel rooms ...  he works on structures, etc in the room. He claims he did everything, over 25 years, except the wiring. Enjoys super-detailing.

Pretty spectacular layout with heavy industry, port, cityscapes. Worth looking at on the internet.

Says he loves to have a few glasses of wine and run trains each evening. Add his wife, 30 his junior ... Rod is living the life.

Tom Snyders Layout and Train Collection are now housed at the NJ HiRailers Train club   When we dedicated it at our location his domestic partner Pam came with alot of news dignitaries including Spencer Christian, Frank Field and Kaity Tong   Was fun having the dinner with them and all the TV muckkity Mucks

We also had a visit from Steven Spielberg and Tony Scott but they didnt photograph well

When Lionel first came out with Legacy I was complaining about problems with it on the forum  This guy NY kept answering me  I invited NY to come over to the club and to my surprise it was Neal Young

Then we had this famous guy over a few times

Emmett Kelly Sr & Jr were train collectors, Band Leader Harry James and also Burlesque Star Gypsy Rose lee were Lionel fans.

David Letterman has also made visits to a LHS near me. I know more, but he is now a very private man, so I will say no more about him.

Joe DiMaggio, a lover of Lionel Trains, who did commercials for Lionel in the 1950s, at bat:

LOL, Arnold

Awesome!

Lucasfilm (Star Wars) executive producer Dave Filoni models GO Rail in N scale. He directed a recent episode of Book of Boba Fett wearing a Go Rail t-shirt.  https://mobile.twitter.com/dav...s/867076589506383873

And it was Dave who put a speeder gun train in episode 2 of Book of Boba Fett.

The Velvet Fog himself, Mel Torme:

Advertisement: Model Railroader, March 1964.

Rusty

I recently saw a rerun of a Columbo episode in which the character, Columbo, played by Peter Falk, was enthralled running Lionel trains on the murderer's layout.

I don't think Peter Falk was acting; though he was a great actor IMO. I believe he truly loved Lionel trains.

Arnold

David Letterman talking with Neil Young about Lionel Trains.

The late Lincoln Ne. publisher, Mr. Seacrest had a huge collection and layout.  When he passed, it took several days to auction his collection if you will recall.

I produced my first railroad video back in 1978. It was entitled “Train to Everywhere” and was about the Chessie Steam Special. One of the first orders that I received for this video was from the late Merle Haggard. I don’t know if he was also into model trains, but he evidently had an interest in steam locos.

Here’s the video, from my YouTube channel.

Gil Melle was a well known jazz musician and composer in his early career.  One of his early albums was one of the first on the Bluenote Label. Then he scored numerous movies including, “The Andromeda Strain.”  He was a serious model railroader.  He wrote articles and I think had a small company making HO scale models.

@Apple & Orange Line posted:

David Letterman talking with Neil Young about Lionel Trains.

I love this.

Herman Goring collected and ran Marklin Trains some of which wound up at the Ca Railroad Museum via the Seffner Collection.

Mikey

Gary Coleman from Different Strokes was a N scale modeler, and Roy Campanello (Dodgers?) had a Lionel layout that was featured in Lionel's Model Builder magazine.

Michael Gross of "Family Ties" fame is a big model railroader. He has done several videos for World's Greatest Hobby. I remember reading an article about him in Model Railroader years ago - he had a huge garden railroad layout - all LGB. He had said he was fascinated with european trains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8MmhFZnXo

Here are a few I thought would be mentioned by now

Walt Disney: He was a HUGE train fan



Warren Buffett: in addition to owning BNSF, the NY Times said he is a "collector of model trains"


Phil Collins: Model Trains Keep Collins Away From The Studio | Contactmusic.com


Bryce

My Dad had a very strong dislike for rock-n-roll music. However, when he found out about Neil Young's interest in trains and his involvement with Lionel, all of a sudden, Neil was a good guy. My brother, a big Neil Young fan, always loved to tease Dad about that.

We can't forget Captain Kangaroo!!

Beatles producer George Martin was a big train buff - I forget if it was "60 Minutes" or "20/20" in the late 90's but he was featured - he said he loved British trains so much and he had money to spend that he collected real British trains. He had several sets - some British steam units with passenger consists and an APT - which he took the interviewer in on a ride for the interview. He stated he would purchase time on the main lines so he could operate them. Incredible!

@Johnny Winkler posted:

Lucasfilm (Star Wars) executive producer Dave Filoni models GO Rail in N scale. He directed a recent episode of Book of Boba Fett wearing a Go Rail t-shirt.  https://mobile.twitter.com/dav...s/867076589506383873

Filoni also created a droid named "RG-G1" for the 7th season of the "Clone Wars" animated series.
I think it's a little obvious what this little dude is meant to be a reference to...

Though in a different form of entertainment .Pro Stock drag racer from Pennsylvania Bill Jenkins had a large collection and layout in 2 Rail O Scale.

DIdn't Jackie Gleason (Honeymooners) have a lionel collection in addition to his real passenger car(s)?

I just remembered Arthur Godfrey. Lionel used to send someone out to repair his layout fairly often according to the other magazine.

@knights89 posted:

Michael Gross of "Family Ties" fame is a big model railroader. He has done several videos for World's Greatest Hobby. I remember reading an article about him in Model Railroader years ago - he had a huge garden railroad layout - all LGB. He had said he was fascinated with european trains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8MmhFZnXo

Michael Gross models the AT&SF in HO scale and, yes, does a video for the World's Greatest Hobby (and videos for the B&O Railroad Museum and was featured in the documentary "Model Citizens").

I believe you're partially confusing him with actor Joe Regalbuto who had (has?) an extensive LGB layout in his backyard and was featured in the March 1993 issue of Model Railroader.

I've seen Jack Black post some videos about a layout he has in his house.  O scale stuff IIRC, runs around the ceilings.

Frank Sinatra reportedly became enamored with trains as a result of his relationship with big band leader Tommy Dorsey, who was said to have an extensive train set up in his home.

Other celebrities who are into model trains include:

Tom Hanks

Elton John

Michael Jordan

David Hasselhoff

Bruce Springsteen

Gene Hackman

Johnny Cash

Donald Sutherland

Phil Collins

Eric Clapton

Bob Costas

Tom Brokaw

Ragtime piano player,  Joanne Castle

Bandleader Singer,  Vaughn Monroe

Actor,   Buster Keaton

Arnold I just went through this entire thread and all of us are forgetting the most impotent Celebrity of all of those mentioned and that is all of us here on the form the enjoy The Greatest Hobby in the World. I say that based on your closing to every post you reply to." In my little world, "I leave this troubled world behind". WE are the President/CEO/CFO/Chef Engineer and hold every other position possible on our Little World! So in closing I will quote a Great Poster from this forum:

"In my little world, I leave this troubled world behind".

Thank you so much, Rick, for your compliments to me and all of our Forum friends.

Another celebrity, who I understand has a huge train collection, is the professional golfer, Ed Dougherty, who has won golf tournaments on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.