Model Trains – Hobby of the Stars
Do you know what Steven Spielberg, Neil Young, Pete Waterman and James May all have in common? They are all model train enthusiasts.
Music producer Pete Waterman has a huge, million dollar model railway system housed in its own 200 foot barn. He even owns his own model train business. And this isn’t in the least bit unusual amongst wealthy model train enthusiasts. Steven Spielberg and Neil Young have their own model train company called Lionel trains.
And this group of well known personalities are not alone in their enthusiasm for model trains. Building model railway systems is no longer a hobby pursued by young boys. These days their dads and uncles, along with some old time rock musicians, who are more likely to be Hornby train enthusiasts.
Vintage model train collecting has become big business. Obsessive collectors tend to be interested in pristine vintage models that are still in their boxes, never having been played with. To many, including James May, this is not what these model trains were meant for.
At a model train auction Mr won a completely unused Hornby train set for £200 which other collectors would have kept, unused, in its box. Mr May built and played with the train set in his James May’s Top Toys television programme as he says this is what was intended when the system was made.
In the soon to be aired December 20th edition of James May’s Toy Stories he and around 400 valiant volunteers rebuild the long lost rail link between Bideford and Barnstaple in Devon using OO gauge model train track. Although some of the track was stolen by vandals Bideford and Barnstaple was once again linked by rail, allbeit for a short time. Unfortunately the little model trains were obviously not big enough to carry any passengers but a lot of people enjoyed building the rail link.
You could win one of two fantastic Hornby Train Sets in the current Christmas Hornby Competition from modelzone.co.uk. All you have to do is answer one simple question and you could win a fantastic Hornby train set.