Rod Stewart is a model railway enthusiast

His secret is a spectacular model railway set. Laid out at his mansion in Beverley Hills, it is a perfect 1:87 scale model of New York’s Grand Central Station in the 1940s.

It comprises 100 ft of track, scores of period locomotives and carriages with a backdrop of skyscrapers, streets, railway buildings and hundreds of tiny passengers.

The 62-year-old rock 'n’ railer, as he may now become known, has long craved recognition for his private hobby. He said several years ago that such an honour would “mean more to me than the cover of Rolling Stone”.

He explained: “I’m a great model railway enthusiast and I’m building a huge layout over there in California so that takes up a little bit of time and football takes up a little bit of time.”

It is just as well that Stewart, whose previous blonde model lovers have included Kelly Emberg and Rachel Hunter (his second wife), has sold 250 million records and had 62 hit singles. Recreating Grand Central Station is not child’s play.

The largest train station in the world, it has 44 platforms, 67 tracks, a cavernous concourse with clock faces made from opal and a clock on the front of the station that is the largest example of Tiffany glass in the world. Find out more here