Sir Rod Stewart and Pete Waterman are known for their love of trains but there's someone much closer to home who shares a similar passion. 

Alsager councillor and Mayor of Cheshire East, Rod Fletcher, developed a love of trains as a youngster when he was an avid trainspotter. 

The rail fan travelled all over the country spotting engines and it was this that prompted a rail career spanning more than 36 years. 

Rod has a variety of rail memorabilia in his study at his Alsager home. (Photo: Nub News)

Now many years later and having retired from the industry, Rod still has the same passion for trains as he did as a child and loves travelling by train. 

"As a young boy, I was just fascinated by trains. Back then, they were steam engines and there was something special about them," he said. 

"We used to cycle round engine sheds looking at all the engines and I've still got some of my train spotting books." 

Various rail memorabilia take pride of place at Rod's Alsager home, including a steam engine painting and various miniature trains, including the Flying Scotsman. 

Rod, originally from Wilmslow and a former pupil of King's School in Macclesfield, moved to Alsager with his family to be nearer his work in Crewe. 

He recently gave a talk about his distinguished rail career during which he told of his various postings and some of the lighter moments during a rail career spanning over 36 years. 

His career saw him working at various places from Hunts Bank in Manchester to offices at Piccadilly Station, Gorton and finally Crewe. 

Rod has framed his retirement certificae. (Photo: Nub News)

In his early days, he was involved with allocating steam engines to trains as well as working as a section controller and various other roles. 

He remembered some of the lighter moments during his career such as the time someone said there was a pregnant elephant on a freight train. 

"A controller received a call to say that a passenger had alighted from a non-corridor train whilst it was stood in a station to use the toilet," said Rod.

"The train departed without her. The passenger went into the signal box and asked for help and the signaller rang control. The controller who took the message failed to ascertain which signal box he was talking to.

"So had to ring signal boxes on the circuit to ascertain which signal box the lady was in. There could be 20 to 40 signal boxes on each circuit."

"On another occasion we received a call to say a lorry stuck was under a railway bridge. All train services had to be stopped. A bridge Inspector was dispatched

"When he got there, he found the lorry driver was in fact just changing a tyre and the lorry hadn't damaged the bridge at all." 

Rod's distinguished career involving working in freight liaison which included some time seconded to the Rail Industry Training Council.

He travels whenever he can by train, including last year a journey on the Dutch railways to Amsterdam while on holiday in Holland. 

Alsager station recently won the community engagement award at the Cheshire Best Kept Stations awards for a Memory Cafe trip and Rod presented the coveted award locally. 

"There's something special about trains. The cancellation of the HS2 project here is such a shame. The area will lose out phenomenally. 

"All political parties on Cheshire East Council have expressed their concern about the loss of HS2 to Crewe and Cheshire East as a whole." 

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