I've been doing some research on the GD line and the impact John Allen had on the hobby. What are some of the most influential layouts to you and your modeling style. Who's work has inspired you the most and who's layouts are truly a work of art in your opinion. 1. Mike Danneman's Rio Grande 2. John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid 3. Allen McClelland's V&O 4. San Diego Model RR museum's layouts.
The Clinchfield project done by MR under the guidance of Gordon Odegard is the layout that has had the most influence on my own layout and n-scale modeling. I saw this layout when it was brought to Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. I had already started using extruded polystyrene foam for scenery in 1976 on my home layout, but the Clinchfield convinced me of its merits. At the time, our home had a large enough basement, that I could do a similar track plan, but I unfolded it onto five modules: two of them were 4x8' and three of them were 2x8' and were arranged in a 24' length with two peninsulae. I scratch built a few of the structure and kitbashed some that Gordon had done. I followed his guidance on painting the flex track to weather it. I even had a power plant and coal mine set up with connecting track so full hoppers could be delivered to the power plant and empty hoppers could be delivered back to the mine.
I read about John Allen,s Gorre and Daphetid layout in an old issue of "Model Railroader", and was very impressed with the variety that he had incorporated into it. What also impressed me was his thinking "outside the box". I would say that John Allen and his model railroad has had the biggest affect on how I am building my layout! Jim
Mike Fifer's N Scale ACTRR... It showed me that Unitrack is a viable solution to track laying. I had tried all the 'flextrack' options. I admit I cant lay track for squat. I built our THERR using a lot of Mikes suggestions. Mike has been doing a lot of changes on his layout. He has proven that Unitrack can be ballasted and even rearranged easily enough and still look good in the process. Keep up the great work Mike...you inspire a lot of us Cant forget Bruces (arbomambo) Modules. Great Modeling and a group of great modules with Unitrack !!! And of course.. Rick Brodzinsky the JACALAR thread on TrainBoard the Silicon Valley FreeMoN Station thread
John Allen in the early years and way too many narrow gauge and logging modelers too mention. However in first place is the work of George Sellios especially the structures he has created. http://www.horailroad.com/fsm/
When I was a kid it was the garden layout at the Los Angeles county fairgrounds. I would spend almost the entire day just watching the trains run. Of course they have totally redone the layout since then, but it was the GREATEST THING EVER for a 10 YO kid.
John Allen without a doubt transformed me from playing with trains to a model railroader. The biggest impact that grew n scale was N-Trak and without John Fitzgerald, who knows where n scale would be today.
Looking back, does the subsequent destruction of the GD line 10 days after John's death add to the mythos of the model? If it were still around and viewable to the public, do you think it would still be held in such high regard? A question I can't readily answer myself.
I had the opportunity to have operated on John Allens railroad back in the late 60's when I was on instructor duty in the Navy at Mare Island, CA. Needless to say, that railroad is number one for me. When I first saw it in person I was suprised that it was a lot smaller than I expected, but the way John used mirrors and with the scenery going right to the floor in many places, made it a photographers delight. The Franklin & South Manchester is another great model railroad. I got to see it years ago when only the first part of the railroad was built and have been following it ever since.
Mike Fifer, and John Allen of course. Especially Mike Fifer since he's around during my time in the hobby and always ready to break things down in terms that I can understand, and replicate.
#1! Gorre & Daphetid (John Allen- HO) Carrabasset & Dead River (Dave Frary & Bob Hayden- HOn30) Mud Bay & Southern (Jim Younkins- N Scale) Virginian & Ohio (Pre-modernization version)(Allen McClelland- HO) N-Trak (Jim Fitzgerald & many, many friends) The Clinchfield (Kalmbach Publishing- N scale) And, and, and......
John Armstrong's Canandaigua Southern. The New England, Berkshire & Western @ RPI. The Reid Brother's N scale Cumberland Valley System.
The Franklin & South Manchester as well as Rod Stewart's layouts are a couple of other great inspirations. I hope to go see the F&SM next spring when I'm in Newport RI. Montanan, you are a lucky person to have enjoyed the GD in person.
Looks like you've pretty well covered the topic. How about mine? No, I don't think so. I never finished it. Like most of you my interest took off when I was first introduced to John Allen's layout. Seeing it in person was well...Wow! More recently John Acosta's, Bob E./PowerSteamGuy 1790, Inkaneer, Russell Straw, Andy Sperandeo's, Rod Stewarts and it's not fair to leave any of the other fine layouts by TrainBoard participants out of this list. I've appreciated and enjoyed all the hard work and find something inspirational, in every layout I visit. Waiting to see how David E's, Barstow to Winslow is going to turn out. Litzenburger and he and his son's Barstow Layout. Always, looking forward.
Yes, it just KILLS me that John Allens layout is gone. I am lucky to have a book that was published about the G&D but would have loved to be able to see what he built. At the PCR meets of the NMRA they had one of the 'timesaver' layouts he built and would hold switching contests on it...so I can almost say that I have operated on one of John Allens layouts. Cal State RR Museum is supposed to be building a model train museum...if they don't hurry up there may not be much left to put in it.
David Barrow's Cat Mountain & Santa Fe Eric Brooman's Utah Belt Gary Hoover's Missouri, Kansas, & Quincy Lance Mindheim's Hoosier Line Mike Danneman's Rio Grande Moffat Road Ole Melhouse's Dakota Northern Dean Ferris' Oregon Joint Line There are dozens of others that have had major influences, but these stand high above the others.
The O scale layout at the museum in Chicago was what started it all. There's been various layouts since then that I've admired for different reasons, one of the most recent being Jim Reising's layout. Long modern trains, what's not to like?
Was just there a couple of weeks ago! I still can't get over the beautiful scenery. And all of the various gauges being run there. It's like being a kid in a candy store. My wife has to drag me out saying, "OK, enough!"
Mine are broke down according to age and interests, As a boy in the 60's, I'd have to go with the Museum of Science and Industries layout. I can remember just being totally fascinated by it on every visit. A family vacation to Colorado in the early 70's and a ride on the then Rio Grande to Silverton set the narrow gauge bug hard to an impressionable teenager . John Olsens, "A Day At Mule Shoes Meadows" photo spread in Model Railroader and Frary and Hayden's Carrabasset and Dead River layout were literally drooled over. In the late 80's/early 90's I got to operate on the Midwest Model Railroaders layout in Batavia Il a few times and it really opened me up to prototype model railroading and operation. Bob