This is not a how to book, but it is an excellent and comprehensive history of one of the most famous and well known model railroads ever built. Heres the original timesaver layout built by john allen and seen on working display at the nmra convention 2000 in san jose with allan fenton right. Lessons from john allen part 1 by charlie getz yes. John allens gorre and daphetid railroad external links. Considered one of the greatest model railroaders, john allen elevated the hobby of model railroading to an art. Linn said in his book that they tried to save the famous french gulch section, but after two hours of sawing and sweating it collapsed as they moved it away from the wall. Lost john allen loco recovered model railroader magazine. John allen author lecturer history self employed linkedin. John allen was a prolific author and, of course, a commercial photographer. A nice book that gives great examples of john allens gorre and daphetid model railroad. If you know how to properly pronounce the name of the railroad you. John allen is a key figure in the history of the development of model railroading. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. See the complete profile on linkedin and discover johns connections.
Allen was renowned for his skill at scratch building and creating scenery. I recently got a copy of this long outofprint book and all i can say is wow. We have plucked from obscurity 30 fascinating books most of them outofprint about railways from cairo to new south wales to yosemite encompassing engineering, history, industry, photography, policing and a famous politicians final journey. This page provides a directory of websites offering railroad books including new, used, rare, and outofprint books covering railroad history, train operations, railroad photography, and model railroading. John allen centennial model railroad hobbyist magazine.
John allen took up model railroading in 1944 and pioneered many aspects of. For me he was the builder and photographer of a truly awesome model railroad which inspired me to get into the hobby many years ago. John allen was a pioneer in the field of model railroading as a professional photographer he had the artistic talent and attention to detail to create and document incredibly realistic scenes, and did so in numerous articles featured in model railroader, the nmras scale rails and railroad model craftsman magazines. The first two small versions were built at allens home in monterey. Set in new mexico territory in the last half of the 19th century, the series follows the adventures of paul mcallister, a recent arrival from 2016, as he tries to adjust and live in the past. Model railroading with john allen model railroad hobbyist. An excellent book that reveals a lot about who john allen was. Model railroading with john allen book santa clara. See more ideas about model trains, model train layouts and train layouts. He also pioneered the technique of weathering his models for a more.
If you know how to properly pronounce the name of the railroad you most likely know know a bit more than some others. This information is in the book model railroading with john allen. I got my inspiration from john allens gorre and daphetid railroad. John allen was the pioneer of realistic scenery for model railroads and among the first to design and operate his model railroad as if it were a real railroad. I incorporated a version of it on my shelf layout you can see it here but with the extra tracks and buildings it just isnt the same as a stand alone. Wescott 1996, paperback at the best online prices at. Allen was renowned for his skill at scratch building and creating scenery, and he pioneered the technique of.
Westcott, photography by john allen and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Gorre and daphetid gory and defeated, the most famous model railroad built in this century, was the life labor of john allen. John was a professional photographer and his hobby was building and taking pictures of his ho railroad. Kalmbach published linn westcotts famous work model railroading with john allen, known to fans of the gorre and daphetid as simply the book. This gallery contains representative scans of his early work in several model railroad magazines. A dozen ho gauge pigeons have been roasting on the roof for days now. Gorre and daphetid from sunday river productions youtube. John allens gorre and daphetid railroad a reminiscence. The narrow gauge scene john allen narrow gauger by charlie getz yes. Model railroading with john allen by linn hanson wescott, bob. Model railroader is the worlds largest magazine on model trains and model railroad layouts. Not exactly what i expected upon first inspection, this book is a journey into not only the concepts, layouts, and designs of the gorre and dephetid railroad, but into the personality and methods employed by its creator, john allen. Its contents traced the development of his famous layouts with track plans and sketches, plus black and white, as well as color photos.
Sep 20, 2014 gorre and daphetid gory and defeated, the most famous model railroad built in this century, was the life labor of john allen. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Most of you probably know who john allen was and something about his gorre and daphetid railroad. He refers to the cities of port and great divide on his railroad, and makes reference to his regular operating crew. Registration is free and takes only a few seconds to complete. The gallery is split into several small subgalleries to speed loading time and decrease search time when looking for a particular magazine or issue. Model railroading with john allen by linn h wescott, linn. John had a weak heart and always boasted that building the railroad lenthened his life beyond expectation.
Model railroading with john allen by linn hanson wescott. Abebooks 100 million books from independent booksellers, including thousands of railroad titles. The book is a bit old, and the photos reflect that as well. Allen is the author of the robledo mountain series. There were three softcover printings 1981, 1982, and 1989 and one hardcover edition, all identical in content. Allen was renowned for his skill at scratch building and. Model railroading with john allen book santa clara county. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. On the other hand, for an afficionado that goes loves mrr and wants to have an example from the person that really set mrr into motion no pipe cleaner pine trees. He built floor to ceiling scenery, used carefully hidden mirrors to. May 19, 2015 provided to youtube by smithsonian folkways recordings john allens railroad larry penn workin for a livin. My first contact with john allens work was in a paperback model railroad book which my brother had and then gave to me in the middle to late 1950s. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. John allen was a pioneer in adding realism to a model railroad, and an inspiration for anyone interested in adding realistic detail to their model railroad empire.
A photo of one of johns passes is featured on page 35 of linn h wescotts book model railroading with john allen. The original model railroading with john allen the original model railroading with john allen was published as a 144page softbound book by kalmbach publishing in 1981. Railroad, the fourth book in the series, which will take paul, anna, and company up to the beginning of the civil war, remains a work in progress. It is long outofprint, but can usually be found on ebay. Allen august 31, 2019 robledo mountain series status.
The original by john allen i have been wanting to build a timesaver based on john allens original timesaver ever since i saw it at my first nmra national convention in san jose in 2000. Starting the the 1940s, allens work started appearing in hobby magazines, and it really revolutionized the hobby. The car might be king today but thousands of devoted writers have ensured the railroads will never be forgotten. Starting the the 1940s, allen s work started appearing in hobby magazines, and it really revolutionized the hobby. I believe it was published by popular mechanics, but i do not recall for certain. View john allens profile on linkedin, the worlds largest professional community.
The full text of this article is available to registered users of. Two weeks after johns death the model layout was destroyed by fire. The northern pacific railroad, the sioux, and the panic of 1873 by m. Allen was a skilled photographer, and his ability to take pictures of models with realistic details and lighting thatfor the first time everwas. Trick picture of cliff grandt on a model 040 by john allen circe 1951. So realistic is this ho engine house that it has the birds fooled. Allen, who passed away in 1973, was one of the hobbys first acknowledged grand masters, and many of his concepts and techniques are in evidence in todays best. John allen s gorre and daphetid railroad a reminiscence. John allen was my hero, when i was 14 years old i went to the store with my mother and found an issue of model railroad handbook and she bought it for me. This book spans the model railroad from its earliest days as a 3 7 by 6 8 layout through the construction of the final masterpiece in the basement of his monterrey california home. I enjoyed reading about how he built it and about the man himself.
46 1479 664 1208 822 285 812 5 168 1452 352 774 132 1154 1444 1442 669 503 214 1073 918 824 734 381 192 1231 92 991 1171 1067 1004 863 398 351 214 450 618 853 200 1367 1477 1103 112 1210 149 180