I was perusing some G&D web sites and groups lately and all I can say is WOW! John Allen still is hands down one of the best. Now my question is where are all of the rest like him?
Does anyone have a name like Gorre and Daphetid? Something of a cute moniker? Or just a line that goes point A to point B and just represents a locale?
Plus ( this is to the MR staff reading these) How about a section on or a special on Great Model Railroads like John Allens? Lets dust off some photos and sit back and just marvel at the detail.
How about a track plan of the G&D as well. or Bruce Chubbs line. or pick a classic!
At the risk of upsetting the population, I fear these caliber of modlers no longer exist. True, we have some prolific hobbist among our ranks, who in time will accend to the throne.
It took a lot of effort and dedication for John Allen and others of similar vain to construct layouts of this cailber and I feel that is what makes them unique given the state of the hobby during this period. The things we take for granted to make our hobby easier, simply were not readily available then. [soapbox]
George Sellios’ Franklin & South Manchester is the current equal to the G&D.
There have been quite a few retrospective articles in MR and other mags on the G&D, as well as a great book by Lynn Wescott (now out of print - I got mine years ago!). Look for past issues to satisfy your interests.
Bob Boudreau
I am going through all my old MRs and the G&D is everywhere. What great stuff. Inspired me and and still does. His whimsical side was second to none. Any one remember the series of letters with a friend over the hiring of the over weight conducter that swayed all the cars he road and the special car that was built with the keg to keep him and his buddy happy?
IMHO, the Franklin and South Manchester is a few notches ABOVE the G&D.
While I admit to bing an Allen fan, there are aspects of his work that others have done better. It might be also true technology available to make some tedious work easy might give more time to concentrate on details that Allen had not achieved.
Like any genre of art, each generation builds on the work of the previous generation. You cannot compare Monet with Picasso. Both were pioneers who stretched their contemporary envelope.
John Allen was an inspiration to us all but from reading Model RR and RMC I feel there are modelers (besides G. Selios) who are everybit the equal of JA. True, few have the whimsical sense of humor John was famous for but from a realism standpoint some are worthy of greatness. I’m not one of them. Thought for today: Beer has food value but food has no beer value.
The convention of using whimsical names for layouts was an old tradition among model railroaders, but it has largely fallen by the wayside in recent decades–it just kind of got old. It’s funny the first time, but not the hundredth.
There is already a pretty good book about John Allen and the G&D–I highly recommend it.
Yo guys,
the John Allens are in narrow guage…Jim Vail, Dave Adams, Ken Ehlers, Harry Brunk, Boone Morrison, Bob Brown, etc… the list is huge. There is very little RTR in Narrow guage and very few kits at that, I would also add Jack Burgess, Rand Hood, George Sellios and countless others in standard gauge.
Allen had a huge advantage in that he was independently wealthy the last few decades of his life and devoted most of his time to the railroad…Few of these guys have that luxury. He also was a professional photographer so his work was well documented and very well presented. Thus his influendce was /is huge. He is one of the reasons I am a model railroader.
BTW: He might have actually finished the GD if he hadn’t insisted on scratchbuilding everything…I guess we can all take solace in the fact that one of the greatest never finished his layout…
Narrow gauge and electric traction are definitely parts of the hobby that feel like a throwback to an earlier era, which may be why those are the parts of the hobby that interest me the most.
Another benefit Allen had was a community of friends who were also skilled modelers and producers of model railroad products in their own right–which just goes to show that building a network of friends with model railroading skills can produce benefits for your pike, as well as the other benefits of friends with shared interests.
Let’s not forget the Virginian and Ohio. That was one of the best layouts ever to me. Excellent scenery and the realism make it better than the F&SM and G&D in my opinion.
soumodeler
The Southern Serves the South!
Bob:
In terms of look and feel, the F&SM, yes, is a modern equivalent to the G&D.
However, in terms of pioneering direction and influence, no one modern layout comes to mind that equals the G&D. The F&SM certainly doesn’t qualify when it comes to its influence on the hobby today.
I think many layouts today now share the position once held by the G&D. Plus the philosophical center of the hobby is no longer “how clever can you freelance” but is now “how clever can you model the prototype” – be it protofreelancing or faithfully following some prototype. Pure fantasy freelancing ala John Allen has developed into more of a niche following.
On the operational side, let’s not forget Frank Ellison’s Delta Lines.
work safe
I think Malcom Furlow’s efforts are just as good as Allen’s. I find it ironic that Furlow’s last “layout”, a whimsical south of the border pike was heavily ridiculed, while the G&D is put on a pedestal. Not to take anything away from the G&D or JA, but let’s not be so hard on Malcom for doing the whimsy thing.
I think the difference between G&D and Furlow’s South of the Border is the operability. I’m not taking away from Furlow, if that is the lkind of modeling he likes. But like Joe just said, it is a matter of context. John Allen moved model railroading forward where Furlow does not. The state of the art now is how well you can model the prototype. Furlow clearly does not fit that mold.
Was it? That’s a shame. Furlow does such great stuff, and I used to love seeing the frequent articles in MR. I think Furlow and John Olson have some legit claim to be the heirs of the Great Pooh-Bah: they both have done some amazing modeling, and it’s too bad they aren’t writing for MR much these days.
I would add Howard Zane to the list of John Allen’s heirs, on the grounds of whimsy, talent, and genuine openness and encouragement of younger modelers, as well as modeling ability. The Piermont Division is really an accomplishment.
Oooof! And does scenery not count??? I think he’s certainly a talented modeler by any measure, and if you don’t think he helped advance the hobby, you should look at some of his old how-to articles. Modeling the prototype means modeling scenery, and he definitely moved the hobby forward in that regard. If he didn’t model the prototype, it was because he didn’t want to, not because he couldn’t.
And speaking of prototypes, weren’t you the guy building a Hogwarts section on your layout???
I think that John Allen’s legacy is how he inspired so many others. While others since have done as well or better in scenery, scratchbuilding etc. very few have inspired so many. Who today inspires us?
Enjoy
Paul,
Furlow[tup]
That’s not the point. When you are talking about an art-form, it is the people who think outside the box and influence the direction of the art who are considered great. No doubt Furlow is talented, but he does not have the influence of an Allen. Let’s take an example in music. The group YES was highly inovatinve and extremely talented group, but they did not have the influence of the argualbly less talented Beatles on music culture. Furlow, is talented, but like YES a splinter faction. Few follow his lead. Most of us struggle to put down track with a tree here or there. We are more likely to study Armstrong than Furlow.
And your point is? I have no illusions of being a railroad model giant. I’m building a railroad I hope to run with my son. If it includes a freelance railroad called Hogwart’s Freight and Ferry, so be it.