No? Zero derailments is an ideal, not reality, at least over an extended period. I’m sure the real railroads think no derailments is best too.
Smoking hotboxes!, and I thought we could all agree on something!
Mark
Sure it is. Every prototype railroad that ever existed would agree that having no derailments is best. None acheive it but its still best.
All true, but on the other hand if you watch the video / DVD of the GD line (which wasn’t shot by John) it does show a pretty remarkable level of modelling skill. Also neat to notice from the earliest film to the last how much the trains sl
I just looked up “Model Railroading with John Allen” at Abe Books, Amazon and on Ebay. THe cheapest one is on Ebay for $65 and change. Abe Books has several copies and the cheapest on there is $80. Amazon has a copy for $100. With those prices there wis obviously a market for this book.
Irv
I suggest you try the epistemology of Emanuel Kant Peter Smith, Memphis
[quote user=“howmus”]
I read it through interlibrary loan. When I told the woman at the counter that I saw a copy on eBay for $300 she said,
“Don’t tell anyone you got it from me, but if you borrowed the book and ‘lost’ it, you would have to pay the original price.”
I suppose a less, dishonest librarian would have suggested I borrow it and scan it.
But I model the 1970s–the more derailments the better![:-^]
People who fail to recognize and appreciate the brilliance of the work of Allen, Furlow, etc. are simply jealous because they lack that ability. Many people can produce excellent copies of the work of others, be it 1:1 or any other scale. This applies to works in all fields of endeavor, whether it be railroads, cars, structures, paintings, sculpture, clothes or whatever. But very, very few can create an original work which can compare to the works of the masters, such as John Allen, Frank Lloyd Wright, Da Vinci, Hitchcock, Enzo Ferrari, or anyone else you care to name.
Harry,I doubt if there is any jealously there as much as it is saying “enough already”…The same was said for the V&O,AM, The Maumee Route,the Trains of Thought Column,etc.
Its a matter of certain modelers being overly expose in the pages of the magazines that the cry of “enough already” is heard.
On the other hand the so called “fantasy” modeling was never really accepted by the majority and is look down upon more today then in times past…
The hobby has change so much over the years I doubt if John would be considered a “master” today…
Maybe. But what you are doing is comparing apples to oranges–his layout to today’s standards.
The one thing that almost everyone agrees is that John Allen gave the publisher’s, the sponsors, and the public what they wanted. He was as talented at self-publicity as he was at modeling. My guess is that he would have positioned himself pretty well in today’s environment as well.
What I take exception to is that people don’t seem to understand that a person can acknowledge an “artist’s” talent without liking his work. Jackson Pollock is one of the most famous and groundbreaking modern artists. Would I pick a print of one of his paintings to hang in my living room? Probably not. John Allen was one of the most famous and groundbreaking modelers. Would I pick a layout and scenery design similar to his for my layout? Probably not.
My choice is not based on jealousy or either of our modeling abilities. It is just a matter of personal preference. Saying that you HAVE to like the G&D (which is implied by the many of the posts, such as implying that the motivation for not liking Allens work is a driven by negative behavior such as jealousy, liking the G&D is good, disliking it is bad) is like saying that I HAVE to like Coke, that I HAVE to model the PRR or that I HAVE to like the Red Sox. I don’t HAVE to do any of those. I don’t HAVE to like the G&D. And not liking it doesn’t imply that I hate it either. If I had unlimited funds to create the layout of my dreams, it would look nothing like the G&D, its just not my preference.
Chip,I dunno know…The hobby is so different today then it was back then and that’s not apple to oranges either.There has always been the few so called “fantasy modelers” in our hobby that was tolerated now,I am not dang sure…Even on the local scene I notice the younger modelers(those less then 40) wanting 110% correct models with noise and frown on those models that isn’t up to those “standards”…Some frown at freelance railroads as being “fantasy” modeling and not serious modeling…
Old relics like me that enjoys the hobby doing things the “old school” way are on the “endangered species” list soon to become extinct…
I believe if John came on the scene today he would be grouped with Malcolm and friends frowned upon as not being "serious"and that battle cry of “Why did MR,RMC waste the space?” would be heard.[:(]
The hobby is the hands of you younger modelers.Shape it well.[tup]
At this point I’d settle for a scan or even a nice photocopy. [:-^]
Sure it may violate a copyright but if they aren’t willing to reprint it and I am not willing spend megabucks for a copy, what can they expect?
Irv
This statement assumes he would build the same layout or even the same style of layout. I beleive John Allen would have still given the people what they want.
No, That implies that if you think something is art, we must all agree, or we’re wrong.
Just because you think their work was great, doesn’t make it universally or objectively true.
It always misleading to speculate on what so-and-so would do if they were alive today. We’re all products of our times. If Beethoven had been born in the 20th century he might have gravitated towards synthesizers and been making Rock CD’s today rather than composing symphonies. In a different time, Abe Lincoln might have given up on politics after losing his seat in Congress and been satisfied remaining a highly successful corporate attorney.
John Allen started in model railroading at a time when inside jokes, puns, cutesy place and railroad names were common. Walthers used to offer a decal set called “model railroad names” which besides words like “northern”, “southern”, “central” etc. included “attic”, “toy”, “basement” and others. I suspect there were plenty of “Basement and Western” and “Lilliput Central” railroads around. (Anyone remember the “Yahsah, Yewall and Shonuff RR”??) It was pretty rare back then to find a model railroad that didn’t have a “George’s Gorge” or some similar play on words or pun.
As someone with a sense of humor he enjoyed doing jokes on his layout. But I think we can’t get too carried away with that. He did a few jokes here and there - I suspect more early on, fewer (or more subtle ones) as he got older. But John was also an excellent modeller. He got permission to ride on freight trains in the cab and made notes of how a real train crew switched industries, how long it took etc. In the days of wooden cars with trussrods, freight cars really did sometimes sag or have a hump in the middle if the rods were too loose or too tight. Maybe he exagerated that a little, but many many of the cars, buildings, and engines he built were very accurate and well detailed models.
It’s kinda like celebrities today. Somebody is a model citizen for a couple of years, then gets drunk at a Hollywood party and causes a scene, and the next weekend SNL is doing a sketch portraying them as a raging
Chip,I believe you missed my point…[:D]
Brace yourselves. Another box from Allen’s house has been found to contain reams of documents written by Allen himself, discussing various topics such as data sheets, operations etc. From his round-robin mailings of the 1960s. We may learn even more about the man and his influence. There are even some photographs.
Source?
Naw let the 400 ft sheer drops that filled half the room, the sky hook lifts to stations and multiple bridges over the same canyon do that for ya.