About a month ago I visted the site of John Allen’s old residence at 9 Cielo Vista Terrace in Monterey, Ca. The new house that was built in the location of the old one looks to be of the same design. Could they have used the old foundation from John’s house? If so, would the ‘roughed in’ cement mountains still in place? What do you think. I think probably not. But could they be???
Hi,
WHO"S JOHN ALLEN ???
Is he some one of railroad notariaty ??
KIT, Bob Kim 
I’m presuming that you are not being facetious here . . . John Allen, also known as the Wizard of Monterey, was, perhaps, more responsible than any other individual for elevating model railroading to an art form. Starting in the 40s, he built several model railroads using the name “Gorre & Daphetid” (gory and defeated) The last of these, not fully completed at the time of his death in the early 70s, was unquestionably one of the greatest and most influential of all time in the hobby, raising the bar for scenery, equipment and operation beyond anything previously seen and most stuff seen since. He also wrote about what he did and why and photographed his work in ways that captivated his audience. The late Linn H. Westcott, former editor of MR wrote a marvelous biography of John and his pike which has been available on and off from Kalmbach over the years. I highly recommend it.
David in Vancouver
James,
Most likely not. When the new house was being created they most likely smoothed everything down, unless the person that moved in planned to create his own empire. I believe that Robert is an idiot and isn’t a true modeler if he doesn’t know who John Allen is. He is my role model. I began modeling after reading"Model Railroading with John Allen". That was my inspiration.
Now, now there Kenneth. It is possible that Robert is fairly new to our hobby, and might not be familliar with the God Fathers of this wonderful hobby of ours. Robbert ther are several early visionaries that founded this hobby, and John Allen was definately one of the best
Too many James’ in here! Anyway, the only reason I ask Ken is because due to the very steep nature of the hill and the lot that the house was built on. I know that in some areas, if constuction is particularly tricky (like on a hill) they will use a much of the former foundation if a building is torn down or buns down or what have you.
James A. Powell
www.trevinocircle.com
Hello Kenneth n James,
Please forgive my ‘idiocy’, I’m relatively new to the hobby and I’m just trying to learn …
Thanks for the information and the ‘subtle-ness’ of your reply . Could you please tell me where I might find a copy of ‘MODEL RAILROADING WITH JOHN ALLEN’. I’d like to read his info and learn… Thanks for your input… KIT…
Robert
Hello David,
Thanks for the infrmation. I appreciate very much, in as much as I am new to the hobby, the good info you have provided… Thanks again…
KIT Robert
Robert,
Sorry, but I just figure everyone knows who John Allen is. I can’t blame you for not knowing though, my science teacher didn’t even know who Robert Goddard was. You can most likely find this book in your towns public library. It tells of John’s building and creating his empire. I think it is a pretty cool book…
Sorry Again,
Kenneth
First of all, welcome to the hobby!
Unfortunately, the John Allen book went out of print. I’ve put out a request to see if we have any left in the warehouse that are in saleable condition. Failing that, I’ll see if we can locate any retailers that might have one left. It would be great if you found one in a library, but model train books are not high on most librarians’ shopping lists!
As to the fate of John’s house, I recall talking with Linn Westcott (long-time editor of Model Railroader) about the fire that occured at John’s house after his death. There was much speculation on things supernatural surrounding that sad event, but the reality was much more mundane. A space heater that John always left turned off in the layout room was activated by a relative (who didn’t realize the implications of his action), thus starting the fire. This was many, many years ago, so I doubt the cement mountains have survived.
Michael Stephens, VP Marketing
Kalmbach Publishing Co.
I really don’t see why a library wouldn’t have a train section. My library has a section and luckily they have the John Allen book. They have a helpful amount of books. In fact, I built my whole layout with the books from my library, so that would be my first place to check…
You, sir, are an extremely intemperate and conceited young whippersnapper! Perhaps in time you will learn that lack of arcane knowledge does not imply idiocy, nor is everyone’s experience identical to yours, which you feel so superior about. If your library has a good selection of railroad books, it is probably one of the rarest around. I have visited both the main library in my county and the main library in the neighboring, much larger, county, and neither one has ANY books pertaining to railroads. The local library was given some and they in turn sold them to me for 50 cents apiece.
Gregg,
Your lucky then. Sorry, about my intemperate and conceited self, but I see no reason why a model railroader wouldn’t know who John Allen is. Even before I got interested in the hobby I knew who John was. I may not of known that he was an extreme builder and didn’t know of what he had built, but in all, I knew who he was. Yes, I do consider myself inferier on certain levels, but I even need help from time to time. Sorry again.
Kenneth
To Greg n Kenneth,etal
Hello fellas, I didn’t wi***o start anything rash… Iwas just asking a question to learn about the hobby.
I thank you ALL for the information… Let us all be cool and enjoy our selves…
KIT Robert
Robert, there was nothing wrong with your question.
If you don’t ask questions you don’t learn.
To those who responded with impatience and negativity. We all make statements we wish we hadn’t. So lets all forget it and play nice.
Gary
Robert,
Sorry, I was unaware that you were a new hobbiest. Questions are good. I was having a bad day.
Kenneth
If you are looking foe a copy of the John Allen book try Amazon.com, they have an out-of-print section, you can also post a request to them and when they find a copy will let you know. Lots-a-luck.
I would bet its on a new foundation. Foundations do break down over time and I’m sure there is new building codes that would have to be met. Maybe knock on the door and ask, you might get a HUGE surprise.
Foundations are costly and if it met code it was left. But if I remember correctly his house burned so depending on the temperature of the fire the foundation would have been ripped out. Not all foundations break over time only those lousy slab on ground designs. Piers drilled to bedrock will last longer than any slab poured on the ground.
Piers drilled to bedrock are typically found under huge buildings, bridges, and other large structures. Very rarely will a residential dwelling need such support. The enormous cost of such construction vs. the relatively small load created by a home doesn’t justify it.
On a related note, I understand the other John, John Armstrong, who passed away a couple years ago, has had his layout dismantled and moved in sections to a new owner. Does anyone have any information on that?
Lee