End of the Virginian & Ohio

[k9wrangler]

Found this thread researching something else and decided to add comment. Sorry it upset you. 

[Mark R.]

k9wrangler

FYI Dr Bruce Chubb is still hosting multiple OPS sessions each month as well as authoring an extensive series on Railroad signaling in RMC. 

 

For that, you dug up an eight year old thread ?

Mark.

[k9wrangler]

FYI Dr Bruce Chubb is still hosting multiple OPS sessions each month as well as authoring an extensive series on Railroad signaling in RMC. 

[WVM_Nut]

I have both Allegheny Midland and V&O cars on the Maryland & West Virginia. One of my favorites though is a V&O Ridge Runner boxcar. That one won't be offered as a special, that's for sure.  

My favorite story was when I went to Ohio for a Mini Bunch meet in the 90s before the destruction of V&O original. I stopped off at a hobby shop that was apparently near Allen's home and sitting on top of a display case was the V&O's RDC. I quickly asked the clerk how much it would be. When he replied $35, my hand went to my wallet so fast, my pants nearly caught fire. He carefully took it down and went to the rear of the shop (I presumed to wrap it) and came back a few minutes later to tell me that he couldn't sell the piece after all; it was on display. ARRRGH!

Allen, if you're reading this and that RDC is still around.... 

 

[PASMITH]

George, from your last quote:

""And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel...""

George, somehow, these seem to be appropriate words for this thread. Do you recall the name of V & O's crack passenger train and if so, where is Willie Nelson or Arlo Guthrie when you need them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

 

Perhaps the better line in this case would be:"The passengers will please refrain:
This train got the disappearin' railroad blues".

Yes, I agree.

Peter Smith, Memphis

[railroadnut675]

That is kind of sad If only he gave it to his club or something...

[DeadheadGreg]

Who the *oops, paint spill* wouldn't want the V&O in their basement?!????  God *** are some people stupid. 

::end vulgar rant::

[corsair7]

I don't think Allen is actually that old.  I believe he is around 74 or so.  He was born in the mid 30s IIRCC from various articles I've read over the years.  I also remember his first MR cover, read the RMC series, the first printing book, et. al.  He has been a giant in the hobby, and I don't think we've seen the last of him!

 

David

I certainly would welcome another article or several on his new layout or even on his "good enough" philosophy. Afterall, if you want to superdetail the heck out of your layout, you'll probably need several lifetimes to do it and never get to run anything either.

Irv

[DavidH]

I don't think Allen is actually that old.  I believe he is around 74 or so.  He was born in the mid 30s IIRCC from various articles I've read over the years.  I also remember his first MR cover, read the RMC series, the first printing book, et. al.  He has been a giant in the hobby, and I don't think we've seen the last of him!

 

David

[corsair7]

I read in the June issue of Scale Rails, the NMRA magazine,  that the V&O was being dismantled.  Allen had a big fair well party and the guys that regularly ran the layout sold cars, loco's, buildings etc from it. 

I read that too. But you must realize that by the time an article gets published its at least 2 - 3 months old and possibly older. So I wouldn't consider what you read as being the latest word on the fate of the V & O.

Irv

[BRAKIE]

George, from your last quote:

""And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel...""

George, somehow, these seem to be appropriate words for this thread. Do you recall the name of V & O's crack passenger train and if so, where is Willie Nelson or Arlo Guthrie when you need them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

 

Perhaps the better line in this case would be:"The passengers will please refrain:
This train got the disappearin' railroad blues".

[Flashwave]

The V&O is completely gone.  It doesn't exist anymore.  At least by the time you read this.  The house has been sold and the new owners wanted the railway gone, so it has.

Gone as in what hapened to it? it's in pieces in a storage facility? ebay'd? sold back to the hobby shop? *Gulp* pitched?

[garya]

Another of my favorite railroads is Bruce Chubb's but I haven't seen anything about it or an article by him in years.

Irv

Model Railroader had a two-part article about Bruce Chubb's current layout in Feb/March 2006.

[rogertra]

The V&O is completely gone.  It doesn't exist anymore.  At least by the time you read this.  The house has been sold and the new owners wanted the railway gone, so it has.

[DeadheadGreg]

does Kalmbach need to expand?  They should totally buy the house.

Or maybe we all can pool money together to buy it? 

[csmincemoyer]

RMC published the series in book form, some years back, but I don't know if it's still available.  Will one of the Brethren please check this out for those of us with NO MEMORY? 

I purchased this book this year at the Amherst show from Carsten's stand.  Should still be available and if my memory serves me correct, RMC usually has a seperate ad for the V & O story in the magazine and doesn't list with the rest of their books 

Chris 

 

 

[IRONROOSTER]

...

RMC published the series in book form, some years back, but I don't know if it's still available.  Will one of the Brethren please check this out for those of us with NO MEMORY?  ...

Yep, scroll down

http://www.rrmodelcraftsman.com/depot.html 

Enjoy

Paul 

[Flashwave]

George, from your last quote:

""And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel...""

George, somehow, these seem to be appropriate words for this thread. Do you recall the name of V & O's crack passenger train and if so, where is Willie Nelson or Arlo Guthrie when you need them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

Ridge Runner. It;'s on the side of the boxcar and he has an Amtrak Train called rthat mentioned in the Pentrex video.

[PASMITH]

I also followed the V & O story from inception and it was a sure bet to be included in MR's Land Mark series. Like Irv, I think the same things can be said about Bruce Chubb who has to be among the giants of this hobby. There have been several articles about his new layout in MR and one of their special publications. I hope that MR includes Chubb's new or original RR along with the Gorre & Daphetid in their Land Mark series because to exclude them would be a big disappointment for me and I am sure a, lot of others. ( Sort of like excluding " The City Of New Orleans from a list of all time great train songs)

Peter Smith, Memphis

[corsair7]

I followed "The V&O Story" avidly in RMC, back in the day, and Allen's ideas for creating a Transportation System that reached Beyond the Basement were as important as the late Frank Ellison's ideas for running a model RR like the real thing--and telling us how to create the scenes.  I particularly liked Allen's development of his Diesel fleet, from color schemes to the "torpedo boat" air tanks on some of his F-units.

RMC published the series in book form, some years back, but I don't know if it's still available.  Will one of the Brethren please check this out for those of us with NO MEMORY?  As was said in the recent MR story on the V&O, Allen's "Good Enough" way of doing things was very good, indeed, and should be mentioned often for those who're on their second or third model RRs And Really Getting Down to Brass Tacks (and N-S tracks).

I followed that series too. I was fascinated by what Allen was able to accomplish but I also realized to do what he did required more than an average salary  and more than average talent and skill. Still, those who can accomplish these feats are the ones who give the rest of us some incentive to do something nice in the space we have.

I have the V & O Story and because I was able to buy in 2004, was finally able to read the entire series on it. I think it's still available but I don't remember seeing it advertised in RMC.

Another of my favorite railroads is Bruce Chubb's but I haven't seen anything about it or an article by him in years.

Irv

[Autobus Prime]

Wow.

This news hits me hard.

Those of us who are involved in prototype operation owe a HUGE debt to Allen. The V&O and the articles written about it were responsible for letting a lot of people know that realistic operation IS possible on a model railroad.

fm:

Yup. He was like a 1970s Frank Ellison.

The V&O was a great railroad. I too hope we will see a new V&O. It will be an excellent chance for McC to atone for his lamentable sin of diseaselization. I suggest burning an offering of Pocahontas coal before the glorious Allegheny at the B&O Museum, at the very least :D

One of my favorite V&O stories was the utterly sensible way it was built, as described in an old RMC issue, I forget which. It takes a real man to admit that he uses nails and glue on L-girders, and that he mixes construction methods...but the nails and glue worked (the glue provides the strength, as A McC pointed out) and the construction methods worked. This may have been V&O 2, perhaps.

A new, more compact V&O that used the same operational concepts but in an easier-to-manage form would be a very handy thing for a lot of us.

[PASMITH]

George, from your last quote:

""And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel...""

George, somehow, these seem to be appropriate words for this thread. Do you recall the name of V & O's crack passenger train and if so, where is Willie Nelson or Arlo Guthrie when you need them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

[Dean-58]

I followed "The V&O Story" avidly in RMC, back in the day, and Allen's ideas for creating a Transportation System that reached Beyond the Basement were as important as the late Frank Ellison's ideas for running a model RR like the real thing--and telling us how to create the scenes.  I particularly liked Allen's development of his Diesel fleet, from color schemes to the "torpedo boat" air tanks on some of his F-units.

RMC published the series in book form, some years back, but I don't know if it's still available.  Will one of the Brethren please check this out for those of us with NO MEMORY?  As was said in the recent MR story on the V&O, Allen's "Good Enough" way of doing things was very good, indeed, and should be mentioned often for those who're on their second or third model RRs And Really Getting Down to Brass Tacks (and N-S tracks).

[PA&ERR]

The NMRA Mid-Central Region, Division 9 Newsletter "Up In The Holler" has a good article on the V&O's last open house. It mentions that Allen Keller and his video crew were there so there will probably been a V&O finale in his GMR series soon...

www.coaldivision.org/Newsletter_2.2.pdf

-George

[Master of Big Sky Blue]

Oh if only I lived closer.

I tried to purchase the first V&O intack but couldn't get anybody to listen to my proposal. Now I to entangled with my career to be able to purchase the house and finsih the railroad. Also Wyoming to Ohio would be a big shift. It would probably be easier to move the layout from Ohio to Wyoming. But I don't even want to consider the logistics that would be involved.

James

[wjstix]

IIRC the 1905 convention was in New York, seems to me the tour of the Ives plant was the high point although that Joshua Lionel Cowan kid looks like he's got a chance at success. My favorite seminar was "MICROSCOPIC MODELLING - Is O gauge too small to succeed??"

Our side trip to the Polo Grounds to see Christy Mathewson pitch for the NY Giants was nice too.

Only sad part was in the hotel lobby display layout, someone knocked over the open container of battery acid that was helping power the trains and burned a hole all the way down to the basement!!

 

[chatanuga]

Let's clarify . . . this is the SECOND V&O that is for sale, right?  I recall McClelland's previous announcement a decade or so ago, to sell his house with the FIRST V&O intact (Did that sale attempt succeed?)

Yes, this is the second V&O.

The original was dismantled when he last moved, although a couple parts of it were used in the second V&O, and another section was saved for in a museum (can't remember where right off hand).

Kevin

http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html

[slotracer]

I was quietly concerned when I saw the old V&O was going as they were moving.  It struck me Allen had to be up in years as his model RR was gaining in popularity 35 years ago and was started in the early sixties....I figured he probably had to be at least in his mid seventies to early eighties.  That is an older age to begin a large and ambitious layout.....although Harold Weirthein's (SP?) Erie is massive and I think he was in his upper years when that was started..... Either way, sad news to hear the end of an era like this, however inevitable.

[Tom Curtin]

Let's clarify . . . this is the SECOND V&O that is for sale, right?  I recall McClelland's previous announcement a decade or so ago, to sell his house with the FIRST V&O intact (Did that sale attempt succeed?)