I read the editorial column in Model Railroader about your project.
It is very exciting, and I am looking forward to seeing the series of articles about the build.
Take care.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Chuck, with a web page now, it more or less obviates the need for people in any forum to wait for updates. I am seriously terrible at keeping up with this stuff. However, I do respect Joe Fugate a great deal and his Model Railroad Magazine is just tremendous. So I won't leave the site or anything but the posts will dwindle as they must. His site would be the only other forum I'd respond to, but there might be lags in responses. I am serously flat out.
I have a large and intricate layout I am trying to rebuild to museum quality standards. This famous masterpece was created by one of the best modelers in the world and it took him 20 years to NOT finish. So I really just need to keep my head down and go. I lost a whole year already to health issues that had me at deaths door, twice, in 2020. I am so lucky that the events have worked out that I feel better now than I have in years. but I am behind.... what you see now is just 1 year and 7 months of work. I am pushing to see this done in 5 years or less total.
I was offered help by a man who saw what I was doing and remembered reading about John Allen and his model railroad many years ago and he was blown away by the effort being made and offered to help make me a website at his own expense and time. WOW....
So now it's easy for anyone to simply click on the webpage and there is even an email update option there where I can send a note the whole group. There are 670+ people on the list already. Please sign up. So at some point it makes sense that a project like this becomes far enough along that it is important to do this and make it easier for anyone to follow what I am doing in a way that is easier for me.
So far, the numbers are proving the logic is correct. I am encouraged and will assume that after I get more, current, work photos loaded into the site that even more people will sign up as more and more iconic scenes begin to appear.
John Allen's story is simply one of the most unique stories in the hobby. Always will be. Linn Westcott's book is the best book out there as it has an extremely interesting and readable story. It is a reference library for me along with the GDLines.org pages. I am just part of an alternate ending people can choose to watch. And my story of rebuilding his layout is just fun, you just do not ever see anything like this. John Allen deserves to have his work displayed like so many of the giants in this hobby who have some of their work in that wonderful new museum in CA. One of the greatest modelers who had so much influence on a vast number of us, has only a few engines and burned objects in a case as his display. I want to give his work a destination, in a close copy of his miniature world that so many of us dreamed of seeing ourselves. Now that is something worth watching as its construction is being offered up for all to see as it unfolds.
I am honored that Model Railroader has taken up this journey. It is an undeniable story of historic interest to the entire hobby. And it is a craftsman's dream of a layout that achieved the greatest fame. It was also one of the most abrupt and tragic endings of any famous modeler anyone can name. I just can't even imagine the kind of craftsman who would say.
Eghhh yeah I don't want to see that. lol....
Randy
https://www.facebook.com/Great-Divide-Lines-423511918192732/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Does this mean that you will stop posting on MRH? I saw a bunch of photos posted today.
The layout is looking fantastic. Good to see someone taking this on.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
For anyone who has ever boasted about how excellent John Allen's modeling was and how much it influenced them, this project is not anwhere near done yet, but there is enough evidence now that I hope the fans of John Allen will one day soon do more than just point at old photo of John's masterpiece as an example of what they feel was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. I am trying to provide a destinaton to come and prove these claims without any doubts to any of the skeptics that my be out there and a fun trip for those of us who were inspired by and waited for the next articles on his awe inspiring miniature world, forever lost to fire in 1973.
I have a webpage now www.greatdivideline.com but it is not filled yet with all the photographs I have of this work. So here's one from today. I won't be here again (or only very rarely) as I just have no time anymore. I will be sending email notifications out from the webpage on current work and closing out of other forums as well, to concentrate on getting this gigantic project done.
I will eventually be sending things into the Trains.com pages and to my own website. And starting after the January planning issue, there will be a series of MR magazine articles covering this very different, fun, and historic, museum quality, build project. So please follow along and enjoy. It is fun to compare my work and see how I am doing. How often do you get to do that?
John Allen deserves to have an alternmate ending to his incredible story of awe insipring achievment and complete disaster. I am paying tribute to him and trying to achive this goal by using the talents he inspired me to hone into a profession as a model maker, and a wonderful carreer. I credit John for such a rewarding job. He did not know it, but his work was so good, he was creating generations of craftsmen and women. Many of us still build his structures and scenes and mimic his work. I am just the perfect storm of circumstances and have taken on this ambitious project. I am now having the time of my model building life.
No balloons in here for John today. lol
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GandD/media
http://www.doug56.net/GD/page6.html
http://www.gdlines.info/
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
BigDaddy I'd suggest you continue to use Chrome then. This was simply a Happy Birthday note to announce John Allen's birthday. Hope someone enjoyed it. The previous post about Emma and photo has been there for some time. Randy Great Divide Again what you guy's see, and apparently, what I see are different I see nothing in Firefox, I see the trestle in Chrome and later your stegasaurus. I don't know why I should see the later because the link does not end in .jpg
Great Divide Again what you guy's see, and apparently, what I see are different
I see nothing in Firefox, I see the trestle in Chrome and later your stegasaurus. I don't know why I should see the later because the link does not end in .jpg
Great DivideAgain what you guy's see, and apparently, what I see are different
There is a post on how to post pictures in this forum. It is perhaps unique but not hard. Inventing different ways to do it seldom works.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Again what you guy's see, and apparently, what I see are different. There is no duplicate to delete. But here's a shot of little Emma again and the model of her daughter I think I will just call "M" sent by Kenichi Matsumoto.
Happy Brithday John, Emma will roam the hills behind Daphetid again.
Deleted duplicate post.
Yes, I do see the picture of the trestle bridge.
Great Dividecan you see the photo of the Ryan Gulch Trestle?
I can see the trestle. But if there is any other photo, nada.
I see the trestle bridge.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Kevin can you see the photo of the Ryan Gulch Trestle? How about anyone else, is there any trouble seeing photo's... ? I can see them both fine. So I need to find out if the probelm is on my end your end or the sites? let me know if you see the trestle. THanks
Great DivideHere she is, very badly damaged and stuck in a small box for 50 years but home now and ready to roam the hills as soon as I get it ready for her and her daughter "Elma" in the photo with her mom, from Japan.
I cannot see the picture of the Organic Swicth Engine.
Strawberry jam & pancakes was a tradition of John's on his birthday. John Allen's legacy lives on. Happy birthday to the Wizard of Monterey.
Perhaps the most incredible discovery since engine #34 is now our famous little Stegosaurus mascot, Emma. She will once again roam the hills behind Daphetid and enjoy her time making visitors smile and point and perhaps inspiring the youngest of them to get involved in the hobby like she did for so many years.
Here she is, very badly damaged and stuck in a small box for 50 years but home now and ready to roam the hills as soon as I get it ready for her and her daughter lil "M" in the photo with her mom, from Japan.
Randy Decker
I've always enjoyed seeing a little 'fun' injected into model railroading. I sometimes miss the old "AWNUTS" ("Always Whimsical, Not Usually to Scale") magazine, which had a lot of humor - and often, very good modeling.
Emma brought more kids and even adults into the hobby in her day (and even now) than most all of the rigid prototype niche combined. This fact is a value that is hard to tally it SHOULD NOT be lost on any of us.
Realism and Prototpical are two different things. In combination they can be inspiring... But one is not relyant upon the other, nor automatically coupled. Exellence in skillful modeling is just that and it is found in many of the sub groups within our hobby. I have seen EXCELLENCE in the pursuit of realism within prototype modeling. And that is an added fun for some of us, when the work is a representation of a real railroad and a real place.. Excellent.. ! Love it. But realism can just as easily be achived in any given viewers mind by a freelance layout. John Allen achieved this in hundreds of excellent scenes on his G&D layout. Emma was only borought out on rare occasions. HOW refreshing to know he enjoyed this relaxed, fun loving, quality in his life and in his work.... These qualities are endearing. Arrogance is just the oposite. Love Live Emma... and all her many inspirations..!
Very glad to see your group also has this fun loving quality Randy....
The Great Divide
Our protoype modeler's meet in September, we had a T-Rex win under the category of best 'other' motive power (ok, it was the only entry in the category). One of the exhibitors had a set of nicely done O scale models, and for whatever reason he had a somewhat undersize (maybe about S scale) T-Rex to set up with his loco display. The show organizer joked about putting a tag on it (each item gets a tag with a number and the category checked off, at voting time everyone grabs a ballot sheet and walks around and marks off their choices), so I mentioned the John Allen organic switcher. Later at voting time I saw it did get a tag, and probably half voted for it in the other motive power category, de facto winner.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Ahhhhhh perfect. Ya just gotta love it... What seems to be excellent detailed work and realistic features... and the fun and confidence of being able to show off a dinosaur. That is what this hobby is about.
JumijoGreat Divide, I'd love to hear about how you found a duplicate of Emma the dinosaur.
.
Not a duplicate, but the STRATTON AND GILLETTE also has a version of the organic switch engine.
nycmodel Randy, I admire your attempt to recreate John Allen's G & D. I always wished I had the space and time (not to mention skills) to do that. So far it looks good but boy do you have a long way to go. Do you plan to recreate the mountainous region all the way to Andrews? You will have your work cut out for you reproducing that rock work. Do you plan to build all the bridges including the never built bridge from Scalp Mountain? I would love to see onging status photos in this forum.
Randy, I admire your attempt to recreate John Allen's G & D. I always wished I had the space and time (not to mention skills) to do that. So far it looks good but boy do you have a long way to go. Do you plan to recreate the mountainous region all the way to Andrews? You will have your work cut out for you reproducing that rock work. Do you plan to build all the bridges including the never built bridge from Scalp Mountain? I would love to see onging status photos in this forum.
Yes sir, everything. A new web page is in the works so everyone can see.. and therre will be a series of discussions on Trains.com soon as well as a few MR articles that will follow this build as it progresses to it's goal and the Great Bridge completed and the Summit Division completed. A massive part of the work on the layout so far, is where I started in the two cities. Benchwork and track following a grade and the plan drawings is the easy part. And I don't think there is a man alive who can move faster with plaster than I can, so when the roadbed is done and trains running well the scenery will go tremendously fast. IN some areas I will build the secenrery forst using roadbed already placed to form it all then I will simple go back and add track later. I am building Port Plastics now and that whole corner. Then back to the Yeard area and the Hedaquarters.... and estblish the tunnel portals and begin some scenic fun on January 1st 2020. The builds 1st year anniversary.
Great Divide, I'd love to hear about how you found a duplicate of Emma the dinosaur. How did you even know what to look for? Did you know anything about the figure, such as the maker? What kind of research did you have to do for that?
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
http://mrr.trains.com/how-to/model-train-layouts/2018/08/john-allens-gorre-daphetid-online-extras
Great Divide nycmodel I would love to see onging status photos in this forum. NYC Hey I am in upstate NY NYC homeland... !
nycmodel I would love to see onging status photos in this forum.
NYC Hey I am in upstate NY NYC homeland... !
I just saw your page, great modeling, quite a project to recreate the most famous layout in model RR history. By upstate NY, do you mean north country?
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
I will follow the build, absolutely.
The GORRE AND DAPHETID fed my young imagination when I was discovering this hobby's potential. Seeing it built again is a thrill for me.
The differences you described all seem like very appropriate things to do. Someione with your skills will surely do this task justice.