https://www.facebook.com/Great-Divide-Lines-423511918192732/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Great DivideThe room is not exact... but it is close...
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Close should be good enough. I think the room shape would be critical in order to capture the feel of the GORRE AND DAPHETID.
I wonder how much would have been different if John Allen would have had a rectangular room, and did not have to get creative to make it all fit and work.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190I wonder how much would have been different if John Allen would have had a rectangular room, and did not have to get creative to make it all fit and work.
I might be wrong, but I thought I read that John Allen had his basement built - or at least, greatly modified - to his specifications before beginning building the layout?
John had a large portion underneath the house excavated to a deeper depth to allow a bigger layout to be built, and some portions of the layout were built on a built-up concrete section that was not excavated.
As far as I know, the actual size or shape of the basement was not changed during this preparatory work.
If you know more about this, please add to this conversation.
SeeYou190Close should be good enough. I think the room shape would be critical in order to capture the feel of the GORRE AND DAPHETID.
I would agree Kevin. So I will assume you took the time to actually look at my plans and have seen they are very close to the exact configuration of John's.
John had a very strange shape to work in with large alcoves on either end of his cellar that created a hard to copy diagonal room space. Even with the excavation work under the house he had only a 7'4" ceiling height and three main support posts remained within the layout itself, one directly under his living room floor was later removed and this became a subject of humor and repeated warnings to visitors to walk near the walls as they entered.
I am very lkucky to have an 8'3" ceiling height and no support posts here at all to deal with. So my Devils Post Pile and Eagles Nest Restaurant will have nothing above them and they will look as they should, as a mountain top. I am sure John wold have liked to have had that option. Any changes I had to make to fit the room might create changed angles of approach or differing radius's as some place may sit slightly askew to John's original. I will also have narrower asiles in some places. But there are many improvments and lucky enhancements that fall into place as well. I now have access to the wall beind the entire Great Divide Yard area where John had to use a difficult access hatch. Also access behind what he called "Cold Shoulder" and Andrews. I also have a full floor beneath the layout so I do not deasl with the humidity problems in the summers here and I can run wiring in shorter runs wiyth easy access. John's rather "odd" cellar floor plan did required three additions added to the second floor of my garage to create a similiar space. But it worked and so far everything is fitting fairly close.
I credit John Allen for my lifes best work in museums, and the opleasure this work has brought me as a livelihood. I am trying to simply repay this gift by honoring his legacy and bringing his incredible fantasy world back to life using these same skills that were, in many ways, created by John himself. John deserves to have his layout brought back to life. His story is so incredible and full of wonder the catostrophic ending, we all know of, has got to be changed a bit.
I can't remake his legacy nor charm nor magic, but I can make a model that will give everyone who was ever curious, a place to come and see what was lost so long ago. I hope this rebuild will gain it's own magic and bring along with it, some new young faces who will see this model and read Johns story and can totally "get" why he was so famous and become inspired to get into this hobby. I think John would aprove of that.
Please follow the build, I realise it is an odd thing to see. How many copies of someone elses layout do you ever see built? I hope that seeing one done like a museum exhibit build in a "behind the scenes" look in real time will be a fun for every modeler who cares about our hobbies history.
I welcome any information that helps me make this build as perfect as possible. This one is for all John Allen fans.
Randy Decker
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.
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
http://mrr.trains.com/how-to/model-train-layouts/2018/08/john-allens-gorre-daphetid-online-extras
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
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.
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.
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.
Randy
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Great Dividecan you see the photo of the Ryan Gulch Trestle?
I can see the trestle. But if there is any other photo, nada.
Yes, I do see the picture of the trestle bridge.
Deleted duplicate post.
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.
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.
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
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
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
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/