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Allen Keller videos

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  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:58 PM

They are going on the Empire Builder, so it might not be Private Varnish

https://virtualrailfan.com/events/

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:27 PM

John-NYBW
My fantasy, if I were mega-rich would be to buy one of the 20th Century observation cars and have it fully restored and travel around the country in it. Barring winning a huge Powerball jackpot, that is unlikely to ever happen

Mine too.   I think Virtual Railfan is having a private charter trip.  Meanwhile you can dream here. https://ozarkmountainrailcar.com/railEquipmentGrid.php?category=Passenger%20Equipment

If you register for the site, they do not spam you with emails.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 2,572 posts
Posted by John-NYBW on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:17 PM

I received the three Allen Keller videos on the F&SM last week but just got around to viewing the first one last night. This was the second video in Allen's series and is from 1988. These were replacements for the ones I loaned out years ago and never got back. It had probably been at least 20 years since I had viewed any of them. I had forgotten just how magnificent the F&SM was even in its early years. The detail is superb. I know some have criticized George Selios for over detailing but even if that is so, it is done with great effect. 

These videos also were a refresher course in some of his construction and weathering techniques, some of which I had forgotten. I'm delighted to be able to revist these videos and look forward to seeing the other two in the series. 

Does anyone know if George Selios still allows visitors to his layout?

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, May 25, 2023 8:32 AM

John-NYBW
Any idea who bought the car and what became of it.

The car was sold to a private company that was trying to assemble/restore a matching train set to run as a luxury special trip.

I have no idea if that ever happened.

The sale price was $22,000.00.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,892 posts
Posted by wjstix on Thursday, May 25, 2023 8:24 AM

John-NYBW
The layouts by George Selios and Allen McClelland were the two most influential ones for me in planning my own layout. Selios for his urban scenery and McClelland for his operational design.

One thing I really liked in the Pentrex DVD on McClelland's V&O - and that I wish the Allen Keller videos had done when they changed over from tape to DVD - was a "special cut" option, sort of a "railfan" option that just played the 35 min. or so of trains running on the V&O, leaving out the talk and the clinic 'how to' stuff. With the three George Selios DVDs, they probably could make a one hour DVD that was just trains running clips taken from the three programs.

Stix
  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 2,572 posts
Posted by John-NYBW on Saturday, May 20, 2023 9:17 AM

thomas81z

 

 
SeeYou190

 

 
BigDaddy
I didn't realize he made so many. 

 

The model train club here in town had a large collection of his videos, and a retired Amtrak car to watch them in.

I spent many Saturdays just hanging out there.

Ah... those good old days.

-Kevin

 

 

 

that scale rails ??/BITD??

 

 

Any idea who bought the car and what became of it. 

My fantasy, if I were mega-rich would be to buy one of the 20th Century observation cars and have it fully restored and travel around the country in it. Barring winning a huge Powerball jackpot, that is unlikely to ever happen. I wish I had heard of this when it happened:

Take a Ride on the Vintage 20th Century Limited Train - Untapped New York (untappedcities.com)

The story says it was run to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 20th
Century's last run which I believe would have been 2018. I would have jumped at the chance to ride the Hickory Creek. I can't find anything that indicates this is something that would be available again any time soon. 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, May 19, 2023 8:58 PM

thomas81z
Is that Scale Rails?

Yes.

The passenger car was named the "Alex Grantt" by the club membership. It was kept on a siding near Hanson and Evans in Fort Myers. The passenger car served the role as the club's lounge.

The car was sold in the early 1990s, and the money used to purchase the club's current location on Piney Road.

In the picture, that is Brownie's truck. He was a great guy, and one of my finest older friends. Like the passenger car, Brownie is also long gone now.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: CAPE CORAL FLA
  • 511 posts
Posted by thomas81z on Friday, May 19, 2023 4:45 PM

SeeYou190

 

 
BigDaddy
I didn't realize he made so many. 

 

The model train club here in town had a large collection of his videos, and a retired Amtrak car to watch them in.

I spent many Saturdays just hanging out there.

Ah... those good old days.

-Kevin

 

that scale rails ??/BITD??

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 7:57 PM

You are welcome. 

Every once in a while this forum functions like a collective mind.  Each of us knows something about something or knows where to find it. 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 2,572 posts
Posted by John-NYBW on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 2:55 PM

BigDaddy

I didn't realize he made so many. 

If you don't ask you don't get.  https://www.modelrailroadacademy.com/products/allen-keller-tours/

 

Thank you very much. I was able to order the 3 DVD set for the Franklin & South Manchester at a very reasonable price even with the add-on shipping charge. I had visited that website earlier but only found the short snippets from the videos. I didn't find the page that had the full DVDs.

The layouts by George Selios and Allen McClelland were the two most influential ones for me in planning my own layout. Selios for his urban scenery and McClelland for his operational design.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 11:15 AM

BigDaddy
I didn't realize he made so many. 

The model train club here in town had a large collection of his videos, and a retired Amtrak car to watch them in.

I spent many Saturdays just hanging out there.

Ah... those good old days.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, May 15, 2023 5:48 PM

I didn't realize he made so many. 

If you don't ask you don't get.  https://www.modelrailroadacademy.com/products/allen-keller-tours/

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 2,572 posts
Allen Keller videos
Posted by John-NYBW on Monday, May 15, 2023 5:11 PM

I know Allen Keller retired from the model railroad video business a number of years ago. I was wondering if he sold his inventory of videos and if anyone is still selling them. I went out on ebay and just about everything is VHS. I had all three of the Franklin and South Manchester videos on DVD and made the mistake of loaning them out and never got them back. I'd like to replace them but I'm not having any luck finding a source. 

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