Why is John Allen and the Gorre & Daphetid so

well known among model railroaders?

Almost from the time John Allen took an interest in model railroading, he

was sharing his enthusiasm and enjoyment with others. He published his

first article in 1946 and went on to publish many more in Model Railroader,

Railroad Model Craftsman, the NMRA Bulletin, HO Monthly/Model Trains and

the Model Railroad Handbook. For a listing of his publications on the Gorre

& Daphetid, and those of others, go to the Model Train Magazine Index and

perform a keyword search for "G&D" or go to Jeff Witt’s website and his

listing.

In 1953 John Allen was sufficiently financially independent to be able to

devote the remaining 20 years of his life to the construction and enjoyment

of his third and most ambitious model railroad layout.

But most importantly, John Allen

was a gifted artist and the Gorre

& Daphetid a three-dimentional

work of art. In his youth, John

Allen attended art school where

he refined his artistic skill,

which he subsequently applied

to the design and construction

of the Gorre & Daphetid. With

his talent John Allen raised

model railroading to an art

form.

(Click to enlarge)