Model Railroader Memoriam: John Allen’s 100th birthday

Born on July 2, 1913, John Allen was a model railroading pioneer renowned for his skill at scratchbuilding and scenery work, as well as his thoughts on model railroad operation. His original 3’-7” x 6’8” Gorre & Daphetid HO scale layout debuted in the January 1948 issue of Model Railroader. He built a larger version of the G-D Line in 1951, and a third still larger version in 1954 after purchasing a new home on a hill above Monterey, Calif.

A professional photographer by trade, Allen introduced weathering and other techniques to make models look more realistic. Starting in the 1960s, he also held regular operating sessions on the third Gorre & Daphetid, running his HO scale layout like a working railroad. 

Allen contributed photos and articles to Model Railroader and other hobby magazines throughout the ’50s and ’60s. He was also active in the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), giving many presentations. Readers and audiences came to know him as the “Wizard of Monterey.” Although he died on January 6, 1973, and his layout was destroyed by a house fire several days later, John Allen and the Gorre & Daphetid remain an inspiration for generations of model railroaders.