Model Train Journal

Tony Koester posted this last night on the Proto-Layouts list:

R.I.P. Allen McClelland

Allen McClelland died this afternoon following a massive stroke yesterday. No other information is available at the time.

He was in great spirits leading a normal lifestyle right until the end, however. I can’t think of another individual who comes close to making the key contributions to scale model railroading that he did over the years, and he was also one of the nicest people I ever met. I was honored to be able to call him a close friend.

Tony Koester

One of the great ones. May he rest in peace.

No disrespect and I've heard his name and heard of the V&O, but don't know anything beyond the name/layout association.

Anyone here know what the key contributions are that Tony speaks to?

This is very brief but gives a sweeping statement of Allen's modeling. The Model Railroader magazines of the 80's and 90's were full of his building techniques and the building of the V&O. He was a pioneer in many techniques and processes.
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W. Allen McClelland Death, Obituary – It is generally accepted that W. Allen McClelland, who had reached the age of 88 at the time of his death, was the person who was responsible for playing the most significant role in the establishment of the Virginian & Ohio Railroad. He was a pioneer in the field. During this difficult time, we want the family and friends of Mr. McClelland to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers. We want them to know that we are thinking of them and praying for them.

The V&O was an atmospheric model railroad that modeled railroading by simulating railroading through the use of operations to capture the appearance and movements of the prototype. This was done in order to model the prototype as accurately as possible. This was done so that the model could be created as faithfully as possible to the original. This was done in order to create the model in a manner that was as accurate to the original as was humanly possible.

The Virginia and Ohio Railroad was the impetus for naming the railroad that now bears the name of its eponymous predecessor. This railroad is known as the Virginia and Ohio Railroad. The Virginia and Ohio Railroad is the name of this particular rail line. Model railroading publications featured extensive coverage and discussion of the railroad throughout the 1980s and 1990s. These publications also featured extensive coverage of the railroad. It was also a source of inspiration for the creation of the Onondaga Cutoff, which served as a source of motivation for the creation of the cutoff in the first place.

Moreover, it was a source of motivation for the creation of the Onondaga Cutoff. In addition to that, it was one of the driving forces behind the construction of the Onondaga Cutoff. This photograph was taken at CP 282 and shows one of Allen’s SD40-2 locomotives directing a manifest train that is traveling from Columbus, Ohio to Selkirk, New York. The train originated in Columbus, Ohio. This particular train is also known by the name “COSE,” which is sometimes used to refer to it.

DaveJfr0 wrote:Anyone here know what the key contributions are that Tony speaks to?

In 1977, Railroad Model Craftsman ran a multi-part article series that Carstens later published as The V&O Story book. I was a kid back then, but my understanding is that the series changed the hobby.

IIRC, the first article was written from the perspective of railfans out chasing trains along the V&O - and the photographs were taken by Jim Boyd, the then-editor of Railfan magazine, so that first article could have been published in Railfan had it been about 1:1 scale trains. The rest of the series was about how McClelland pulled off building the V&O while being a normal person with a career and family. Nowadays you can go to Youtube and watch videos from dozens of home layouts that are incredibly realistic and very prototypical, but there were very few layouts like that before McClelland's work was publicized.

Obviously, there were many great modelers before him -- Milton Cronkite was building prototypical models and layouts back in the 1920s! -- but I think what made McClelland special is that he showed how normal hobbyists could build a big and well-executed basement sized layout by themselves.

Chris Webster wrote:

DaveJfr0 wrote:Anyone here know what the key contributions are that Tony speaks to?

In 1977, Railroad Model Craftsman ran a multi-part article series that Carstens later published as The V&O Story book. I was a kid back then, but my understanding is that the series changed the hobby.

IIRC, the first article was written from the perspective of railfans out chasing trains along the V&O - and the photographs were taken by Jim Boyd, the then-editor of Railfan magazine, so that first article could have been published in Railfan had it been about 1:1 scale trains. The rest of the series was about how McClelland pulled off building the V&O while being a normal person with a career and family. Nowadays you can go to Youtube and watch videos from dozens of home layouts that are incredibly realistic and very prototypical, but there were very few layouts like that before McClelland's work was publicized.

Obviously, there were many great modelers before him -- Milton Cronkite was building prototypical models and layouts back in the 1920s! -- but I think what made McClelland special is that he showed how normal hobbyists could build a big and well-executed basement sized layout by themselves.

I just happened to see this reply now. A belated thank you. This is what I was looking for. I also finally caught up on my copies of MR and RMC on the plane that paid tribute to him, but you definitely said more than they did IMHO.