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The original first gorre and daphetid size is something like 3' 7" x 6' 8". Then, John Allen modified the track plan so that the turntable was outside of the loop. I was wondering that after this modification, was the size 3' 7" x 6' 8", or was it bigger, and if so, then what is the modified plan size?
As you can see, the second track plan is deeper, front-to-back, to accommodate the turntable being outside the loop, making it about 4'4" x 6'8". This plan also shows additional tracks leading to other parts of a larger layout.
In addition to the links already offered, there is a lot of additional info (including a bunch of color photos) here: http://homepage.mac.com/doug56/G&D/
I had the privilege of actually seeing the G&D in its final year. John pointed out where the original 3'7" x 6'8" section was. His second section moved the turntable out of the original layout when the 15' section with the yard and the port area was added. The next expansion moved parts of the original layout and were modified to become Gorre and Daphetid. The final expansion took place over a period of about 10 years and included the floor to ceiling sections in Giant Canyon.
I have always been fascinated by the events surrounding the final demise of the G&D, just a week after John's death. As a police officer, the whole story never made sense to me. I knew a Monterrey County arson investigator, and he confirmed that they had several suspects in what he believed to be arson, but were never able to gather enough evidence to bring charges. The fact that the fire was reported by an unknown person just after it had enough time to burn down the layout, but not cause serious damage to any other part of the house, only adds to the mystery. There were stories that ranged all the way from an insurance fraud scheme to bitter rivalries by other well known model railroaders, but we will never know what really happened.
What a privilege to have seen the G&D in person! I know there are a few detractors around, but everything I've ever seen or read about John Allen and the G&D has been inspiring.
Not long ago, I stumbled upon an article he wrote for one of the magazines, describing one small aspect of realistic operation. The whole article was devoted to how to start and stop a train in a prototypical fashion. Such attention to detail is remarkable.
Jeff, it was really something. The scope of the layout was overwhelming, even though I belonged to a club with a pretty good sized layout. The G&D gave me my love for scenery and setting up small scenes. John had little scenes all over the layout in some of the most unexpected places. He had a moonshine still in Squawbottom Canyon that you could only see if you were standing the right place, but it was completely detailed, with all the piping and barrels, along with a supply of HO scale moonshine jugs. The interesting things is how his ideas evolved over 20 years. You can see by looking at the right side of the track plan that he tried to cram in as much track as possible. Once he got to the final extension, there was very little track but lots of spectacular scenery. I think was was one of the first "professional" model railroaders to recognize that trains shouldn't be the overwhelming aspect of a model railroad.
I'm almost done with track laying for my N-scale version of the original G&D track plan. I adjusted the plan to broaden the ultra-sharp curves of the original while preserving the basic layout. My layout is set in New Hampshire, so I can justify some small mountains but nothing like the soaring terrain of the G&D. Besides which, I have only the tiniest fraction of the modeling skill that John Allen had!
In the late 60's when I was stationed at Mare Island in the Navy for instructor duty I was fortunate enough to have joined in on some operating sessions on John's G&D. I took up his entire basement, and it was nothing but outstanding. He had incorporated his original layout into the final layout. I was always interested in model railroading, having grown up with relatives working on both the the Milwaukee Road and Northern Pacific. Needless to say, I had no place for a layout while in the Navy, and this experience with the G&D is what kick started my love for the hobby. John was a professional photographer and he taught me that the easiest way to find flaws with your layout was to photograph it. It's a lot easier now with digital cameras, but that is one lesson I will never forget. He raised the bar for all model railroads.
The interesting things is how his ideas evolved over 20 years. You can see by looking at the right side of the track plan that he tried to cram in as much track as possible. Once he got to the final extension, there was very little track but lots of spectacular scenery. I think was was one of the first "professional" model railroaders to recognize that trains shouldn't be the overwhelming aspect of a model railroad.
