Dear Bob,

This is my first year as a subscriber to the GAZETTE, and I find the magazine stunning. Your magazine makes me feel at home even if I live far away in Italy. I am also building my first layout in our new home, Covid hit Italy soon, especially in Bergamo where I live, so I spent all of April in my home. During that time, I decided to build a depot for my new Carmel & Lonesome Railroad. I modified an AHM kit using scale lumber to give it a more realistic touch. I am very pleased to share my first effort with your readers, and every time the GAZETTE arrives, I feel part of the family too.

Sincerely,
Luca Fumagalli, via email

Dear Bob,

Charlie Getz’s appreciation of John Allen in the September/October 2020 GAZETTE is the best description I’ve read of the imagination, daring, and originality that went into Allen’s art. While most of us put some art into our modeling, John’s was really fine art. Like Charlie, I saw the G&D at 14 when my uncle, Clark Gates, a navy flyer, gave me a ride down the California coast to see a few railroads.

In Monterey, Clark drove up into the hills above the city, stopped at a little house and said, “John Allen bought my house when we outgrew it.” This was news to me, and Clark had arranged with John to show me his layout as a surprise.

All I can add is that it was wonderful and astonishing as Allen’s photos of his layout are, but they do not capture the wonder of the real thing. The layout was a sculpture in its own right, depicting the depth and infinite distance of the Southeastern U.S. Seeing the actual layout was like seeing the Grand Canyon.

Some art lasts for centuries, some is evanescent, like the G&D, thanks to an unvented furnace. But to me, John defined what the hobby could accomplish. I doubt if we will ever see his equal again. Allen put his life, and his vision of life into it, and who could imagine such a miniature sculpture could capture that southwestern natural beauty and lovable tawdriness and decay that he put into his layout.

Sincerely,
Peter Tuttle, via email

Dear Bob,

I read your Ramblings in the November/December issue about your firewood sawmill and splitter and thought readers would like to see a real splitter. The photo shows me splitting wood for the winter up here in Canada.

Sincerely,
Craig Symington, MMR, via email

Dear Bob,

It seems this old fella got plastered and dozed off a few millennia ago. Now folks come from 1:20.3 scale miles around just to see the Sleeping Man Hill soon to be located behind my scratchbuilt Star Hotel. The truth is I mixed up more Polyblend Sanded Grout than I needed, so I just ladled the stuff on the base of a hill where it ran and did its own thing.

By the way, the GAZETTE is the best, and I look forward to each issue and cherish them all, although my bookshelf is groaning under the load. Please live long and prosper.

Sincerely,
Joe Rusz, via email

Dear Bob,

I just received my November/December GAZETTE and read Robert’s Ramblings. I do not remember saying anything about a gasoline engine as part of the sawmill. Looking back at my photos, I see I forgot to include the electrical mast on top of the roof over the saw on my drawing in the March/April 2020 issue.

The building was listed in 1890 and 1920 as a private residence. That would explain the fancy door. The raised structures on the roof could have been added as skylights, which would lead me to think the building had been used as a photographer’s or artist’s studio at one time.

The only thing, other than the electric motor to power the saw, is that the interior room may have been for a saw filer’s workbench.

Most of the wood cut was probably slab wood delivered from the sawmill at Mono Mills. Maybe some unused buildings in Bodie also saw their way to use the firewood mill as part of an early recycling operation. I also failed to draw the strange jury rigged mast on the south side of the building I think it may have been used to hoist a banner or flag to let people know that firewood was for sale.

The photo is of my still incomplete HO scale model of the firewood mill.

Sincerely,
Neil A. Pfafman, via email

Dear Bob,

My November/December GAZETTE arrived today, and boy am I pleased with how you and Sharon took on the awesome job of assembling the jumble of words and photos I sent into my article on page 22. As an update, I have completed my model of the steamship SALICIA, and she is now docked at the RR Wharf on my layout. I had to shorten the model to get it to fit.

Thanks for all your support to our wonderful hobby.

Sincerely,
Peter Leach, MMR, via email

Dear Bob,

I was pleased to see Herman Darr’s plan for D&RGW Water Car 04904 in the November/December issue. Here is a photo of an On3 model I built of this car some six years ago. I was able to get the late Dan Peterson, of San Juan Decals, to add WATER SERVICE decals to his line.

Sincerely,
Mark Czerwinski, via email