While reading and researching, I’ve been noting the names of modelers who have been influential in this hobby. One name that appeared frequently was John Allen. His model railroad, the Gore & Daphetid apparently is still quite famous even after it was destroyed by fire in 1973 shortly after John Allen's death.
I didn’t have much interest in exploring layouts from the 1940s and 1950s but from what I’ve been reading on the web about the G&D it seemed worth checking out. So, I bought a used copy of the 1981 edition of Model Railroading with John Allen by Linn Wescott.