I sent along some letters between John and Glenn concerning the making of this film. Lighting and locations were discussed as well as favorite good running engines etc.  The film was done completely by Glenn and John... Glenn has quite a long history of photography and film background and has some of his many photos in print in all their wonderful detail.  His subject of interest was "Steam Engines" and he captured the last of what there were, out west in the 1950's and in fine style.   His introduction to John Allen ended up creating a life long friendship and he fell in love with model railroading and John's layout from his first visits to John's old house beginning in the late 1940's.     

 I had high hopes that there might be some really well focused parts of this film that would show up digitally but when ya think about it 16mm film being exposed at the rate of a film camera is not ever going to yield great results, it just can't.  We are so used to well posed, crystal clear, 35MM camera photos we have been spoiled with from so many of the still's out there today.   but to have a motion picture of John's layout at all is incredible.   

 What I wonder; (more than Color variations) is if there is a program that could take a film image of an engine or a box car (such as we have here) and by using some trick of intelligent recreation take a fuzzy engine and remake it detailed by using crystal clear stills of these same engines and cars..... to give the program something to compare and work from.    I bet there is...   Affordability would be the next question.    Computer technology has come so far I bet this film could be remastered..... 

   But for now, I am pleased it is in safe hands (hands that will share it and preserve it) and not in a dumpster or sadly, kept hidden in someones closet as other treasures of John's work are.   

Randy