Allan Downes

[Oldddudders]

I see from his long running knockabout thread with Iain C Robinson that Allan has finally lost his battle with cancer. I am not qualified to pay adequate tribute to this giant of the scenic side of our hobby, although I bought stuff from his exhibition stand in the ‘70s, and I hope others will step up here to give him the credit he hugely deserves.

[PaulRhB]

I think Allan's thread speaks for itself on generously sharing his gifts of modelling and encouraging others

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70935-anything-you-can-do-i-can-do-better-robinson-and-downes/?fromsearch=1

[Joseph_Pestell]

I never met Allan but spoke to him quite a few times when he was ordering materials. A nice guy who was very humble about his achievements.

 

Another thread on RMWeb which owes much to him is the amazing Heaton Lodge. Only recently, Allan wrote there that he hoped to live long enough to see that layout completed. Alas, not to be.

[chrisd]

A truly inspirational person. My early enthusiasm for the hobby was fired by his books. Thank you.

[Colin_McLeod]

RIP Allan.

A great and inspiring man in the hobby.

Condolences to your family and friends.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Colin_McLeod

[hayfield]

First and foremost it must be a great loss for his family to whom I send my condolences

 

To his model railway family he was one of the greats of the hobby, not only one of the most inspirational modellers for the past 5 decades, but he had the ability to pass on his techniques in a simple to follow manner. Had the skill to marry both engineering and artistry into the models he made to give them life, at the same time giving others the belief they could copy his methods 

[Legend]

So sorry to hear of Allan’s death. Sometimes we get so wound up in these threads you forget people have lots going on in their lives too. It takes something like this to bring us back to reality , with some desperately bad news in this case . I remember Allan’s articles from 1970s Railway Modellers . To me always a father figure in the hobby, through these magazine articles. So sorry for his loss . Thoughts as always with the folks he leaves behind

[gordon s]

Having been absent for a while, I didn't know about Allan's battle with cancer, so it was a shock to read of his passing this morning. A truly inspirational modeller whose buildings really were way beyond anything I had seen before.  Every feature in Model Rail just lifted the bar higher and I recall being staggered when I saw the cathedral he had built.

 

As John has said above, he was always prepared to share his expertise with others and encourage us to try and make something.

 

My sincere condolences to his family.

 

RIP Allan.  A true great.

Edited August 4, 2018 by gordon s

[rob247]

RIP Allan Downes.

A true inspiration to all modellers whose model buildings will always be admired by so many for so long. 

I have never met him, but the model railway world has lost one of the greatest master modellers. 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

I followed his buildings in the 70's from humble cottages to huge steel works, everything looked 'so' right, another giant of the modelling world taken.

 

RIP and my condolences to his family.

 

manna

Edited August 4, 2018 by manna

[ikks]

RIP Allan.........So sad to hear of this, I knew he had serious health issues, nevertheless these times are always difficult. Condolences to his family.............Allan I will miss your humour, wit and  superlative modelling. I once showed a photo of one of Allan's buildings to my wife Ruth and she could not believe it was a model, such was the mans talent.

 

Mike

[Dick Turpin]

I can remember, when I was 14, being absolutely inspired by Allan's articles in the RM, and took to building card structures of all sorts with great enthusiasm. I got all my aunts to save me their cereal boxes because I could never get enough card, and remember sitting up most of the night on a couple of occasions sticking roof tiles on one by one, trying to emulate the fantastic results seen on Allan's examples. I particularly loved his farmyard and windmill article. A giant of the hobby in my estimation, and a great sadness that we've lost such a talent.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Dick Turpin

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Like others, I didn't know about Allan's health problems, so it was a real shock to hear of his passing.

 

If you were of a certain age/era, if someone mentioned model railway buildings then the first name to come into your head was Allan's.

And it was usually something BIG. A cathedral, town hall, a factory, a whole cityscape. He could also do small, but to me, it was his broad

horizons that stick in the mind.

 

Plus his humour, which we saw here on RmWeb in bag loads.

 

RIP Allan. Doubtless St Peter would've asked for a model of the Vatican, as he queued up at the Pearly Gates.

[Fat Controller]

I still have a model of a barn I built after reading one of his articles; it sits on top of a book-case. It would be late 1978 when I built it, as I had just met Lynne, and she helped me finish it. His modelling of buildings was inspirational.

[Graham_Muz]

As I have said in Allans own thread Very sad news indeed the Railway Modeller magazine of my youth was always full of his excellent models and techniques. RIP a true gent and inspiration passes on.

[Vistisen]

R.I.P Allan Downes. My condolences to his family. My knowledge of him is limited to the impression I got from following his threads here på RMWeb. So I will leave the eulogies to those who are lucky enough to have known him personally. My thought are with all those who mourn him.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Vistisen

[beast66606]

A fantastic modeller of railways in the landscape.

 

RIP Allan

[Siberian Snooper]

First RIP Allan and my condolences to the his family and friends. I have to concur with everything that has been written about a a great and inspirational modeller, a great loss to the hobby.

[Georgeconna]

Sad to read this. Always an Inspirational modeller with  catalogue of Fantastic Models. A loss to the hobby for sure.

[CKPR]

This is so sad - I grew up reading Allan in the Railway Modeller in the 1970s, always enjoyed his practical and often laugh out loud articles and just presumed that he was in someway immortal and that he would always be part of of our happy little world of model railways.

Edited August 5, 2018 by CKPR

[westerhamstation]

Thanks Ian for starting a separate thread on Allan, for myself he was some one to aspire to, all his modelling was a work of art and great skill, made all the more delightful with his style of writing,humor and willingness to share his modelling techniques. Allan Downes the man who put the real in realism. RIP.

Adrian 

[clarkeeboy56]

Very sad to hear that Allan has passed away. A truly great modeller, always happy to help and encourage some of us Modeller's blessed with less talent than him. Very sad indeed. Condolences to all his family and friends

[Dunsignalling]

I never (knowingly) met Allan but, of all the articles extracted from my old RMs when I filleted them, very few (if any) of his went in the recycling box.

 

A truly inspirational modeller whose ability was compounded by a great talent for communicating his techniques in print.

 

RIP Allan, and my sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

 

John

Edited August 5, 2018 by Dunsignalling

[Northmoor]

RIP Allan Downes.

A true inspiration to all modellers whose model buildings will always be admired by so many for so long. 

I have never met him, but the model railway world has lost one of the greatest master modellers. 

I will second this post, word for word.

[exet1095]

Very sad news. He was an inspirational modeller. Deepest condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.