Pffft - A Powell Duffryn PFA in N (part 3)…

This wagon is the result of a rather enjoyable journey of re-discovery and inspiration. In Part 1 I shared the genesis and chassis conception and then the prototyping and creation of the containers in Part 2. Let’s wrap things up today…

 

Re-discovery of the enjoyment of design and realisation.

Weathering isn’t always as easy as you might think. Bringing a model to life is about observation, of course - and a basic understanding of the processes that caused the distress and dirt helps too - but more, it’s feeling. The aim is to not copy what you see, but rather use it as a guide to creating a piece of art. The better we are at observation and understanding, the higher the quality of the finished piece.

There is a craft piece here too of course - control and mastery of washes and airbrushing are a pre-requisite - enablers if you like, we need to be thinking about the art, not the mechanics. 

Understanding, mastery and confidence.

These ideas make writing about ‘how’ to do something really difficult. The thoughts I have on producing some sort of book on weathering need to consider this; how to teach it - I’m not sure yet… Martyn’s seminal work instructed me with ideas and confidence, gave me permission to have a go - but it has been the years of mistakes and disappointments that allow me to just enjoy the process these days, embracing errors and producing distinctive and realistic pieces.

This PFA then is done. A dark wash on the chassis toned down the Farish factory weathering and blended in the adjustments I had made - containers had a wash on the ends and frames, but not the hoods. Airbrush dusted just the lightest of airborne filth from above. Pictured here with D2112 (top) on Paxton Road an urge to construct Boston’s distinctive yard, short branch to the harbour across the swing bridge, and then the sidings at the port, is building - perhaps that urge could be satisfied with a sketch design at some point… however ideas for another of the steel carriers shown in the video that started it all are also mulling around. For now, I’ve plenty of N projects to share first - so these thoughts can wait their turn. Until next time, more soon…

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