A Statfold September: Preparing "Alpha"...

Hi all. Regular readers will know that Statfold Barn holds three of its renowned Enthusiast Days each year, with the final one in September being arguably the biggest. Today, after work, I made my way over to the Tamworth base of the SBR to start preparation on my engine for tomorrows season finale: "Alpha". A lovely Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 of 1922, "Alpha" was painstakingly restored at Statfold after a life overseas working for the Ryam Sugar Company in India. Although she's been in traffic since 2016, I've always kind of 'missed' "Alpha" for want of a better word. Everyone else says how good she is and JB heralds her proudly as his favourite SBR locomotive so I'm quite looking forward to tomorrows outing. Arriving at around 14:00, I wandered over to the shed frontage and found "Alpha" amongst several of her British built cousins. After grabbing a handful of rags and some polish, I clambered up onto the pannier tanks to start cleaning the lined green livery...

The Met Men had promised plenty of the wet stuff overnight and into tomorrow and so the cleaning had to happen today or be forgotten. In the meantime JB arrived and made me a very welcome coffee which he even delivered to the engine. After a rant about cheeky kids, JB later proceeded to make me another coffee later on. I fear for his health when things like this happen! Anyway, after a pleasant afternoon making my way around "Alpha" and attempting to become a little familiar with her, I decided to head for home at around 5pm. By now I'd added wood to the footplate and pushed it against the doorplate to keep it as dry as possible under the cab roof should the storms come. Most Statfold engines have cabs that were really designed as sun screens rather than rain stoppers so they don't always keep the wood dry if you aren't careful! Nobody would have thought that rain was on the way as "Alpha" basked in the evening sun alongside "Howard" tonight. If only we'd ran them today...

Having signed out, I wandered over the footbridge towards the car park via the New Road platform. Here stood the two visiting engines for the event. The Leighton Buzzard Baldwin and the newly restored Hunslet 4-6-0 were preparing for a day on the High Level line as the sun began to set. They're both fine engines...

With that I jumped into the car and headed home via the A444. Tomorrow we're booked to arrive at 06:00 to begin preparations. I can't wait: you can't beat a Statfold Open Day and I look forward to seeing what "Alpha" can do. Cheers all, Sam...