Prepping "Howard" at Statfold...

Hi all. At last the Statfold March open day is finally here and today I called in on my way home from work to make sure all was well with our rostered locomotive: "Howard". I arrived at the SBR at around 3pm and as usual engines were dotted around the site in readiness for tomorrows operations. "Howard" was standing in front of "Fiji" on the shed with a little plume of smoke rising steadily from her chimney. Climbing up onto the footplate and opening the firehole doors, I found a little mound of wood smouldering quietly against the tubeplate. With more wood to hand, I piled in some more blocks before adding coal on top and leaving the fire to get on with it. The smoke at the chimney grew darker during the next few minutes and the reassuring crackle from the firebox instilled vital confidence that everything was taking well...

All around, the other members of the Statfold fleet were also being warmed. Even the smaller engines tend to have a warming fire put in as it simply stops them being rushed into steam in the morning. The various components and materials which make up the steam locomotive boiler aren't fans of sudden expansion and so a gentle warm through is the best way forward. I stayed with "Howard" for around 2 hours, leaving her with some burning embers and 60psi on the clock. I'd also piled some wood into the cab for lighting up and got the necessary tools together for tomorrows preparation. I tell you what I am so looking forward to tomorrow!...