The Alpha adventures were never intended to be Nutty Trains adventures at the time, but in hindsight, they formed the basis and the inspiration for all our future adventures. The alpha adventures took place when we were both still in school, as part of school trips. The first, αI, to Bath in December 2015, was James's first experience with trains, and one of Matthew's first too. The second, α2, was the direct successor to that trip, to London in December 2016.