18100 failures and periods out of service
1952
January 3: Fuel filter choked, turbine shut down four times on return from Stoke Gifford to Swindon. Mileage: 82.
January 14: Bus bar flashover. Out of service for seven days. Cumulative mileage: 524.
February 20: Flat battery delayed start of test run from Swindon to Bristol. Cumulative mileage: 1,250.
March 31: Burner isolating valve failed to close, flooding combustion chamber with fuel at Swindon. Cumulative mileage: 3,346.
May 19: Control circuit failed at Ladbroke Grove. Out of service for a day. Cumulative mileage: 12,895.
May 31: Turbine failed to start at Bristol Bath Road, started at 1540 and ran light to Swindon to take up booked working. Cumulative mileage: 15,458.
June 5: Lubricating oil pipe broke at Old Oak Common. Out of service for three days. Cumulativemileage: 16,313.
June 18: Turbine stalled at Swindon station on test run to Badminton. Service locomotive diverted to take over. Cumulative mileage: 16,456.
June 26: Turbine stalled at Paddington, leading to ‘Merchant Venturer’ leaving three minutes late. Cumulative mileage: 17,251.
July 31: Turbine stalled at Paddington, leading to ‘The Merchant Venturer’ leaving three minutes late. Cumulative mileage: 28,385.
August 23: Burner fuel pipe broke at Paddington. Out of service for a day. Cumulative mileage: 36,081.
August 28: Control circuit failed on Tigley Incline, banking locomotive assisted train, arrived at Plymouth 50 minutes late. Cumulative mileage: 37,626.
September 9: Short circuit in turbine starting contactor panel at Somerton Tunnel, flashover to panel fixing bolt. Out of service 34 days while Swindon modified traction motor bearings and boiler and installed extra fuel tank and pump. Cumulative mileage: 41,990.
October 21: Starting valve stuck at Swindon. Cumulative mileage: 42,101.
October 22: Faulty starting valve at Badminton during trial and weak battery. Cumulative mileage: 42,124.
October 27: Turbine shut down twice at Paddington. Faulty control blamed. Cumulative mileage: 42,617.
November 26: Part of windscreen wiper came loose at Burnham which shorted two terminals in control circuit while working 1215 Paddington-Plymouth. Cumulative mileage: 48,215. December 6: Steam heat boiler failed with leaking tubes at Newton Abbot. Cumulative mileage: 55,176.
December 13: Air cock to traction motors contactors closed at Old Oak Common MPD. Worked light to Plymouth and worked 0830 from there instead of 0715. Arrived 55 minutes late at Paddington after burn out of exhaust
gas temperature control resistance. Cumulative mileage: 56,421.
December 29: Fuel cock closed at Old Oak Common MPD. Locomotive missed Plymouth run. Cumulative mileage: 62,350.
1953 January 1: Arrived late at Swindon following control failure. Cumulative mileage: 64,216.
January 5: Locomotive removed from 0830 from Plymouth at Exeter after steam train pipe froze. Cumulative mileage: 65,424.
January 10: Starting valve problems led to 1215 Paddington-Penzance leaving London eightminutes late. Cumulative mileage: 68,795.
January 11: Locomotive in Old Oak Common depot for new battery to be fitted. Out of service for six days.
January 22: Defective steam heating caused two minutes delay at Reading, six minutes delay at Reading West and 14 minutes delay at Taunton on the 1215 Paddington-Penzance.
Failed to work 0715 return with boiler problem so worked light to Old Oak Common. Cumulative mileage: 70,919.
January 31: Flashover on main generator bus bars at Hampstead Crossing. Cumulative mileage: 75,595.
February 2: Locomotive in Swindon works for exam and modifications. Out of service for 92 days.
May 20: Locomotive under test. Out of operating service for 16 days until June 6. Cumulative mileage: 76,679.
June 10: Control circuit breaker tripped at Reading while working 1425 from Paddington. Cumulative mileage: 77,340.
June 17: Battery relay circuit failed which drained the battery, causing the overspeed device to operate and eventually shutting down the turbine. Locomotive removed from 0715 Plymouth-Paddington at Newton Abbot. Out of service for 11 days during which it ran a trial to Bristol with a ten-coach train to complete strain gauge investigations. Cumulative mileage: 80,875.
September 7: Broken spring found at Ranelagh Bridge on way to work 1115 Paddington-Bristol. Locomotive entered service the following day but was removed from service on September 10 for all springs to be examined. Cumulative mileage: 108,846.
September 8: Withdrawn from service to examine springs. Out of service for 45 days until October 31 and ran light on November 2 from Old Oak Common to Reading and back to test new traction motor suspension bearings. It ran light to Swindon on November 3 for weighing and on November 4 it took a 300-ton test train to Stoke Gifford and back to Swindon to check traction motor suspension bearings and springing at high speeds. Locomotive then remained at Swindon until December 15 when it left for MV at Dukinfield, Manchester. Cumulative mileage: 109,060.