Full Service History
Steam Locomotives, like all things mechanical, require regular servicing and, as with servicing a car, not all services are equal! The Southern Railway classified "repairs", as locomotive services are known, by letters and BR(S) classified by name but basically it all boiled down to the same thing. It is interesting to note that the scheduled servicing interval for a Bulleid Light Pacific was 100,000 miles but in many instances Wadebridge would cover in excess of 200,000 miles. The information below is from Wadebridge's record cards, unfortunately some of it is now a little indistinct.
| SOUTHERN RAILWAY Card | |||||||||
| Engine arived | Work commenced | Mileage since last Gen. Rep. |
Class of Repr. |
Boiler No. |
Tender No. |
Extension of mileage |
Date to Work |
Repd. at |
|
| New Engine | 1269 | 3268 | 1.9.45 | B | |||||
| 12.46 | 7.12.46 | 10.12.46 | 67,674 | C | '' | '' | 11.1.47 | E | |
| Tender changed at Exmouth Jct. | 3266 | 31.7.47 | Ex J. | ||||||
| 12.47 | 9.12.47 | 13.12.47 | 103,671 | A | 1272 | '' | 31.1.48 | E | |
| 1.3.49 | 43,655 | D (BTN) | '' | '' | 25.3.49 | E | |||
| 10.49 | 28.9.49 | 30.9.49 | 63,814 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 28.10.49 | E | |
| 4.51 | 11.4.51 | 11.4.51 | 136,057 | Gen | 1375 | '' | 25.5.51 | E | |
| 6.53 | 25.6.53 | 25.6.53 | 90,425 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 8.8.53 | E | |
| 8.54 | 9.8.54 | 9.8.54 | 134,243 | Non Class | '' | '' | Pressure 250lbs psi |
14.8.54 | E |
| 3.55 | 17.3.55 | 17.3.55 | 159,411 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 16.4.55 | E | |
| 5.56 | 18.5.56 | 18.5.56 | 211,967 | Gen | 1369 | '' | 23.6.56 | E | |
| 5.57 | 11.5.57 | 11.5.57 | 57,541 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 1.6.57 | E | |
| 8.57 | 13.8.57 | 13.8.57 | 16,925 | H/Inter | '' | '' | 6.9.57 | E | |
| 2.59 | 6.2.59 | 6.2.59 | 149,665 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 7.3.59 | E | |
| 8.60 | 22.8.60 | 22.8.60 | 224,755 | L/Inter | '' | '' | 17.9.60 | E | |
| BRITISH RAILWAYS SOUTHERN REGION Card | ||||||
| DATE OUT OF TRAFFIC |
DATE INTO TRAFFIC |
SHOP OR SHED AT WHICH REPAIRED |
BOILER NO. |
TENDER NO. |
MILEAGE SINCE LAST REPAIR |
CLASS |
| 16.11.61 | 30.11.61 | EASTLEIGH | 1369 | 3266 | 264,188 | NON-CLASS |
| 30.4.62 | 12.5.62 | EASTLEIGH 2326 | '' | '' | 276,737 | L/CASUAL |
| 25.10.62 | 8.12.62 | EASTLEIGH 2331 | 1364 | '' | 289,698 | GENERAL |
| 29.1.63 | 6.2.63 | EASTLEIGH | '' | '' | 780 | RETURN |
| WITHDRAWN 17.10.65 | ||||||
Interesting reading, isn't it? As time goes by the intervals between repairs get longer and longer. What went wrong in 1962/3 that she was back in the repair shop after just 780 miles?
The Southern Railway card starts with beautiful copper-plate writing and the same hand is in evidence until 1957 after which the writing deteriorates until the final entry, with no mileage or anything else beside it, is not much more than a quick scribble.
Other relevant dates:
31 January 1948 - S prefix added to number
25 March 1949 - Renumbered 34007
25 May 1951 - Wedge shaped cab added and repainted in BR Standard Green
17 September 1960 - AWS and speedometer fitted
8 December 1962 - Anti-glare screen added. Tender 3266 cut down
Tales abound about Bulleid pacifics catching fire, and of them "spraying" the track with oil. Read what Dave Mitchell has to say on these topics!
