Great Western Coffee Shop

Not ships, but Warships !
A Maroon Warship, with full yellow ends, spotted at Old Oak Common outside the hydraulic shed coupled up to a shunter this evening.
I think she's been there awhile and as the only other one is green and D832, she must be D821 Greyhound and not Onslaught?
Does anybody know why she is at OOC and what needs to be done?

Replies most welcome !
W.E

She was there on Tuesday morning as I passed en route to Paddington, and there again as I passed t'other way toward the major delays at Reading on Wednesday morning.

Fellow former staffer bobm will confirm. I texted him on both occasions.  :P ;) ;D

With only two Warships in preservation I'm certain that it's D821 Greyhound at Old Oak. Roaded there on 29th July from the West Somerset Railway for an extensive exam.

Apart from actually running, then where else should she be other than on shed precisely where the old diesel-hydraulic maintenance was carried out at Old Oak?  ;)

Let's hope she passes her exams.

http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/loco-d821.php

It is definitely D821, had a good nose round a few days ago when I was at Old Oak! 

Noticed this loco when leaving Paddington on Monday 11/08.

A while ago I got talking with a former driver, who now farms on Dartmoor and used to work out of the Exmouth Junction shed in the late 60s. Apparently, when steam heating was required the Warships could barely manage Waterloo - Exeter, and any delay en-route would necessitate assistance from Salisbury or Yeovil.

To be fair, it looks very small when compared to a Class 57.

Why would use of the steam heating impair performance and increase the chance of assistance being needed ?
Steam for carriage heating was produced from a boiler installed for the purpose and burning diesel fuel. Use of this boiler would have no effect on the diesel engine or hydraulic transmission.

On a diesel electric locomotive equipped with electric train heat, then the energy used for heating comes from the engine and thereby reduces the power available for traction, unless the heating be turned off when maximum power was needed.

Yes, she does look very small.
Especially when comparied with a similiar vintage Type 4 (say, a class 40 Diesel Electric).
Same power, 50 tons less weight.
Or worth an extra coach.

B.G is right, though often the early steam heaters were unreliable and would breakdown, everyone would go cold....

I believe it is at OOC with a broke suspension spring, so it might be get a slot in the lift shop.

The problem with steam heat on diesel locomotives was the extra mass in the form of water it had to lug around so if the prime mover was not performing very well the steam heat in the winter just added to the load it had to deal with

Nothing like a good bit of German technology in a Swindon built body.

I believe the problem was that they would run out of fuel. Sorry, should have made that clearer in initial post.