Although the new locomotives performed adequately when used on a range of slower services, as soon as they were used on their intended route after May 1876 the railway received complaints from passengers and crews about their rough riding at speeds over 40 mph (64.37 km/h).[3] They proved to be unstable (even dangerous) at higher speeds, leading to testing on two locomotives in 1877, one fitted with a bogie designed by William Adams before he joined the LSWR and one with a Crewe-type Bissel truck.[4] The improvements achieved were insufficient to justify fitting new bogies on the remainder of the class.
Beattie was censured by the Board of Directors when it became known that he had been aware of the class's rough riding since 1875. Ultimately the class was transferred to the Epsom and Leatherhead services where they performed well at the lower speeds required of them.[5] Adams later made minor adjustments to the bogies, which enabled the class to have more than 30-year careers on a variety of different services. They were all withdrawn and scrapped between 1906 and 1913.
