On the opening day, Locomotion pulled a load of approximately 90 tons, made up of the Experiment coach with official passengers, 32 other wagons and 600 unofficial passengers who had charged at the trucks determined to hitch a ride!  The whole journey took to 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete.In its life the engine was not without running problems.  It kept breaking down and the wheels caused problems.  Eventually new wheels to Hackworth’s design were fitted.  These being the ones fitted to the engine in all the illustrations. 

In July 1828 the boiler exploded killing the driver.  After this Timothy Hackworth rebuilt the engine at the railways own workshops at Shildon.  Locomotion retired in 1841.

Locomotion had a wrought iron boiler, 10ft 4inches long by 4 ft diameter of ½ inch plates.  The flue chimney was 2 ft diameter and at the front of the engine continued upwards as a chimney.  There were two vertical cylinders each 9½ diameter by 24 inches stroke with their lower portions placed inside the boiler.  Each cylinder was placed vertically above the centre of the wheel to which its connecting rods were attached.