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The BR (British Railways) Class 08 is a shunter of an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement, built from 1952 to 1962. These shunters proved to be incredibly reliable and successful and were one of the very first major mass-produced types of diesel locomotives in the UK, and are still the main switchers or shunters for the British Railways. A total of 996 were produced.

Fitted with an English Electric 6KT engine of 402 h.p and English Electric traction motors, the simplicity of these locomotives led to their extreme reliability and the large amount of spares for English Electric engines means that the locomotives will likely remain in service for a long time to come.

The first batch of locomotives were mainly built for British Railways, but were soon sold to many other numerous railways throughout the UK and Europe.

Many still exist, and about 82 are still in service in the UK.

Versions[]

Several different versions of the Class 08 were built:

  • Class 09 (Geared to have a top speed of 25 m.p.h)
  • Class 10 (Blackstone engine, GE traction motors)
  • Class 11 (Early batch built 1945 - 1952)
  • Class 12 (lighter version)
  • Class 13 (A "cabless", "master" and "slave", "slug" or "calf" version of the Class 08.)

Fleet[]

TOPS number range Operators Comments
08389, 08405, 08495, 08500, 08567, 08593, 08605, 08623, 08653, 08706, 08714, 08735, 08804, 08905 DB Cargo UK
08571, 08596, 08615 Wabtec Rail
08428, 08578, 08630, 08802, 08865, 08879, 08904, 08924, 08943, 08994 Harry Needle Railroad Company
08525, 08690, 08908, 08950 East Midlands Trains
08530, 08531, 08575, 08585, 08624, 08691, 08764, 08785, 08891 Freightliner
08948 Eurostar
08410, 08483, 08641, 08643, 08644, 08663, 08822, 08836 Great Western Railway
08616, 08805 West Midlands Trains
08754 & 08847 (Norwich Crown Point TMD), 08573 (Ilford TMD) Abellio Greater Anglia
08417 Network Rail
08502 Northern
08308, 08788 Abellio ScotRail
08451, 08454, 08611, 08696, 08721, 08790, 08887, 08934 Virgin Trains
08418, 08485, 08678 West Coast Railway Company
08682 Derby Litchurch Lane Works
08441, 08484, 08511, 08580, 08632, 08683, 08703, 08709, 08752, 08886 Rail Support Services
08737 Locomotive Services Limited

Preservation[]

Many have found an active retirement on heritage railways in Britain, with at around 81 examples being classed as preserved, (although there were 84 preserved examples which were later scrapped), though there may be more yet unregistered Class 08 shunters still working in Britain or abroad. Their low maintenance requirements means that most of them are still in operational condition, with only a small number of examples left unrestored, as of 2015.

Preserved examples[]

Numbers carried 

(Current in bold)

Name Location Current Status Livery
13000 D3000 - 13046 - Peak Rail Awaiting overhaul; first one built BR Black
13002 D3002 - avon railway co. Operational BR Black
13014 D13014 - samson Dartmouth Steam Railway Operational BR Green, Dart Rail insignia
13018 D3018 08011 - Haversham Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Operational BR Green
13019 D3019 - - - Cambrian Heritage Railways Operational Blue and White
13022 D3022 08015 - - Severn Valley Railway Operational BR Green
13023 D3023 08016 - Geoff L Wright (not carried) Peak Rail Operational Last of first Batch BR Blue
13029 D3029 08021 - - Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational BR Black
13030 D3030 08022 - Lion Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Operational GuinnessBlack
13044 D3044 08032 33 Mendip Mid Hants Railway Undergoing repairs Yeoman Blue
13059 D3059 08046 - Brechin City Caledonian Railway (Brechin) Operational BR Green
13067 D3067 08054 - - Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway stored awaiting re-wiring BR Blue
13074 D3074 08060 - Unicorn Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Operational GuinnessBlack
13079 D3079 08064 - - National Railway Museum Operational Black
13101 D3101 - 3101 - Great Central Railway Operational BR Green
13167 D3167 08102 - - Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Operational BR Green
11374 D3174 08108 3174 Dover Castle Kent and East Sussex Railway Under overhaul Black
13180 D3180 08114 - - Great Central Railway Operational BR Green
13190 D3190 08123 - George Mason Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Operational BR Green
13201 D3201 08133 - - Severn Valley Railway Under Overhaul BR Green
13232 D3232 08164 - Prudence East Lancashire Railway Operational BR Blue
13236 D3236 08168 - - Battlefield Line Railway Operational; on loan to the Bluebell Railway BR Black
13255 D3255 - - - Private site, Leavening, North Yorkshire To be restored N/A
13261 D3261 - - - Swindon and Cricklade Railway Undergoing restoration BR Green
13265 D3265 08195 WD40 Mark Llangollen Railway Operational BR Black
13272 D3272 08202 - chuck North western Railway Operational BR Blue
13290 D3290 08220 - - Great Central Railway Operational BR Blue
13308 D3308 08238 - Charlie Dean Forest Railway Light duties only BR Blue with Wasp Stripes
13336 D3336 08266 - - Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Operational BR Green
13358 D3358 08288 - - Mid Hants Railway Awaiting repair BR Black
- D3401 08331 - - Midland Railway - Butterley Operational Black
- D3420 08350 - - Crewe Heritage Centre Scrapped. Early 2009. BR Green
- D3429 08359 - - Chasewater Railway Operational BR Green
- D3462 08377 - - Mid Hants Railway Operational BR Green
- D3411 08411 - - Colne Valley Railway under restoration BR Dutch grey
- D3503 08388 - - Private Site Undergoing restoration Trainload Petroleum
- D3551 08436 - - Swanage Railway Operational Black
- D3558 08443 - - Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway Operational BR Green (No Logo)
- D3559 08444 - - Bodmin and Wenford Railway Operational BR Green
- D3560 08445 - - East Lancashire Railway Awaiting repair Grey
- D3586 08471 - - Severn Valley Railway Operational BR Green
- D3588 08473 - - Dean Forest Railway Scrapped; source of spares BR Blue
- D3591 08476 - - Swanage Railway Operational BR Green
13594 D3594 08479 - - East Lancashire Railway Operational BR Black
- D3596 08481 - - Vale of Glamorgan Railway Scrapped EMR BR Blue
- D3605 08490 - - Strathspey Railway Operational BR Green
D3610 08495 North Yorkshire Moors Railway Operational BR Blue
- D3723 08556 - - North Yorkshire Moors Railway Operational BR Green
- 08576 D3743 - - Battlefield Line Railway Awaiting restoration BR Blue
- D3757 08590 - Red Lion Midland Railway - Butterley Operational Maroon, Black Roof
- D3759 08592 08993 - Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Operational EWSMaroon and Gold
- D3761 08594 - - Private Site Awaiting overhaul BR Blue
- D3771 08604 604 Phantom Didcot Railway Centre Operational BR Green
- D3795 08628 - - Private Site Awaiting overhaul BR Blue
- - 08631 - Betsy Bombardier Transportation Operational BR Blue
- D3800 08633 Churnet Valley Railway Operational BR Green
- - 08682 - Lionheart Bombardier Transportation Operational Designed by the winner of a children's painting competition
- D3861 08694 - - Great Central Railway Operational EWS
- D3867 08700 - - East Lancashire Railway Operational BR Blue
- D3871 08704 - - Private Site Operational BR Green
- D3902 08734 - - Dean Forest Railway Undergoing restoration with parts from 08473. Blue
- D3918 08750 - - Private Site Operational Black
D3926 08757 Telford Steam Railway Operational RES
- D3935 08767 - - North Norfolk Railway Undergoing overhaul BR Green
- D3937 08769 Gladys Dean Forest Railway Operational BR Green
- D3940 08772 - Tiny/Camulodunum North Norfolk Railway Operational BR Green
- D3941 08773 - - Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Operational BR Blue
- D3948 08780 - Fred Jeremy Hosking Operational Dark Blue
D3952 08784 Great Central North
- D3991 08823 - - LH Barton Operational Hunslet Orange and Blue
- D3993 08825 - - Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Operational BR Blue
- D4018 08850 4018 - North Yorkshire Moors Railway Operational BR Blue
D4033 08865 East Kent Light Railway Operational EWS
- D4118 08888 08888 - Kent and East Sussex Railway Operational BR Green
D4137 08907 Great Central Railway Operational BR Green
- D4141 08911 - - National Railway Museum - Shildon. Operational BR Blue (with small NRM logo)
- D4145 08915 - - North Tyneside Steam Railway Operational BR Blue
- D4157 08922 Great Central North RAilFreight grey
- D4167 08937 - Bluebell Mel Dartmoor Railway Operational BR Green
- D4174 08944 - - East Lancashire Railway Awaiting repair Black
- D3854 08995 08687 Kidwelly Shillingstone Station Project Under Repair EWS Maroon and Gold

In Pop Culture[]

  • Many diesel characters from Thomas & Friends (such as Diesel, Paxton, Sidney, 'Arry, Bert and the Mainland Diesels) are based on the BR 08 Class locomotive.

Gallery[]

Gallery

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