British Rail Class 08 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids British Rail Class 08 |
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| 08168 at Shackerstone Station on the Battlefield Line Railway | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
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| Builder | British Railways: Derby Works, Crewe Works, Darlington Works, Doncaster Works and Horwich Works. |
| Build date | 1953–1962 |
| Configuration | 0-6-0 |
| UIC classification | C |
| Wheel diameter | 3 ft 6 in (1.067 m) |
| Wheelbase | 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) |
| Length | 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 8+1⁄2 in (3.87 m) |
| Locomotive weight | 49.6 long tons (50.4 t) to 51 long tons (51.8 t) |
| Fuel capacity | 668 imp gal (3,040 L; 802 US gal) |
| Prime mover | English Electric 6KT |
| Traction motors | English Electric 506, 2 off |
| Transmission | DC generator, DC traction motors, double reduction drive |
| Multiple working | Not originally fitted, some retrofitted with type ★ Blue Star |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) or 20 mph (32 km/h) |
| Power output | Engine: 350 hp (261 kW) |
| Tractive effort | Maximum: 35,000 lbf (160 kN) |
| Train heating | None |
| Locomotive brakeforce | 19 long tons-force (190 kN) |
| Train brakes | Vacuum, later Air & Vacuum or Air only |
| Career | British Railways |
| Number | 13000–13116, 13127–13136, 13167–13365; later: D3000–D3116, D3127–D3136, D3167–D3438, D3454–D3472, D3503–D3611, D3652–D3664, D3672–D3718, D3722–D4048, D4095–D4098, D4115–D4192; later 08001–08958 |
| Nicknames | Gronk |
| Axle load class | Route availability 5 or 6 (see text) |
The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel locomotive designed for shunting. It was the standard BR diesel-electric shunter. It was based on the LMS 12033 series (later TOPS Class 11). Production started in 1953 and when it finished in 1962, the class had become the most numerous of all British classes, numbering 996 in total. There were also 26 of the near-identical but higher geared Class 09, and 171 similar locomotives fitted with different engines and transmissions (some of which became Class 10), which together brought the total number of outwardly-similar machines to 1193.
Since their introduction, rail freight has primarily moved to fixed-rate bulk freight traffic and intermodal freight operations which reduce or remove the need for shunting, therefore only a few class 08 locomotives remain in service today.
Images for kids
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08 032 at Foster Yeoman's Torr Works, 2008
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08 509 in Rail Blue livery at Chesterfield Goods Yard
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08 266 (left) alongside cut-down 08 993 (right) at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 2017, showing the lower height of the 08/9 subclass.
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08 915 at the North Tyneside Steam Railway
