British Rail Class 08

British Rail Class 08
08 801 at Penzance station in 1990
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel–electric
BuilderBritish Railways:
Crewe Works
Darlington Works
Derby Works
Doncaster Works
Horwich Works
Build date1952–1962
Total produced996
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte0-6-0DE
 • UICC
Wheel diameter4 ft 6 in (1.372 m)
Wheelbase11 ft 6 in (3.505 m)
Length29 ft 3 in (8.92 m)
Width8 ft 6 in (2.591 m)
Height12 ft 8+58 in (3.877 m)
11 ft 9+58 in (3.597 m) (08/9)
Loco weight49 long tons (49.8 t; 54.9 short tons) to
51 long tons (51.8 t; 57.1 short tons)
Fuel capacity668 imp gal (3,040 L; 802 US gal)
Prime moverEnglish Electric 6KT[1]
RPM range300–680 rpm (D3503–D4192)[1]
Engine typeFour-stroke inline-six diesel[1]
AspirationTurbocharger[1]
Displacement5,655 cu in (92.67 L)[1]
GeneratorDC
Traction motorsDC English Electric 506, 2 off
Cylinders6[1]
Cylinder size10 in (254 mm) × 12 in (305 mm) (bore × stroke)[1]
TransmissionDiesel–electric transmission, double reduction gearing
MU workingNot originally fitted, some retrofitted with type Blue Star
Train heatingNone
Train brakesVacuum, later Air & Vacuum or Air only
Performance figures
Maximum speed15 mph (24 km/h) or 20 mph (32 km/h)
Power outputEngine: 350 or 400[1] hp (261 or 298 kW)
Tractive effortMaximum: 35,000 lbf (160 kN)
Brakeforce19 long tons-force (190 kN)
Career
OperatorsBritish Railways
InterCity
Network SouthEast
Rail Express Systems
Freightliner
Eurostar
DB Cargo UK
GNER
National Express East Coast
East Coast
Virgin Trains East Coast
LNER
Midland Mainline
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Railway
Arriva Rail North
Northern Trains
Harry Needle Railroad Company
Foster Yeoman
Mendip Rail
Numbers13000–13116, 13127–13136, 13167–13365;

later: D3000–D3116, D3127–D3136, D3167-D3365 (renumbered from above), D3366–D3438, D3454–D3472, D3503–D3611, D3652–D3664, D3672–D3718, D3722–D4048, D4095–D4098, D4115–D4192;

later 08 001–08 958
Axle load classRoute availability 5 or 6 (see text)
Withdrawn1967–present
Disposition82 preserved, 10 converted to Class 09s, 6 converted to Class 13s, 5 exported to Liberia, 100 in service, remainder scrapped

The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel–electric shunting locomotives built by British Railways (BR). As the standard BR general-purpose diesel shunter, the class became a familiar sight at major stations and freight yards. Since their introduction in 1952, however, the nature of rail traffic in Britain has changed considerably. Freight trains are now mostly fixed rakes of wagons, and passenger trains are mostly multiple units or have driving van trailers, neither requiring the attention of a shunting locomotive. Consequently, a large proportion of the class has been withdrawn from mainline use and stored, scrapped, exported or sold to industrial or heritage railways.

As of 2020, around 100 locomotives remained working on industrial sidings and on the main British railway network. On heritage railways, they have become particularly common, appearing on many of the preserved standard-gauge lines in Britain, with over 80 preserved, including the first one built.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Preface, General Data". Diesel Engine Instruction and Maintenance Manual. Strand, London: English Electric. p. Instruction 701/9/1/1, Instruction 703/10/2/1–703/10/2/2, Instruction 704/1/1/1–704/1/1/2.
  2. ^ Fleet status (subsection Class 01-14) wnxx.net Archived 20 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine