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The British Rail (BR) Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. The Pioneer Class 08 No. D3000 (currently preserved at the Heritage Shunters Trust based at Peak Rail) was built in 1952 although it did not enter service until 1953. Production continued until 1962; 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes. As the standard BR general-purpose diesel shunter, almost any duty requiring shunting would involve a Class 08. The class became a familiar sight at many major stations and freight yards. Since their introduction, though, 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, 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 Consequently, a large proportion of the class has been withdrawn from mainline use and stored, scrapped, exported or sold to industrial or heritage railways.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 2011, around 100 locomotives remain working on industrial sidings and on the main British network. On heritage railways, they have become common, appearing on many of the preserved standard-gauge lines in Britain, with over 60 preserved.〔(Fleet status (subsection Class 01-14) ) ''wnxx.net''〕 == History == The Class 08 design was based on the LMS 12033 series (later TOPS Class 11) design. 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. The locomotives were built at the BR Works of Crewe, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster and Horwich between 1952 and 1962. The majority of the class were reclassified as TOPS sub-class 08/0, when some locomotives were reduced in height for use on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in south west Wales and became Class 08/9. The first locomotive to be withdrawn was D3193 in 1967. 4 other machines were withdrawn before TOPS reclassification in 1973.〔(Disposals Class 08 ) ''wnxx.com''〕 Withdrawals continued in subsequent decades until by the beginning of the 1990s most of the class were no longer in service.〔(Locomotive Disposals Class 08 (see also subsequent pages) ) ''wnxx.com''〕 At the same time as the withdrawals, many were purchased by heritage railways. When British Rail was privatised and sold in the 1990s, EWS inherited most of the class. More units were disposed of, being sent to EWS's Component Recovery & Distribution Centre (CRDC) in Wigan for stripping of reusable components prior to scrapping. Others were stored in case of an increase in traffic. In mid 2008, EWS had over 40 class 08 locomotives in operation, with a greater number stored. Freightliner also had about 5 locomotives in operation, as did locomotive company Wabtec. FirstGroup operated less than 5; additionally, some work at industrial sidings – 2 for Foster Yeoman, one for Mendip Rail, one for Corus, one at ICI Wilton, 2 for English China Clays, amongst others. A few other businesses in railway-related business operated single examples.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British Rail Class 08」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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