BR Class 08 D3802

BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 08 D3802
08635 at Kidderminster Apr 2017
Built By	BRBritish Rail or British Railways Derby Works
Configuration	0-6-0
Power type	Diesel Electrical
Status	Evaluation for repair
Loco Number	08635
Other Numbers	D3802
History
Built	1959
Designed By	BRBritish Rail or British Railways
Type	Class 08
2007	Withdrawn by BRBritish Rail or British Railways
2007	Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway
2021	Re-powering with hydrogen-hybrid power pack
Technical
Length	29ft 3in
Weight	49t
Diesel Locomotives

D3802 was built as an 0-6-0 Class 08 350hp diesel electric shunting locomotive. As the standard BRBritish Rail or British Railways general-purpose diesel shunter, the Class 08 became the most numerous of any British locomotive class with 996 built between 1952 and 1962. It is being converted to a hydrogen-battery hybrid traction system.

D3802 in main line service

D3802 was built at Derby Works and entered BRBritish Rail or British Railways service in December 1959 (the locomotive never received a number in the 13xxx range). D3802 was initially allocated to Stoke, but during the 1960s also saw service at Crewe South, Crewe Diesel, Ryecroft (Walsall) and Chester (Midland).

D3802’s travels continued in the 1970s with moves to Holyhead and Cricklewood East. In January 1974 D3802 became No 08635 under the TOPSTotal Operations Processing System, an American computer system adopted by BR from the late 1960s to number and manage rolling stock. numbering scheme, before a final move to Saltley in 1979. There the locomotive remained until withdrawn from service in February 2007 after a working life of more than 47 years.

D3802 in preservation

D3802 arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway in April 2007 as a source of spares. It was placed in store, latterly in Kidderminster Carriage Shed with sister 08896. In February 2017 it was moved to the Diesel Depot for evaluation for repair, possibly using the engine from 08896. The photograph shows the locomotive on display next to the Diesel Depot at the April 2017 Open House Weekend. In June 2017 it was confirmed the assessment was unsuccessful and BR Class 09 09107 purchased as more cost effective than restoring D3802.

Harrier hydro shunter project

In 2021 the SVRSevern Valley Railway teamed up with the University of Birmingham's Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions to work on the Harrier hydro shunter project in Kidderminster TMD. This will see the UK’s first-ever conversion of a diesel locomotive to run with a replacement hydrogen-hybrid power pack.

See also

• Rolling stock currently under restoration
• Diesel Locomotives

References

Links

• 'Severn Valley Railway helps to build a locomotive for the future, The Harrier Hydro shunter project' on SVRSevern Valley Railway YouTube (23 April 2021) (Retrieved 23 April 2021)