BR Class 08 D3586
| BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 08 D3586 | |
|---|---|
 D3586 at Bridgnorth, February 2018 | |
| Built By | BRBritish Rail or British Railways Crewe Works |
| Configuration | 0-6-0 |
| Power type | Diesel Electrical |
| Status | Operational |
| Loco Number | D3586 |
| Other Numbers | 08471, 3586 |
| History | |
| Built | 1955 |
| Designed By | BRBritish Rail or British Railways |
| Type | Class 08 |
| 1985 | Withdrawn by BRBritish Rail or British Railways |
| 1986 | Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway |
| Technical | |
| Length | 29ft 3in |
| Weight | 49t |
D3586 is a BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 08 0-6-0 350hp diesel electric shunting locomotive. As the standard BRBritish Rail or British Railways general-purpose diesel shunter, the Class 08 or "Gronk" became the most numerous of any British locomotive class with 996 built at BRBritish Rail or British Railways's Crewe, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster and Horwich works between 1952 and 1962.
The Class 08 design was based on the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 12033 series (later TOPSTotal Operations Processing System, an American computer system adopted by BR from the late 1960s to number and manage rolling stock. Class 11). It generally used an English Electric (EEEnglish Electric) 6 cylinder, 4-stroke, 6KT engine, two EEEnglish Electric 506 traction motors with double reduction gear drive, and an EEEnglish Electric 801 main generator, although there were several design variations.
D3586 in main line service
The locomotive was built at Crewe Works and entered BRBritish Rail or British Railways service in November 1958 in plain green livery as D3586 (the locomotive never received a number in the 13xxx range). D3586 was initially allocated to Burton-on-Trent. Yellow and black striped ends were added in the early 1960s. The locomotive remained at Burton until November 1967, which saw a move to Wellingborough (Leicester Midland) shed.[1]
In May 1974 D3586 became No 08471 under the TOPS numbering scheme and also received blue livery at the same time. The locomotive remained based at Leicester Midland for the rest of its working life apart from visits to Derby and Swindon for overhauls and repairs. The opportunity to fit air brakes was not taken during the last works visit to Swindon in May 1980. Following a control cubicle fire, 08471 was placed in store at Leicester on 29 May 1983. It was later moved to Swindon for its future to be assessed. Financial constraints meant that an overhaul and conversion to dual air/vacuum braking were not carried out, and 08741 was formally withdrawn from service on 9 September 1985.[1][2]
D3586 in preservation
Purchase and restoration
The SVRSevern Valley Railway's first Class 08, privately owned D3022, quickly proved a success as Bewdley shunter, even deputising on passenger trains on a few occasions.[3] Problems with using a non-vacuum braked Ruston in conjunction with vacuum-raked carriage sets led to a decision by SVR(H) to acquire a second Class 08 for use as Bridgnorth station pilot / works shunter. A professional examination of the many withdrawn shunters at Swindon was carried out, with 08471 considered the best available. Following a successful tender, it arrived by rail from Swindon on 27 March 1986.[1]
The locomotive had apparently suffered some damage in a derailment which required straightening of the framework and replacement of the damaged air reservoirs under the front buffer beam. Substantial rewiring was also needed, and the opportunity was taken to fit a second vacuum brake exhauster to speed the brake release when shunting sets of carriages. The need for a serviceable shunter meant there was not time to repaint the locomotive before it entered service as Bridgnorth pilot loco later that year, still carrying its BRBritish Rail or British Railways paintwork which comprised the original green overpainted with two coats of BRBritish Rail or British Railways blue, the latter applied over the top of a generous mixture of brake dust and diesel oil.[4].
Shortly after entering service the locomotive was renumbered 3586 without the “D” prefix, in which form it may have appeared in BRBritish Rail or British Railways blue livery between 1969 and 1973. It quickly acquired the nickname "TNT", short for "Tranter's New Toy", referring to the late Ray Tranter,[5] and gave reliable service as Bridgnorth shunter over the following years.
1993 engine failure and overhaul
In September 1993 3586's engine suffered a broken crankshaft and the locomotive was moved to Bridgnorth headshunt to await repairs. A replacement engine from a scrap class 08 was obtained at the end of 1993 and installed in January 1994. An issue was found with a lack of electricity being supplied by the auxiliary generator and this was also replaced by the generator from the scrap 08. During this overhaul the opportunity was taken to repaint the locomotive in BRBritish Rail or British Railways green. New radiator ladders were fabricated to replace those removed by BRBritish Rail or British Railways in the 1970s. A replacement pair of ladders for either side of the radiator were fabricated to replace those removed by BRBritish Rail or British Railways in the early 1970s (due to the risk of working under overhead electric catenary wiring). A pair of replica Crewe 1958 works plates and a 15A shed plate were obtained and fitted, and the locomotive returned to traffic almost 12 months after the engine failure.[4]
Service since 1994
Since 1994 D3586 has continued as Bridgnorth shunter, with occasional use for other duties. On 9 October 2003 D3586 hauled a revenue-earning freight load of roof trusses from Kidderminster to Orchard Bungalow, Northwood. The trusses were too large to pass under the bridge carrying the former Wyre Forest Line over Northwood Lane, but were just able to be taken through Bewdley Tunnel.[6]
Th locomotive failed again in early 2012. A decision was 'more or less made' to put one of the spare Class 08s into working order, allowing repairs to be carried out on D3586 in a more leisurely manner.[7]. However the decision was quickly reversed and D3586 underwent an engine rebuild in the Bridgnorth boiler shop. The cab doors and jambs were also replaced. In 2014 it suffered electrical problems and underwent a re-wire for life expired wiring in the control circuits, returning to service after repainting in late 2015.[8]
On 5th May 2018, D3586 was unexpectedly called in to action to haul a passenger train, following the failure at Bridgnorth of both visiting locomotive 6023 King Edward II and the diesel locomotive sent to replace it, BR Class 14 D9551. It went as far as Highley at a maximum speed of 15mph, where it was relieved by BR Class 50 50049 Defiance which had been sent from Kidderminster.
D3586 hauling the passenger train on 5 May 2018
D3586 on arrival at Highley with 50049 waiting to take over.
By the end of 2020, D3586's wheels required reprofiling. It was transferred to the Diesel Depot for attention including preparations such as de-meshing the drive gear. Following a short trip by road to Bristol St Philip's Marsh for tyre turning, it returned to the Depot in January 2021 for further minor repairs before returning to service at Bridgnorth.[9]
Following the embankment collapse at Mor Brook in January 2025, operations at Bridgnorth were limited to providing footplate rides within the station limits. In May 2025 D3586 provided cab rides during the Spring Diesel Festival and late May bank holiday weekend.
D3586 is owned by SVR(H). It is normally based at Bridgnorth and is currently in BRBritish Rail or British Railways green livery.[10]
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition
- ↑ BRDatabase website
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 79, p.3,, Boardroom Notes
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 113, pp.28-30., The rebuilding of diesel shunter D3586
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 81, p. 15.
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 145
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 177, pp.10-11.
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 188, p.26. and 192, p.20.
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 214, p.18.
- ↑ SVR "Meet The Loco" web page
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