Furthest a shunter locomotive has moved under its own power?

Big Jumby 74 · 6 Oct 2026

On the SW of the Southern there was a mix of provision of shunters that will have meant a fair degree of L/Engine movements when refuelling/servicing was required.

Basingstoke for example was provided 08's from Eastleigh (EH) in my time, which made perfect sense, whereas Woking was the domain of two Selhurst (SU) based 09's. Whether or not the higher top speed of the 09's was a deciding factor in relation to Woking, in relation to the far more intensive passenger service timetable in that area, I don't honestly know, but it may well have been?

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matchmaker · 6 Oct 2026

Acathater said:
Surely there was only one driven axle?

Two traction motors so two directly driven axles.

Acathater · 6 Oct 2026

matchmaker said:
Two traction motors so two directly driven axles.

I thought they both drove the rear axle, being mounted under the cab

norbitonflyer · 6 Oct 2026

Acathater said:
I thought they both drove the rear axle, being mounted under the cab

No, they are axle hung - the motor is directly mouted on the axle. You can only mount one motor on the axle.
The LMS built a few - BR numbers 12003 to 12032 - that had a single large motor and jackshaft drive, but they are long gone - the smaller unsprung weight was not sufficent of an advantage to overcome the drawback of the longer wheelbase needed to accomodate the jackshaft between the middle and rear axles.

Forty29 · 6 Oct 2026

In the early seventies there used to be an mid afternoon freight through Twyford, maybe 7V20, that used to convey a class 11/12/15 numbered shunter without coupling rods. If memory is correct used to originate from Stratford and went to Swindon for repair or scrap. Never saw them in a return working.
The shunter was always in the middle of the consist.

youngiecj · 6 Oct 2026

There used to be a regular 03 working I believe to swap the shunters over from Boston docks in the 70s and they used to work a trip working to Lincoln via Sleaford.

D6130 · 6 Oct 2026

When I was involved in South Western Division train planning in the late 1970s, I once had to time a class 09 overnight from Stewart's Lane to Eastleigh Works at 27 mph maximum.

Harvester · 6 Oct 2026

Another trip working by a class 08 around Lincoln, was from there out to Bardney on sugar beet traffic. I can remember seeing one such working in 1978 or 1980 when on holiday in the area.

75A · 6 Oct 2026

D6130 said:
When I was involved in South Western Division train planning in the late 1970s, I once had to time a class 09 overnight from Stewart's Lane to Eastleigh Works at 27 mph maximum.

I bet the crews fought over that turn!

MarkWi72 · 6 Oct 2026

What was the top speed of these 08/09 Shunters?

Ashley Hill · 7 Oct 2026

MarkWi72 said:
What was the top speed of these 08/09 Shunters?

15 and 27mph respectively.

Rescars · 7 Oct 2026

norbitonflyer said:
No, they are axle hung - the motor is directly mouted on the axle. You can only mount one motor on the axle.
The LMS built a few - BR numbers 12003 to 12032 - that had a single large motor and jackshaft drive, but they are long gone - the smaller unsprung weight was not sufficent of an advantage to overcome the drawback of the longer wheelbase needed to accomodate the jackshaft between the middle and rear axles.

Presumably one advantage of a jackshaft drive would be the ease with which the drive could be completely disconnected to enable towing by removal of the coupling rods.

norbitonflyer · 7 Oct 2026

Forty29 said:
In the early seventies there used to be an mid afternoon freight through Twyford, maybe 7V20, that used to convey a class 11/12/15 numbered shunter without coupling rods. If memory is correct used to originate from Stratford and went to Swindon for repair or scrap. Never saw them in a return working.
The shunter was always in the middle of the consist.

I'd be surprised if there were any 11xxx numbered shunters around as late as the early 70s. They were all renumbered into the D2xxx series in the late 1950s

However, the 12xxx (ex LMS) and 15xxx (ex LNER, GWR and SR) shunters were not renumbered in that scheme, and although some became TOPS classes 11 and 12 none survived long enough to get TOPS numbers (although some electric locos with 1948 sceheme numbers in the 26xxx range did, becoming class 76). The last Class 12s (152xx) were withdrawn in 1971, and the last Class 11s (confusingly numbered in the 12xxx range) were withdrawn in 1972

OVS Flatbottom · 7 Oct 2026

One of the CIÉ D class locos (Irish version of the 350 hp shunter design - except that they actually had 487 hp Mirrlees engines) managed to get from Dublin to Cork, not only under its own power but actually hauling a freight train, during early trials in the late 1940s (at which stage these were still the only diesel locos on CIÉ). I don't currently have easy access to the article that mentioned it, but my recollection is that it said the journey took around twelve hours (for an average of around 14 mph; the Ds' maximum was 25 mph) - I can't recall whether this included stops.

JohnofWessex · 7 Oct 2026

Rescars said:
Presumably one advantage of a jackshaft drive would be the ease with which the drive could be completely disconnected to enable towing by removal of the coupling rods.

That was why they had the Jackshaft rather than geared drive

61653 HTAFC · 7 Oct 2026

Other regular work for 08s would include the subclass with the cut down cabs working that branch in South West Wales they were modified for. Though as I understand it that wasn't a particularly long working, being restricted to a 15mph max speed must have made it rather tedious work.

D6130 · 7 Oct 2026

61653 HTAFC said:
Other regular work for 08s would include the subclass with the cut down cabs working that branch in South West Wales they were modified for. Though as I understand it that wasn't a particularly long working, being restricted to a 15mph max speed must have made it rather tedious work.

Particularly as they replaced class 03s, which had nearly double their maximum speed....but less power.

Rescars · 7 Oct 2026

61653 HTAFC said:
Other regular work for 08s would include the subclass with the cut down cabs working that branch in South West Wales they were modified for. Though as I understand it that wasn't a particularly long working, being restricted to a 15mph max speed must have made it rather tedious work.

Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley?

CR165022 · Thursday at 06:56

I don't believe it's been mentioned but didn't they once haul the sleeper set from Old Oak into Paddington? Before OOC closed and the 57s had to TnT from Reading instead

Magdalia · Thursday at 08:38

Rescars said:
Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley?

Already mentioned see here!

Magdalia said:
In the early days, when there were still many local branch lines with freight traffic, shunters would be used on lines with route availability restrictions. The most obvious example near here is the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. One that lasted a long time is the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line in Wales.

Acathater · Thursday at 09:55

So would you regard these as shunters? A pair of 625hp North British 0-6-0 diesel hydraulics built for Mauritius used to haul a demonstration passenger train from Glasgow-Edinburgh and back in 1953

Remember When ... 1953: Introducing the diesel hydraulic locomotive

THE first passenger train to be pulled on a main railway line in Britain by a was operated on November 13, 1953, on a demonstration run between Glasgow and Edinburgh and back.

www.heraldscotland.com

THOSE WERE THE DAYS - 1953: Mauritius-bound locomotive turns heads on test-run

IT was said to be the largest locomotive of its kind ever to be built at the North British Locomotive Works at Polmadie, Glasgow. And its ultimate destination was Mauritius.

www.heraldscotland.com

D6130 · Thursday at 12:25

The second photo is obviously Glasgow Central....but I wonder on which route between Scotland's two biggest cities the single track level crossing was to be found?

Acathater · Thursday at 12:48

D6130 said:
The second photo is obviously Glasgow Central....but I wonder on which route between Scotland's two biggest cities the single track level crossing was to be found?

The second press report says

The two-unit diesel hydraulic locomotive was successfully tested in November 1953 over a stretch of railway on the old Coatbridge-Airdrie-Slamannan line, which was reckoned to be the steepest gradient in the country.

Is that it?

Gloster · Thursday at 12:50

D6130 said:
The second photo is obviously Glasgow Central....but I wonder on which route between Scotland's two biggest cities the single track level crossing was to be found?

The second photo appears to be of a different train as a goods brake van is visible and the caption refers to the disused Coatbridge-Airdrie-Slamannan line. This was closed on 01-09-1949 and I reckon the photo was taken at the Thrashbush Road level crossing in Greengairs.

Acathater · Thursday at 13:30

Gloster said:
The second photo appears to be of a different train as a goods brake van is visible and the caption refers to the disused Coatbridge-Airdrie-Slamannan line. This was closed on 01-09-1949 and I reckon the photo was taken at the Thrashbush Road level crossing in Greengairs.

this would seem to agree with you

scot-rail.co.uk » Early Diesels in Scotland

During the second week of November 1953, two 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) for service on steeply graded lines on the Mauritius Government Railway, ran trial trips in the Glasgow area.

The locomotives worked a goods train over the Kipps Rawyards line, which includes a gradient of 1 in 23, and caries out shunting operations at Cadder Yard. Later in the week, they hauled two special trial passenger trains between Glasgow Central and Lanark and between Glasgow and Edinburgh (Princes Street). (As reported in The Railway Magazine Feb. 1954).

The locos were NBL numbers 27220/1, running numbers A1 & A2). They had each had Paxman engine of 625hp and were equipped to run in multiple

D6130 · Thursday at 14:22

Acathater said:
The second press report says

Is that it?

Gloster said:
The second photo appears to be of a different train as a goods brake van is visible and the caption refers to the disused Coatbridge-Airdrie-Slamannan line. This was closed on 01-09-1949 and I reckon the photo was taken at the Thrashbush Road level crossing in Greengairs.

Acathater said:
this would seem to agree with you

scot-rail.co.uk » Early Diesels in Scotland

Thanks. I must have missed that bit!

Bodiam · Thursday at 15:14

In later years, about 1959 to 1961, the remaining goods service on the Kent & East Sussex from Robertsbridge to Tenterden was operated by Drewry 060 diesel shunters (later Class 04) which were based at St Leonard's and came from there up the Hastings main line.

33017 · Friday at 21:41

Harvester said:
Two Hawksworth pannier tanks 1646 and 1649, moved from the WR to Helmsdale in the far north of Scotland in the late 1950s via the rail network. Some of the milage was within freight trains, but a good proportion was under their own power!

Yes, but panier tanks weren’t purely shunters and could easily get to 50 mph.

Ianigsy · 2026-10-14T16:54:50+0100

Nobody seems to have mentioned demolition trains yet - I was just reminded of this by seeing a picture on Facebook of an 03 at Scalby during the dismantling of the Scarborough-Whitby line.

TonyW590 · 2026-10-14T17:11:34+0100

CR165022 said:
I don't believe it's been mentioned but didn't they once haul the sleeper set from Old Oak into Paddington? Before OOC closed and the 57s had to TnT from Reading instead

Yes! I have a picture from 1977 of an 08 at Paddington about to head west.

Furthest a shunter locomotive has moved under its own power?

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