A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been brought in, and generally moving railroad cars around – a process usually known as switching (USA) or shunting (UK). They do this in classification yards. Switchers may also make short transfer runs and even be the only motive power on branch lines and switching and terminal railroads. The term can also be used to describe the workers operating these engines or engaged in directing shunting operations.
Charles Edward Fairburn was an English electrical engineer whose work mainly concerned rail transport.
The British Rail Class 05 is a class of 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters built by Hunslet Engine Company from 1955 to 1961. They were used on the Eastern and Scottish Regions of British Railways. The first two batches were delivered as 11136-11143 and 11161-11176 Subsequent locos were delivered as D2574-D2618
The British Rail (BR) Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. The pioneer locomotive, number 13000, 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.
The British Rail Class 11 was applied to a batch of diesel shunting locomotives built from April 1945 to December 1952, based on a similar earlier batch built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) between 1934 and 1936.
The British Rail Class 12 is a diesel locomotive built primarily for shunting duties around London.
The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire.
The British Railways Class D3/7 were a class of 0-6-0 diesel electric shunting locomotives built as LMS Nos. 7080–7119. The class were built from May 1939 through to July 1942 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at their Derby Works using a diesel electric transmission supplied by English Electric.
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) pioneered the use of diesel shunting locomotives in Great Britain. The variety of experimental and production diesel shunters produced by the LMS is summarised below. In each heading, the first number(s) carried are shown first, with subsequent renumbering(s) following the "/".
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's 8F class 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive is a class of steam locomotive designed for hauling heavy freight. 852 were built between 1935 and 1946, as a freight version of William Stanier's successful Black Five, and the class saw extensive service overseas during and after the Second World War.
No. 1831 was the first experimental diesel hydraulic shunter of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) which pioneered diesel shunting in the UK. It was introduced in 1932, built at Midland Railway's Derby Works. It was nominally a rebuild of a Midland Railway 1377 Class 0-6-0T steam locomotive of the same number, built in September 1892 by the Vulcan Foundry. The frames and running gear of the original locomotive were retained.
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.
British Rail class D3/12 was a class of three experimental diesel-electric shunting locomotives designed by Richard Maunsell of the Southern Railway in 1937. They quickly proved their effectiveness, and although they were not immediately replicated due to the advent of the Second World War, the class were the basis for a larger class of similar locomotives introduced by Oliver Bulleid in 1949.
The SR USA class were ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased and adapted by the Southern Railway (SR) after the end of the Second World War to replace the LSWR B4 class then working in Southampton Docks. SR staff nicknamed them "Yank Tanks".
London Midland and Scottish Railway diesel locomotive 7051 was built by the Hunslet Engine Company to demonstrate its wares. After public exhibition in February 1932, it was used for trials at a colliery, before being tested by the LMS. After further public exhibition in February 1933, it was at last purchased by the LMS in May 1933. It was loaned to the War Department from August 1940, which numbered it 27. During 1941–1944 it was returned to the LMS, but in August 1944 it returned to the WD, now numbered 70027. After the end of World War 2 it was returned to the LMS, but was withdrawn in December 1945 and resold back to Hunslet. Hunslet used the locomotive as a works shunter, but it was also available for hire, and spent time at oil refineries in Essex and with British Railways.
LMS diesel shunter 7052 was an experimental 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunting locomotive, introduced by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) in 1934 and which remained in service with that railway for six years. It was later acquired for military use until 1966.
The War Department ex-LMS Fowler Class 3F consisted of 8 LMS Fowler Class 3F 0-6-0T steam locomotives requisitioned in 1940 from the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).
The Ferrovie dello Stato Class 737 consisted of 15 ex-British War Department locomotives of the Stanier Class 8F type purchased in 1946.
LMS diesel shunters 7059–7068 were 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunters built by Armstrong Whitworth in 1936. Maker's numbers D54-D63. The diesel engine was an Armstrong-Sulzer 6LTD22 of 350 bhp at 875 rpm. There was a single Crompton Parkinson traction motor with a rating of 231 hp (continuous) or 358 hp. Final drive was by double reduction gears of 11.1:1 ratio and jackshafts. These locomotives were similar in appearance to LMS 7080–7119 although the internal equipment was different. They started work in 1936 and were allocated to Crewe South (7059–7063) and Kingmoor (7064–7068).
