#3810· Class 13
British Rail Class 13
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1965· class of 3 hump shunting locomotives rebuilt from 6 Class 08 locomotives
4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Hump Shunter: Martin Addison· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2. Class 13 no. 13003, permanently coupled Master-Slave locomotives, Tinsley Marshalling Yard, Nigel Tout, 6.8.74: Nigel Tout ( http://www.nigeltout.com )· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Class 13 no. 13003, permanently coupled Master-Slave locomotives, propelling wagons over the hump at Tinsley Marshalling Yard, Nigel Tout, 6.8.74: Nigel Tout ( http://www.nigeltout.com )· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. The Slave unit of class 13 no. 13003, permanently coupled Master-Slave locomotives, Tinsley Marshalling Yard, Nigel Tout, 6.8.74: Nigel Tout ( http://www.nigeltout.com )· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 13 was a class of diesel–electric shunting locomotive designed in 1965 to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard. Due to Tinsley's status as a hump yard, it was not possible to use a single locomotive owing to the risk of grounding. To achieve the required power, a pair of Class 08 shunters were permanently coupled in master and slave formation, with the slave unit having its cab removed and both units ballasted to improve traction.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 61 years ago, in 1965.
- 18.3 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 20 years (1965–1985).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1965
- in service from
- 1965
- retired
- 1985
- status
- retired
- number built
- 3
- kind
- Diesel–electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, Darlington Works
- operators
- British Rail, London Midland Region of British Railways
- top speed
- —
- power
- 298 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 0-6-0+0-6-0
- length
- 18.3 m
- Dutch name
- Class 13
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970732, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 13 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.