Traction News
Trials of a battery-powered Class 08 are underway at Barrow Hill, ahead of the shunter moving to a PD Ports site for further evaluation.
Positive Traction has rebuilt 08308, the conversion taking place at the Independent Rail Services facility at Chesterfield. The Class 08 was part of the RMS Locotec fleet but had been stored at Wolsingham on the Weardale Railway for several years having suffered a failure at Inverness.
The ‘08e’ project replaces the English Electric 6KT engine fitted to the locomotive with a PT Powerpod, while controls are provided by the PT Powertrain system. PT says that the 08e prototype is rated at about 450hp and its tractive effort has been increased from 35,000lbf to 45,000lbf (200kN), the equivalent of a Class 33.
Positive Traction director Alistair Gregory said: “Class 08 shunting locomotives have been the workhorses of ports, distribution centres and depots across Britain’s railway for more than 60 years.
“As the UK moves towards net zero, diesel engines are increasingly unacceptable. To address this challenge, Positive Traction has developed the 08e, a cost-effective battery-powered alternative for environmentally friendly facility operations.”
Speaking at the launch of 08308 at Barrow Hill on October 19, Mr Gregory added: “This design will keep our business lasting longer. Our sister company, RMS Locotec, has 20 Class 08s in service, and it is not sustainable to keep them going for another 10 years. We looked at the solutions and decided to do it ourselves because there was nothing on the market.”
The shunter is fitted with modern ‘plug-in’ traction batteries and control equipment – the PT Powerpod and PT Powertrain. The former contains battery cells, a battery management system, and a battery charger. Up to six Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) 88kWh battery pods can be fitted to the locomotive.
Meanwhile, the PT Powertrain acts as the control centre. It manages the traction control,
