The British Rail Class 09 is a class of 0-6-0diesel locomotive designed primarily for shunting and short-distance freight trips along branch lines.[2]
The 26 locos are nearly identical to the more numerous Class 08 shunting locomotives but have different gearing, giving a higher top speed of 27.5 mph (44 km/h) at the expense of a lower tractive effort. They were introduced from 1959 to 1962 and latterly operated in the Southern Region of British Railways, although some of the class were originally allocated to depots in the Midlands and North.[3] Further locomotives were converted from Class 08 in 1992 and, following this and privatisation in 1997, the class has been distributed much further afield.
Passenger operations
Although not normally considered for passenger work, Class 09s were recorded working passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia when the booked Class 33 diesel was unavailable.[4]
They were also used on railtours which needed to depart Brighton heading along the West Coastway Line or vice versa. To achieve this the 09 worked between Brighton and Preston Park, allowing the main tour locomotive to work the train forward via the Cliftonville tunnel and Hove.[5] The connection to the West Coastway Line at Brighton can only be used by four car trains due to the arrangement of the points and track.
The original 26 locomotives (built 1959–1962) became sub-class 09/0 when further locomotives were modified from Class 08s in 1992 which became subclasses Classes 09/1 and 09/2.
There were variations, which were given the following TOPS design codes:
"Two more 09 'Gronks' bought from HNRC". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 159, no. 1345. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. May 2013. p. 98. ISSN0033-8923. OCLC750645684.
