British Rail Class 09

The British Rail Class 09 is a class of 0-6-0 diesel locomotive designed primarily for shunting and short-distance freight trips along branch lines. The 26 locomotives are nearly identical to the more numerous Class 08 shunters but have different gearing, giving a higher top speed of 27.5 mph 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 were originally allocated to depots in the Midlands and North. Further locomotives were converted from Class 08 in 1992, forming subclasses 09/1 and 09/2, and after privatisation in 1997 the class spread much further afield. Twelve members of the class have been preserved, and Class 09s occasionally worked passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia.