Accurascale ACC3194

BR Class 08 - Freightliner Green - 08585 'Vicky'

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI images rather than photographs

Prototype Era
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation

Manufacturer description

English Electric’s 1934 diesel-electric shunter No. 7079 for the LMS proved highly successful and led to further orders across all the “Big Four” railways. Its lineage fed directly into British Railways’ push, after 1948 nationalisation, to create a standardised large shunting locomotive. Drawing heavily on the LMS 350 hp design but incorporating improvements and flexibility for different engines and electrical equipment, the resulting BR standard 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunter—later known as the Class 08—entered production in 1952 as No. 13000.

Between 1950 and 1962, 1,193 locomotives were built at several BR workshops, with multiple engine/electrical pairings and a higher-geared variant for the Southern Region that became the Class 09. The locomotives evolved through different liveries, safety markings and braking systems, and by the 1970s were allocated TOPS classifications: Class 08, 09 and 10. As yards declined in the 1980s–90s, the fleet shrank, though hundreds survived into privatisation.

Today, around 250 examples remain in service or preservation, with some still working for Freightliner and others being converted for modern green traction, proving the enduring flexibility of the original design.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

Accurascale Class 08 Freightliner Green 08585 ‘Vicky’ diesel shunter locomotive (manufacturer part number ACC3194) is a ready‑to‑run model that represents the initial privatisation period of British Rail. The model includes interior lighting and is aimed at the demanding modelling community.

The locomotive forms part of Accurascale’s “Accuragronk” range, which also offers a standard Class 08 shunter, the less common Class 10 with its Blackstone power unit and GEC electrical gear, and the low‑profile Class 08/9 conversion built at Landore Depot in 1986 for the height‑restricted Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley line in Wales.

Technical features include a large‑diameter coreless motor coupled to a helical gearbox for smooth, low‑speed shunting, a PowerPack stay‑alive capacitor for uninterrupted running, and DCC sound fitted with an ESU LokSound 5 decoder and twin “sugar‑cube” speakers. Lighting is provided by full‑colour fibre‑optic and LED units, offering marker lights, high‑intensity lamps, flashing beacons and separate cab lighting configurations. The chassis and underframe are die‑cast metal for maximum weight and tractive effort, while the body and cab are ABS with metal and wire detailing appropriate to the era.

Accuracy has been ensured through extensive survey work across the United Kingdom, aided by the Freightliner Group’s access to Southampton Terminal and visits to preservation sites in County Durham, North Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Kent, East Sussex, Hampshire and Wiltshire. This collaborative approach aims to faithfully recreate the operational details of the shunter family.