the british rail class 08 is a class of diesel locomotive designed for shunting. it was the standard br diesel-electric shunter. it was based on the lms 12033 series (later tops class 11). production started in 1953 and when it finished in 1962, the class had become the most numerous of all british classes, numbering 996 in total. there were also 26 of the near-identical but higher geared class 09, and 171 similar locomotives fitted with different engines and transmissions (some of which became class 10), which together brought the total number of outwardly-similar machines to 1193.