Battery powered Class 08e ordered for use at Heidelberg Material's Whatley Quarry

Heidelberg Materials has ordered a battery powered ‘08e’ shunter for use at Whatley Quarry in Somerset following successful trials last year.

Class 08 locomotive (08296), owned by HM, will be the donor, having its diesel engine, radiator and familiar bonnet removed to make way for a new bodyshell with aluminium ‘gullwing doors’, as well as batteries and control equipment inside. It's due to be delivered in the summer.

Work will be done by Positive Traction which last year sent its prototype, 08308, to the same location for a two-week trial (RAIL 1022).

Vincent Pitt, HM’s Area General Manager, said: “We were enormously impressed by the trial of the prototype 08e easily mastering 1,000-tonne aggregate trains on what is a steep and challenging internal quarry network in places.

“By offering a donor vehicle for conversion by the Positive Traction team we can capitalise on our existing assets and secure the long-term future of these powerful shunting locomotives in a sustainable way.”

He also said the order is part of the firm’s commitment 2030 commitment to reduce scope 3 emissions in delivery transport by 15 per cent from its 2019 baseline, and be carbon neutral by 2050.

The prototype had two battery pods whereas the first production example will be equipped with six, giving more than 600kWhrs of available energy. Positive Traction said this will allow it to complete a full shift where it’s constantly being used with plenty of power left. Other changes include redesigned traction and auxiliary units.

Alistair Gregory, Director of Positive Traction, thanked Heidelberg Materials' Whatley Quarry team for hosting the trial and the order.

"All of us at Positive Traction are hugely excited by Heidelberg Materials’ recognition of the opportunities presented by repurposing existing traction to meet the zero emissions demands of tomorrow’s railway," he said.

Meanwhile Rail Freight Group Director General, Maggie Simpson, said this was "an excellent example of the aggregates sector partnering with an innovative UK SME to deliver zero emission rail movements in a very demanding operational environment".