The British Rail Class 13 was a type of diesel–electric shunting locomotive. The type was designed in 1965 because of the need to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard. Due to Tinsley's status as a hump yard, it was not possible to use a single locomotive owing to the risk of grounding. So, to achieve the required power, a pair of Class 08 shunters were permanently coupled in master and slave formation, with the slave unit having had its cab removed. Both units were then ballasted to improve traction. Initially coupled cab-to-cab, it was found more practical to couple master nose to slave cab.
With the end of hump shunting at Tinsley the class became obsolete. The unique qualities of the locomotives were not required elsewhere and so withdrawal was inevitable; 13 002 was withdrawn in 1981, with the remaining two locomotives going with the closure of Tinsley hump in 1985. None of this unusual class survives.[7]
^ abcdClass 08/09/13 Locomotives: General Data, Preparation & Disposal, Driving Instructions & Fault Finding Information. British Rail. July 1980. BR 33056/70.
^Diesel Electric Shunting Locomotives D3000 - D4192, D4500 - D4502, 12033 - 12138, 15211 - 15238: Driving Instructions Including Locomotive Data and Description, Preparation and Disposal, Fault Finding Charts – Part 1: Locomotive Data and Equipment Fitted. British Railways. June 1968. B.R.33003/252.
^"Preface, General Data". Diesel Engine Instruction and Maintenance Manual. Strand, London: English Electric. p. Instruction 701/9/1/1, Instruction 703/10/2/1–703/10/2/2, Instruction 704/1/1/1–704/1/1/2.
^"Class 13 Number 13001". Diesel/Electric Locomotive Information. Rail UK. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^"Class 13 Number 13002". Diesel/Electric Locomotive Information. Rail UK. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^"Class 13 Number 13003". Diesel/Electric Locomotive Information. Rail UK. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^Bickerdyke, Paul, ed. (October 2015). "Class 13 Tinsley shunters". Rail Express. No. 233. Horncastle: Mortons Media Publishing. p. 25. ISSN1362-234X.
Strickland, David C. (1983). Locomotive Directory—every single one there has ever been. Camberley, Surrey: Diesel and Electric Group. pp. 53–55. ISBN0-906375-10-X.