Traffic at Nuneaton still warranted a Class 08 duty well into the 1980s. In 1983 it was a Saltley loco, Target 95, working from 0630-1430 SX at Abbey Street and Trent Valley Yards. On 30th April 1983 08068 was caught stabled along with 31312.

The quaintly named Hookagate PAD was located south west of Shrewsbury on the Cambrian line and was used to assemble trains of long welded rail. The pilot duty, Target 97, was worked by 08132 "Timmy" on Saturday 28th September 1985. Having just despatched a train to Eastleigh, "Timmy" would now stable until Monday morning.

Sheerness Iron & Steel Co acquired two Class 08 shunters for their Sheerness Works in 1982, 08133 & 08216. The latter was photographed during a pause in shunting PXA scrap wagons on 25th August 1983. This engine was scrapped by Harry Needle in April 2001. 08133 survives in preservation on the Severn Valley Railway.

08266 had been withdrawn for three months when this picture was taken at Swindon Works on 24th June 1985, and was already minus it's rods. Previously at Shirebrook, happily it is now preserved at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

One of the Severn Tunnel Junction Yard pilots, 08354, is seen here tripping fuel tanks to the Locomotive Servicing Depot on 24th June 1985.

Caught during a trip to Skegness on 25th June 1983, 08386 was the Boston Yard pilot, seen stabled for the weekend along with two Grainflow polybulks.

With the Coventry Homefire Plant in the background, NCB hired 08461 shunts empty MCV & HTVs on 8th August 1983. The wagons, destined for Toton, will be tripped down the branch to Three Spires Junction Yard for forward movement by BR.

The NCB at Coventry Colliery had a requirement to hire up to three Saltley (later Tyseley) allocated Class 08s to supplement their own power working the steeply graded branch from Three Spires Junction to Keresley with traffic from Coventry Colliery and to the Homefire Plant. Here 08461 waits the road to Three Spires on 8th August 1983, while 08761 preceeds it with loaded HAAs for Didcot PS and 08067 brings up a rake of empties for loading.

Temple Mills Yard was already in decline when visited on 16th December 1982, with the main hump having closed that year and all shunting now concentrated at the south end. There was still enough work for two pilot engines and 08550 was seen busy shunting air braked traffic.

Prior to it's unseemly demise, Swindon Works specialised in DMU and Shunter overhauls. 08565 was caught ex works there on 18th March 1983. This particular engine was withdrawn from Motherwell in July 1993 and broken up at MC Metals.

Having painted 08604 in BR Green livery, it was only fair that Tyseley TMD should have one in LMS Black! 08601 was chosen and also gained cast nameplates as "Spectre". Tyseley in the '80s was a fascinating place. Despite having only an allocation of DMUs and Class 08s, any type of mainline loco could appear for repair.

The other half of the celebrity duo, 08604, in BR Green livery and complete with cast number and "Phantom" name pates, sits between duties on "Target 88", the Factory Pilot at Tyseley TMD on 23rd June 1986. The name in this case had less to do with ghosts and more to do with the aviation interests of certain of the Traction Maintenance Supervisors who were responsible for much of the individualism the depot became famous for...