Hello again Tomo 1,
If it's one of the new generation of Hornby 08 shunters (the highly detailed version with outside frames, etc) then it will have a can motor and flywheel to give realistic slow running. The real 08 shunters only run at a maximum speed of about 15 to 20 mph (the re-geared class 09 shunters can run a little faster). If you are running your model too fast, i.e. at an unrealistic speed you may find that this will cause the nylon gears to whine as the model is not designed to run at fast speeds. However, it may have been badly assembled at the factory in the Far East (where they are mass produced). My friend (who was a railway modeller by profession) found that his Hornby 08 made strange noises at certain speeds and he has never tracked down the cause. In fact mine makes odd noises at times as well. The most likely cause is badly aligned gears; unfortunately, if your 08 is the new super detailed model it is difficult to take the chassis apart to adjust things. Another possible cause of the noise may be bad quartering of the driving wheels. Basically on a loco the cranks which the coupling rods are attached to have to be precisely matched; also they have to be a quarter of a turn advanced or retarded on the opposite side (if you look at the loco now, you will see that on each side the coupling rods are in a different position - this is quartering). If the quartering is out by a small amount then your loco will run like a pig (maybe noisily) and may not run at all because the coupling rods will bind and not rotate freely. My friend's 08 lost its quartering by a small amount and he had loads of trouble with it. Usually it happens when the driving wheel slips on its axle. Apart from the above it is unlikely there could be any other cause of the noise and bad running. It really depends on the individual model; most run very well, a few don't. The Bachmann 08 has one advantage over the Hornby model in that it has something called compensation; in this case it means that the centre wheel is sprung and will move up and down, which gives more reliable electrical current pick up and thus less tendency to stall on dirty or uneven trackwork. Having said this both the Hornby and Bachmann 08 shunters are excellent and accurate models. If you look on Ebay there are loads of both for sale.
All the best
Simon
