Diesel locomotives and multiple units of Sri Lanka include a variety of models by various manufacturers around the world. The locomotives are owned by Sri Lanka Railways. One diesel-multiple unit is operated by Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited on the Airport Express, while all other locomotives and trainsets are operated by Sri Lanka Railways.
The Railways upgraded its service to diesel locomotives, under the leadership of B. D. Rampala in the mid 1950s.[1] In 1953, the first locomotives from British builder Brush Bagnall were imported. Since then, the Railways have imported locomotives from Canada, Japan, West Germany, India, France, and China[2][3][4]
In the 1990s, Sri Lanka Railways converted the narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in (762 mm)) Kelani Valley line into broad gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm). This was the last narrow-gauge line left in Sri Lanka, and its conversion to broad gauge put the fleet of narrow gauge locomotives out of use. All operational locomotives in the country today are broad gauge.
Contents |
Sri Lanka is a scenic island of the Indian Ocean which has a proud written history of about 3,000 years. Sri Lanka became a crown colony of Britain in 1802. The history of Sri Lankan Railways starts in 1864. The British wanted to deliver tea and other products from hill country to harbour, so the Ceylon Government Railways were born. Today, this is owned by the Sri Lankan Government and is known as Sri Lanka Railways. Sri Lanka's railway network consists of 1,449 km of broad gauge (5 feet 6 inches) and 59 km narrow gauge. Sri Lanka is proud to own some of the most scenic rail routes in the world. SLR has only diesel locomotives and has not yet decided to move on to electrification, even though there are many proposals.
Diesel locomotives are categorized [5] under five classes depending on their mechanism / route / scenario. On every locomotive there is plate presenting its class name and number.
| Class | Route | Engine Type | Colour | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | Main Line | Diesel Electric | Blue/Red & Green | Passenger/Freight Operations |
| W | Main Line | Diesel Hydraulic | Red & Green | Passenger/Freight Operations |
| S | Main Line | Diesel Electric | White With Two Colour Strips | Diesel Multiple Units |
| N/P | Narrow Gauge | Both | All Above | Passenger Operations |
| Y | - | Both | Black/White | Shunters |
| Sub Class | Builder | Weight (tons) | No.of Locomotives | Imported Year | Power (hp) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Brush Bagnall, United Kingdom | 88 | 25 | 1953 | 1,000 | - |
| M2 | General Motors, Canada | 79 | 14 | 1954 | 1,425 | Type EMD G12 |
| M3 | Locally built in Sri Lanka | 46 | 2 | n/a | 360 | Note 1 |
| M4 | Montreal Locomotive Works, Canada | 93 | 14 | 1975 | 1,750 | Type MX620 |
| M5 | Hitachi, Japan | 66 | 16 | 1979 | 1,600 | Note 2 |
| M6 | Henschel Thyssen, West Germany | 87 | 16 | 1979 | 1,650 | EMD G22C Series |
| M7 | Brush Bagnall, United Kingdom | 67 | 16 | 1981 | 1,000 | - |
| M8 | American Locomotive Company and Diesel Locomotive Works, India | 110 | 10 | 1996 | 2,600 | Type WDM-2 |
| M9 | Alstom, France | 100.56 | 10 | 2000 | 3,220 | Note 3 |
Main Line Locomotives (Diesel Hydraulic)
Henschel Thyssen (W.German). 1150hp. Imported in 1969. 10 locomotives were completely rehabilitated with Caterpillar 3512 DITA Engines, Voith L 520 Transmission with dynamic braking added to transmission. Also colour scheme changed to blue & white. Rehabilitated locomotives were re-classified as W3. In operation.
L - Locomotive transmission 5 - Circuit size index 2 - No of Torque converters 0 - No of fluid coupling R - Reversing U2 - Model No
Total number of locomotives = 45
Karl Marx Werks (E. Germany). 1500hp. Imported in 1969. In operation.
Builder : VEB Weight : 65tons Power : 1578hp PAXMAN V16 16YJXL (4 stroke)
Total number of locomotives = 15
Class S Trains are Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) using for passenger operations. These type is known as Colombo Commuter. There are no classes in passenger cars in these trains. Usually with straight seats and more facilitated to go on stand.
| Locomotive | Builder | Imported Year | Weight (tons) | Power | Engine | No.of Locomotives | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | English Electric (United Kingdom) | - | 94 | English electric 180hp 6 cylinder x 2 (4 stroke) | Two 180hp engines per locomotive | 3 | Not in operation and the locomotives were scrapped due to the heavy corrosion incurred running on the coastal line. Engines were installed in M3 Locomotive. |
| S2 | Schindler (W. Germany) | 1950 | - | 790hp (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 15 | Non Operational |
| S3 | MAN (W. Germany) | 1960 | 47 | 880hp MAN V12 L12V18./21 | Diesel Hydraulic | 25 | Only 1 DMU is operating at a local service between Galle and Mathara |
| S4 | Machinenfabrik (W. Germany) | 1960 | - | 1000hp (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 5 | Non Operational |
| S5 | Hitachi (Japan) | 1975 | 158 | 775hp (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 4 | Tourist train. Operational |
| S6 | Hitachi (Japan) | 1975 | 51 (unit only) | 1165hp Paxman V12-12YJXL (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 10 | Operating on Kalleni Valley broad gauge route |
| S7 | Hitachi (Japan) | 1977 | 54 (unit only) | 1020hp Cummings V8 KTA-2300 (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 10 | Same as S6 and route |
| S8 | Hyundai (S. Korea) | 1989 | 55 tons powered unit only | 1150hp (4 stroke) | Diesel Hydraulic | 20 | This has a high acceleration speed from 0 - 60 mph, even in the low Throttle |
| S9 | CSR MTU, (China) | 2000 | - | 1150hp (4 stroke) | Diesel Electric | 15 | Capable of running with catenary connected with pantograph |
| S10 | CSR MTU, (China) | 2007 | - | 2000hp | Diesel Electric | - | Capable of running with catenary connected with pantograph |
| S11 | RITES Ltd, (India) | 2011 | - | - | Diesel Electric | 9 in use (20 trainsets expected by 2012) | Currently on delivery, in phases. Red colour with white strips |
These are narrow gauge locomotives. They used to run to Awissawella on the Kalani Valley Route.
| Locomotive | Builder | Imported Year | Engine | Comments | No. of Locomotives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | KRUPP, West Germany | 1953 | Diesel Hydraulic / 490 hp | Not in operation | 5 |
| N2 | KAWASAKI, Japan | 1973 | Diesel Hydraulic / 600 hp | Not in Operation | 3 |
| P1 | HUNSLET, United Kingdom | 1950 | Mechanical Transmission / 120 hp | Not in Operation | 4 |
One locomotive is parked in Viharamahadewi Park, Colombo as a souvenir to the Municipal Council.
Built by Hunslet, England. Imported in 1969. In operation.
Built entirely by Sri Lankan Railways using power plants of Class S6 and W3 (Paxman 12YJXL)
Not in operation
Sri Lankan trains are named with common sinhala names closer to people. Often this gives the meaning of the route and the appearance
| Name | Service Code | Meaning of the Name | Route | Railway Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Podi Manike (පොඩි මැණිකේ) | PM | Little Princess | Colombo Fort to Badulla via Kandy | Up Country |
| Udarata Manike (උඩරට මැණිකේ) | UM | Maiden of Up Country | Colombo Fort to Badulla | Up Country |
| Yal Dewi (යාල් දේවී) | YD | Goddess of Jaffna | Colombo Fort to Kankesanturai now stops in Vavuniya | Nothern |
| Uttara Dewi (උත්තරා දේවී) | NG | Nothern Goddess | - | Track destroyed due to war |
| Rajarata Rajini(රජරට මැණිකේ) | RM | Prince of North Kings Land | Vavuniya to Mathara | North Central |
| Udaya Dewi (උදය දේවී) | UD | God of Morning | Colombo Fort to Batticaloa via Trincomalee | Eastern |
| Hijraa (හිජ්රා) | - | Muslim Name | Colombo Fort to Batticaloa via Trincomalee | Eastern |
| Muthu Kumari (මුතු කුමාරී) | MK | Pearl Princess | Colombo Fort to Puttlam | North Western Coast |
| Senkadagala Menike (සෙන්කඩගල මැණිකේ) | SM | Kandy Princess | Colombo Fort to Kandy | Up country |