Locomotives of Sri Lanka Railways

Sri Lanka's first railway locomotive was Leopold, introduced in 1864. It was one of seven 4-4-0 locomotives built that year for the Ceylon Government Railway by Robert Stephenson & Company (Nos. 1–5) and Beyer, Peacock & Company (Nos. 6 and 7).^[3] Many more steam locomotives were added to the system, through to the 1950s. All the steam locomotives but three were manufactured in the United Kingdom; the exceptions were three 4-4-0s built at the railway's Maradana Works near Colombo in 1900 and 1905. In 1938, locomotives were reclassified, based on wheel arrangement and gauge. Sub-classification was based on weight, modifications, heating type, boiler capacity, or other features.^[4]

Throughout its history, Ceylon Government Railway had 410 steam locomotives.^[5]

The Railways upgraded its service to diesel locomotives, under the leadership of B. D. Rampala in the mid-1950s.^[2] 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.^[6][7][8]

In the 1990s, Sri Lanka Railways converted the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge Kelani Valley line into 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge. 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.

As of March 2022, Sri Lanka does not have commercially operational electric locomotives or train sets. Electrification has been proposed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.^[9]

Sri Lanka's locomotives have appeared in several different liveries over the years.

The steam locomotives were mainly painted in black.

With the introduction of diesel locomotives, coloured liveries appeared. Typical for many locomotives is a livery that has thick horizontal bands of dark blue, light blue, silver and a yellow stripe. Also common for many locomotives is a livery of horizontal bands of green, brown, and a yellow stripe.

The Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) are painted in various liveries, unique to their classes. Typically, they feature horizontal bands of colour running their entire length and a solid colour on the front and back ends.

Steam locomotives were numbered from 1 upwards, reaching 161 in 1911. Whereafter replacement locomotives were given the same number as the locomotive that they replaced with an "R" prefix; until such time as the old locomotive, now running with an "O" prefix, was finally withdrawn.^[10] This system was abandoned in 1928,^[10] with new locomotives being numbered from 249 upwards,^[11] and reaching 336 by 1940, and 362 in 1951 when the last steam locomotive — a 4-8-0 from WG Bagnall — was delivered.^[12]

Narrow gauge locomotives were numbered in the same list as broad-gauge locomotives. Diesel locomotives and multiple unit numbering started from 500 – an Armstrong Whitworth 122 hp 0-4-0 diesel-electric shunter delivered in 1934^[12] – and reached 840 in 1991.^[13] It included one locomotive experimentally converted to electric traction.^[4][14]

Steam locomotives were used on regular services until the 1970s.^{[2][4][15][5]}

More information Class, Photo ...

Class	Photo	Numbers	Type	Quantity	Manufacturer	Year	Gauge	Preserved?	Notes
—N/a		1–15, 24–25, 28–29, 39–40, 43–47	4-4-0	26	Robert Stephenson & Company (5) Beyer, Peacock & Company (7) Kitson & Company (14)	1864–1880	Broad Gauge (5ft 6in)	No	5-foot driving wheels
		20–23, 26–27	4-4-0	6	Beyer, Peacock & Company (4) Kitson & Company (2)	1868–1872		No	6-foot driving wheels; 16″×22″ cylinders
		63–71, 89–92	4-4-0	13	Dübs & Company	1892–1895		No	6-foot driving wheels; 17″×24″ cylinders
		16–19, 41–42	0-6-0	6	John Fowler & Co	1868–1878		No
		30–31	0-4-0ST	2	Robert Stephenson & Company	1868		No	Ex Breakwater branch; absorbed in 1874; a third loco was not taken into stock
		32–38, 48	4-4-0T	8	Robert Stephenson & Company (3) Kitson & Company (5)	1876–1880		No
		30–31, 1 (second)	4-4-0	3	CGR Maradana Works	1900–1905		No	5-foot driving wheels; 16″×24″ cylinders
		163	0-6-0CT	1	RW Hawthorn, Leslie & Company	1913		No	Crane tank
A1		18–19, 41–42	4-8-0	4	Kitson & Company	1913–1921		No
A2		155–156		2	Kitson & Company	1911		No	Renumbered 16–17
A3		275–278, 296–297, 334–336, 357–362		15	Hunslet Engine Company (6) WG Bagnall (9)	1928–1951		No
B1		4, 30, 242–262, 279–290 294–295 347–342 351–356	4-6-0	49	Beyer, Peacock & Company (25) Armstrong Whitworth (12) Robert Stephenson & Company (12)	1927–47		Yes	“Governor” class – many named. No. 30 Sir Thomas Maitland, runs the Viceroy Special service.[4][16]
B2		1, 3, 25–29, 39–40, 43–47 193–196, 204–213, 222–228		35	Kitson & Company (3) Robert Stephenson & Company (11) Vulcan Foundry (21)	1925–1925		Yes	No. 213 preserved and operational
B3		8–11, 22, 169–171, 185–192		16	Kitson & Company	1913–1914		No
B4		72–75, 147–147, 158–159		9	Neilson & Company (4) Kitson & Company (5)	1893–1912		No
B5		76–80		5	Neilson & Company (3) Vulcan Foundry (2)	1894		No
B6		49–62		14	Kitson & Company (10) Vulcan Foundry (4)	1882–1890		No
B7		81–88		8	RW Hawthorn, Leslie & Company	1894		No
B8		214–219, 229–240		18	Hunslet Engine Company (13) RW Hawthorn, Leslie & Company (2) Nasmyth, Wilson & Company (3)	1922–27		No
B9		140–141		2	Hunslet Engine Company	1908		Yes	Renumbered 134–135. One preserved as a static display at Colombo Fort railway station.
B10		109–119		11	Dübs & Company	1901		No
C1		241, 343–350	2-6-2+2-6-2	9	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1927, 1945		Yes	1945 locos later converted to oil firing Had a sub-class "C1a"
D1		270–274	2-6-4T	5	Robert Stephenson & Company	1928		No	“College” class – most named; All scrapped
D2								No	All scrapped
D3		12–15, 20–21, 131–139, 150–151, 164–168		22	Robert Stephenson & Company (20) RW Hawthorn, Leslie & Company (2)	1907–1914		No	131–139 renumbered 32–37, 131–133; 150–151 renumbered 38, 40; 12 rebuilt as class D1 and numbered 298 in 1930; D3 class saturated, reclassified D2 when superheated; All scrapped.
E1		23–24, 93–94, 101 162, 179–183, 197–200	0-6-0T	15	Dübs & Company (3) North British Locomotive Company (5) Hunslet Engine Company (7)	1898–1915		Yes	Most rebuilt as 0-6-2T. No. 93 built in 1898 is the oldest surviving steam locomotive in the country – now preserved at the National Railway Museum, Kadugannawa.
F1		265–269	0-6-2T	5	Robert Stephenson & Company	1928		No	All scrapped
F2		2, 5–7, 144–157, 172–173	4-4-0	20	Vulcan Foundry (5) North British Locomotive Company (15)	1911–1913		No	144–151 delivered as 152–154, 157–161; F2 saturated, reclassified F2 when superheated. All scrapped.
F3		95–100, 124–129		12	Dübs & Company (6) Kitson & Company (2) North British Locomotive Company (4)	1900–1903		No	All scrapped
H1		293	2-4-0+0-4-2	1	Beyer, Peacock & Company	1930	Narrow Gauge (2ft 6in)	No	All scrapped
J1		220–221, 263–264, 291–292	4-6-4T	6	Hunslet Engine Company	1924–1929
J2		142–146, 160–161, 174–178, 184, 201–202		15	Hunslet Engine Company (11) North British Locomotive Company (4)	1908–1919			142–146 renumbered to 136–140.
K1		102–108	4-4-0T	7	Hunslet Engine Company	1900–1901			Known as the Kelani Valley Tanks. Two were used for the film "Bridge on the River Kwai"[17][18]
L1		120–123, 130, 203	0-4-2T	6	Sharp, Stewart & Company (4) Hunslet Engine Company (2)	1902–1904, 1920		Yes	Known as the Uda Pussellawe tanks.
R1		301–313	Steam railcar	13	Sentinel	1925–1927	Broad Gauge (5ft 6in)	No	Some were later fitted with small under-floor diesel units and were reclassified as T2.
R2		317–320		4	Sentinel	1928
R3		321–327		7	Sentinel	1928
R4		314–316		3	Clayton	1928
V1		328–330		3	Sentinel	1927	Narrow Gauge (2ft 6in)
V2		331–333		3	Sentinel	1928

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