Little known livery of Class M2 locomotives

Source:Sundayobserver

They are the most recognisable and unquestionably most written-about locomotives in the history of the Sri Lankan railways. In their distinctive silver, light blue and dark blue livery with yellow trim lines, combined with the deep two-stroke throb of their diesel engines and lyrical tones of ‘Airchime’ horns, they still present a formidable and magnificent appearance despite more than 60 years of service.

Yes, ‘they’ are the Class M2 locomotives, dubbed the ‘Canadians’ by adoring Sri Lankan rail fans and general travelling public alike.

It is not intended here to regurgitate oft-repeated facts on these glorious machines. As stated, much has appeared in many a publication; however, a brief introduction would not be out of place. From 1954 to 1961, the then Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) received 12 locomotives, classified M2, from General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) in Ontario, Canada under the auspices of a Colombo Plan aid program.

An additional two units were obtained in 1966, specifically for cement haulage, but were soon consigned to general railway operation in common with other members of the Class. These last two arrived from EMD’s factories at their headquarters in Illinois, USA.

Legendary performance

Equipped with 12-cylinder EMD 567 two-stroke diesel engines of 112-litre capacity, their horsepower (hp) ratings of 1,310/1,425 may not appear to compare favourably with the higher power ranges of nearly 3,000 hp produced by several other locomotives in operation in Sri Lanka. However, the M2s have more than made up for this now seemingly low power rating with their legendary performance and reliability, while several other later, more powerful makes have literally ‘fallen by the track side’ and been scrapped.

As that iconic railway man, General Manager of Railways B. D. Rampala stated in his well-publicised paper to the Institution of Locomotive Engineers, London, in 1956, “They sailed up to 6,000’ with a full load and over the top at the first attempt”, referring to the M2’s commissioning; and they haven’t disappointed since. It is no exaggeration to claim that the Class M2 ‘Canadians’ were and still are the most reliable and long-lasting of all the locomotives to grace Sri Lanka’s rail tracks.

Of the 14 locomotives received, all but 12 of which were named after Canadian provinces or cities, 13 are understood to be in service apart from number 571, which was destroyed during the battle against terrorism.

The M2’s renowned performance is a tribute to the EMD moniker and could be traced back to one man, Richard Dilworth, the extraordinarily gifted EMD engineer who in 1949 created the famed model GP7 diesel locomotive which spelt the death knell for steam operations in North America. Sri Lanka’s Class M2, designated as EMD G12 by the builders, is an export version derived from the GP7. More than a thousand units of the G12 were constructed in the USA and Canada and even in Australia, for use all over the world, with many said to be in service to this day.

The skill and dedication of the railway staff who maintained the M2s over the years have contributed in no small measure to the locomotives’ remarkable longevity.

Original livery

Although publications on Sri Lankan railways abound with accounts of the Class M2, none has ever commented, even in passing, on the original livery of these machines; not even David Hyatt’s tome Railways of Sri Lanka, widely regarded as the most comprehensive work produced to date on the island’s railways. If it were to be revealed that the first batches of these units received were painted in a livery different to the now familiar colour scheme of silver and blue, one could be excused for expressing disbelief.

That silver/blue livery is indelibly synonymous with the M2. Yet the writer distinctly remembers, as a young boy in 1954 accompanied by his father, witnessing number 569 or 570 at the Polgahawela station in an orange/dark red livery. A year or so later the same locomotive was observed by the writer at the head of the ‘Ruhunu Kumari’ but repainted in the characteristic silver/light blue/dark blue livery.

A former General Manager of the Sri Lankan Railway remarked, after checking with an officer of the railways who retired several years ago, that M2 locomotives of the first batch which arrived in 1954/55, numbered 569 to 573, were indeed finished in a yellow/red livery, as were the next batch, M2A numbers 591 to 593, that arrived in 1956.

The officer recalled that when number 591 Manitoba was being repaired after it was damaged in the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004, traces of the old paintwork could be detected beneath later coatings. It would, therefore, seem to suggest that after arrival from Canada the locomotives were repainted at the CGR workshops in the now familiar livery of silver/light blue/dark blue, ostensibly to match the cream-and-blue coaches of the named long-distance trains Ruhunu Kumari, Udarata Menike and Yal Devi introduced in 1955. However, the later batches of locomotives received from 1956, had all been factory-finished in Canada in the silver/blue livery.

GM-EMD of Ontario, Canada appears to have factory-finished most of their export locomotives of the early 1950s in a two-tone yellowish orange/dark red livery as evident from photographs on EMD websites.

It is highly likely that the original livery of the first two batches of CGR M2s was a yellowish orange for the top section and dark red for the lower, as remembered by the writer. Regrettably, no colour photos of the M2s showing them in their original livery appear to be available. However, scarce black-and-white photos of the early M2s in operation immediately after arrival do show a two-tone livery, presumably the yellowish orange/dark red colour, quite distinct from the later three-tone scheme. EMD’s websites also contain black-and-white builder’s photos of number 573 and 595 taken outside the EMD factories in Ontario, Canada. Reproduced as Figs. 2 and 3, they indicate the original two-tone livery of 573 and the later three-tone of 595.

Also included at Fig 4 is an ‘artist’s illustration’, created by the writer, of M2 number 570 in its original livery. In the absence of any colour photos, it is hoped that this painting may convey an impression of how the locomotives looked when received. But unquestionably, the later and now widely recognised livery of silver/light blue/dark blue is by far the more attractive and impressive looking.

The writer is a Sri Lankan mechanical engineer, now retired, domiciled in Sydney, Australia. A life-long railway enthusiast, he had authored the book “Essays in Railroading”. He is serving at the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum near Sydney, in a voluntary capacity.