Class M6

Class M6 791 at Gampaha ‘Kalu Palama’

Class M6 Specifications:

Locomotive Class: M6

Manufactured Country: Germany

Manufactured Company: THYSSEN HENSCHEL (Kassel West Germany)

Imported Year: 1979

Type of Locomotive: Diesel Electric

Prime Mover: EMD V12 12-645E 2-Strock

Maximum Power: 1650hp

Maximum Speed: 90kmph

Axel Arrangement: A1A-A1A

Weight: 85.4 Tons

Colour: Red, Green & a yellow strip (Standard Livery)

Red & Orange (ICE Livery)

No. of Locomotives Imported: 16

Locomotive Numbers: 783-798

This class of locomotives were brought to Sri Lanka on 1979 & was very effective & successful, especially in up country line. Due to the special features it’s used on most of the trains on the up country line.

According to the manufacturer most of the parts in these high powered locomotives are designed to suit every environmental condition & to minimize corrosion. With the help of the A1A-A1A axel arrangement & HENCHEL Flexi-float bogies these locomotives are very suitable for a rail road with sharp curves. The drivers’ cabin of this loco is designed to get a clear & maximum view even the driver drives it long hooded or short hooded. All these M6 locomotives came with pre-installed Dynamic Brakes & Sand boxes.

Due to this specifications M6 locomotives got the chance to haul many trains. It hauls Badulla night mail express, Intercity Express trains & Rajarata Rajina trains most of the time. Before the arrival of the Class S12 DMUs these M6 locos hauled the Udarata Menike & Podi Menike trains.

Out of these locomotives No.785, 797, 788 are painted in ICE (Inter City Express) colours (Red & orange). Sometime ago No.792 also had ICE colour scheme but now it’s on standard colour scheme.

No.798 was destroyed by a LTTE attack in 1966 near China bay, Trincomale while No.793 was destroyed at Baticaloa. No.786 was the locomotive which faced the Yangalmodera Bus-Train crash on 27^th April 2005. Loco No.790 faced an earth slip on 1992 at Watawala. No.796 too faced an earth slip on January 2011. However except No.798 & No.793 all other locomotives are still on service.

THYSSEN HENCHEL company was sold to ADtranz in 2001 it was sold again to Bombardier Transportation. Prime mover of this locomotive is also built by GM-EMD (General Motors – Electro Motive Diesel, which was early known as Electro Motive Division) Company which made the M2 (EMD G12).

Following graph by Nipuna Dodanthenna gives a summary of all M6 locomotives.

Loco No	Serial No	Remarks
783	32337 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
784	32338 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
785	32339 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
786	32340 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)	Faced the yangalmodara accident on 27th April 2005
787	32341 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
788	32342 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)	Rambukkana, Kiriwallapitiya down Kandy ICE derailment
789	32343 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
790	32344 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)	Faced an earth slip on 3rd June 1992
791	32345 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
792	32346 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
793	32347 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)	Destroyed by the bomb blast on 15th March 1986
794	32348 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
795	32349 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
796	32350 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
797	32351 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)
798	32352 09/79 – 01/80 (G22CW)	Destroyed by the bomb blast on 4th Dec 1996