Sri Lanka Railways M6 is a class of 16 Diesel-electric locomotives imported to Sri Lanka in 1979. Manufactured by

Thyssen-Henschel Thyssen Henschel was a German industrial firm and defense contractor. One part of the company '' Henschel Wehrtechnik'' was acquired by Rheinmetall in 1999 and was integrated into ''Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH'' in 2000. Products * TAM medium ...

in Kassel, West Germany, under licence from

Electro-Motive Division Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...

of the United States. As an EMD G22M, it has a V12

EMD 645 The EMD 645 is a family of diesel engines that was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. While the 645 series was intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder versio ...

engine rated at . Most are still in service. Very successful in upcountry line, since it has

Flexicoil Flexicoil suspension is a type of secondary suspension for railway vehicles, typically having steel coil springs between the bogie trucks and chassis/frame of a passenger coach, goods freight wagon, or locomotive. Suspension systems using ste ...

truck (bogies) and dynamic brakes. Loco numbers 793 and 798 engines were destroyed by LTTE terrorists. M6 790 was involved in the Watawala landslip incident. These locomotives were originally imported for use on flat terrain but they are very successful in upcountry line. Its flexicoil bogies and dynamic brakes allow it to perform well in the upcountry. Therefore, the M6 fleet is frequently used in upcountry line.

Liveries

M6 locomotives are painted either in standard livery or the class' unique ICE (InterCity Express) livery. The standard livery features horizontal green, brown and yellow strips. The ICE livery is brown and orange, a livery that is only painted on locomotives 785, 788, 797. No. 792 used to be in ICE livery in the 1990s, but has since been repainted in standard livery.

Accidents and incidents

Loco numbers 793 and 798 were destroyed by terrorist attacks (793 was destroyed by a bomb blast between Puliyankulam-Vavniya on March 25, 1986; 798 was destroyed by a bomb blast at Thambalagamuwa on December 5, 1996). Loco number 786 was involved in the Yangalmodara level crossing accident.

References

Sri Lanka Diesel Locomotive Data Pages
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sri Lanka Railways M06 M06 Railway locomotives introduced in 1979 5 ft 6 in gauge locomotives