In 1952, Ceylon Government Railway (CGR)âas it was known thenâunder the legendary leadership of B. D. Rampala moved towards diesel power in its rolling stock, which by then was made up of British-built steam locomotives. The first set of diesels to be brought were Brush locomotives from the United Kingdom. However, their comparatively light horsepower compelled the CGR to look for a more capable workhorse for long-distance journeys. And so it was that under a grant from Canada, as part of the Colombo Plan, that the M2 class was born in Sri Lanka in 1954. Quickly put to long-haul operations, with Alberta first pulling the Ruhunu Kumari on 25 January 1955, this sleek class of engines have entered the annals of Sri Lanka Railways as the most reliable railway engines ever used.
The icing on the cake was the gift of twelve Canadian diesel locomotives under the Colombo Plan in the late 50’s – an outright gift from the Canadian government under the premiership of Pierre Trudeau. These diesels were a joy to behold, and I still remember the names of some of them, on either side of the locomotive gleaming in silver and blue. They were “Alberta” “Montreal” “Sasketchwan” “Prince Edward Island” “Vancouver” “Manitoba” “Toronto” and “Ontario”. Out went the British locomotives .
When the then Prime minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau made a state visit to Sri Lanka, in 1971, he was treated to a journey to Kandy in Montreal, the engine bearing the name of his home state. The M2s have also had the honor of driving many famed menikes, kumaris and devis on their maiden journeys.