For decades the town of Dematagoda, Colombo 9 has been affiliated with the railway service. The massive yard adjacent to the present flyover bridge has been in operation for years. One of its important units is the HLS or Hydraulic Locomotive Shed. This is a large shed where locomotives are taken care of along with other carriages and wagons. The smell of engines, steam and diesel permeates the air in this yard. The solitary yellow office is the hub of this division that has a staff of 300 men working day and night.
The man heading this operation is K.A.S.A. Thennakoon, Chief Supervisory Manager. He explains: “HLS is a busy area. We work on a shift basis to cover 24 hours. Look out of the windows and you will see an assortment of engines, old and new. The black engines are the Hunslet type. We got these in 1969. Of a fleet of 28, today we have 15 engines in active duty. We refer to them as shunting locomotives. Shunting refers to the assembling of a train - the engine and the formation of carriages. They are used for internal running within the yards, and when required they travel on the railway lines out of the Dematagoda yard. The Hunslet engines were made in Leeds, England, and date back to 1864. The Class Y-690 still used at Dematagoda weighs 45 tons, running to a length of 25 feet. Its prime mover is the Rolls Royce V8 engine”.
We walked along the inspection platform, lined with work tables on either side. From this level a flight of steps lead underground to the inspection pits. Once the massive train engines are parked, the work crew clad in khaki go into the pits to check the wheels and bogie, which is similar to the chassis of a car. The iron wheels of the train are fixed to a bogie. The scent of oils and lubricants rises from the inspection pits. There are eight such pits.This is not a job for the faint hearted.
Manager Thennakoon pointing to some of the engines says, “The green and red engine is the WI. Look at the turbine inside, painted in yellow. The blue and white engines are the W3. We also have the M2 and M6 engines which are used to take aviation fuel wagons to the Katunayake International Airport. We play a key role, transporting the aviation fuel to the airport”.
It began to rain when we descended from the platform, and Kumara, a staff member shelters us with a large umbrella as we walk over to the yard. Barrels of fuel are neatly stacked in a line, and the empty barrels piled in a corner.
Vintage locomotives
It was lovely to see the old Hitachi train engine. Painted in green and white she is in excellent running condition, having been pressed into service in 1969. The locomotive of the Viceroy Special train (Engine Class B1) was parked on our left. The massive iron locomotive ‘Yakada Yaka” is a splendid steam locomotive.
The Class B1 was the venerated workhorse of Ceylon Railways. She was pressed into service in 1927. B1 engines were made by Beyer Peacock of Manchester, UK. This company was already known for the Garratt locomotives. Class B1 engines were selected because of their power, and used in the upcountry railway line with its 1/44 gradient. Initially, these locomotives were known as the Nanu Oya Class Super Heaters. The black locomotives weighed 98 tons. The Belpaire fire box gave the engine the desired power. It had a capacity to carry five tons of coal and 3,300 gallons of water. By 1929 the Armstrong Whitworth Company supplied 11 new locomotives to enhance the Ceylon Government Railway. At one stage we had 49 such locomotives in the country. By 1960, diesel engines began to dominate the rail tracks, and the raucous exhaust and deep whistle of the magnificent B1 locomotives would become a fading echo. Some engines were tested with oil firing but they let out huge columns of black smoke, to the dismay of the engine crew. For a while some locomotives were used inside the Colombo Harbour to pull freight carriages.
Since 1970 these superlative iron queens have been sent to rest at the locomotive ‘graveyard’ at Dematagoda. Many passengers in this era adored these locomotives, for it was in these trains that they came to Colombo from every corner of the island. For many engine drivers of this vintage the B1 was the trustworthy queen of the railways. Her running legend still lives in thousands of minds.
Parked in front of the Viceroy engine is the beautiful steam engine since 90 years, the ‘Fredrick North’ bearing engine number 340. This amazing iron locomotive was named after the British Governor of that era. It is this locomotive that paved the way for the Sinhalese jingle when she crossed into rural villages ‘anguru kaka, watura bibee kolamba duvana yakada yaka” meaning the iron demon that eats charcoal, drinks boiling water and steams towards Colombo. To this day the faithful crew of the Hydraulic Locomotive Shed have kept both these engines in perfect running condition.
Thennekoon who counts 33 years of service continued to explain the other tasks of the LHS operations. “When a train is derailed or encounters a breakdown we are the first responders. We have a special engine that tows the 60 ton railway crane. This old crane is operated by steam. We still have firemen to fire her up to working condition. The emergency maintenance crew will take the engine and carriages to the nearest railway yard. If it is a major repair the train is sent to the Ratmalana yard. In such cases, trains can damage their brake hose, vacuum hose and cowcatcher located in front of the engine. We provide another vital service - wheel reforming. A car tyre will have its wear and tear, just like that the wheels of train engines and carriages too get spent after running for four to five months. Remember these are iron wheels. They get defects such as ‘sharp wheel and hollow wheel’. They must align 100 percent to the tracks, if not it’s a hazard. So we have to reform the wheels, regularly. For this we have three wheel reforming machines. Every single diesel engine, carriage and goods wagon is brought to the LHS for this routine,” Thennekoon elaborated.
The new additions to the railway fleet are the S - Class diesel multiple electric units. Management Assistant D. Ratnadoova, is in charge of the administrative tasks. He has to ensure that all reports are filed in. I observed a 100-year-old antique clock still in working condition, keeping accurate time. Every train engine has a card system, like a patient’s medical records. At the end of the evening shift the LHS crews come out, soiled in grease and oil. They are a happy bunch of men, proud of their railway heritage. As they go to get cleaned up the crew of the night shift enters the yard. Female staff are busy sweeping the inspection platforms.
The Locomotive Hydraulic Shed is a must visit venue for railway enthusiasts.