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Sri Lanka Railways class M5
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Sri Lanka | 1979
16 produced
M5C No. 771 in January 2013 at Atkandy
M5C No. 771 in January 2013 at Atkandy
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The M5 is a series of 16 four-axle diesel-electric locomotives built in 1979 by Hitachi for the Sri Lanka Railways. They were originally powered by an MTU V12 built by Ikegai in Japan with 1,640 hp. Due to technical problems, they only had a short service life in their original form. While some were withdrawn, a total of 13 were rebuilt.

The first one was No. 769 that received an MTU 396 in 1991 and became class M5A. This engine was left over as a spare for an S8 DMU and only had 1,150 hp. Four were rebuilt to M5B starting in 1997 with a 1,500 hp Paxman Valenta. From 2001, eight became M5C by replacing the engine with a Caterpillar 3516 DITA delivering 1,570 hp. 

Variantas builtrebuilt M5Arebuilt M5Brebuilt M5C
General
Built1979199119972001-2010
ManufacturerHitachi
Wheel arr.B-B 
Gauge5 ft 6 in (Indian broad gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Service weight145,505 lbs
Adhesive weight145,505 lbs
Axle load36,376 lbs
Boiler
Variantas builtrebuilt M5Arebuilt M5Brebuilt M5C
Power Plant
Power
Power sourcediesel-electric
Top speed60 mph
EngineMTU 12V 652 TD11MTU 396 TC13Paxman Valenta RP200LCaterpillar 3516 DITA
Engine typeV12 dieselV16 diesel
Engine output1,636 hp (1,220 kW)1,153 hp (860 kW)1,489 hp (1,110 kW)1,569 hp (1,170 kW)
Calculated Values
diesel locomotive
passenger
freight
last changed: 11/2025
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