Ceylon Government Railway B1-B6

Specifications
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	58 ft 7.5 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton (B1 to B1C); 13.40 long ton (B1D/E)
Loco weight	52.30 long ton (B1 to B1C); 53.05 long ton (B1D/E)
Tender weight	42.55 long ton (B1 to B1C); 45.55 long ton (B1D/E)
Fuel type	Coal, Oil
Water cap.	3300 gal
Boiler:;
• Diameter	4 ft 8 in
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Beyer, Peacock & Company (B1, B1A/C); Armstrong Whitworth (B1B); Robert Stephenson & Company (B1D/E)
Build date	1927-1930 (B1 to B1C); 1945 (B1D); 1948 (B1E)
Total produced	49

Ceylon Government Railway B1
Ceylon Government Railway B1
	B1E No. 352 "Sir Frederick North" hauling the Viceroy Special
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Beyer, Peacock & Company (B1, B1A/C); Armstrong Whitworth (B1B); Robert Stephenson & Company (B1D/E)
Build date	1927-1930 (B1 to B1C); 1945 (B1D); 1948 (B1E)
Total produced	49
Configuration:;
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	58 ft 7.5 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton (B1 to B1C); 13.40 long ton (B1D/E)
Loco weight	52.30 long ton (B1 to B1C); 53.05 long ton (B1D/E)
Tender weight	42.55 long ton (B1 to B1C); 45.55 long ton (B1D/E)
Fuel type	Coal, Oil
Water cap.	3300 gal
Boiler:;
• Diameter	4 ft 8 in
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Tractive effort
Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf
Operators
Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Nicknames	Governor Class
Disposition	Two preserved, remainder scrapped

Last updated July 04, 2025

The Ceylon Government Railway B1-B6 were a range of similar steam locomotive classes operated by British Ceylon's national rail operator. Formerly designated as the NOA Class before the reclassification of 1937, they were 4-6-0 tender-tank locomotives meant to operate on the Main Line. As of 2025, only select members of the B1 and B2 classes survive into preservation.^[1]^[2]

Class B1

History

The Class B1 was the last and most modern of these six locomotive classes to be constructed.^[3]^[4] A total of forty-nine were built for the Ceylon Government Railway from 1927 to 1948. This class had five subclasses apart from the standard model, namely A, B, C, D and E. These locomotives are also known as the Governor Class, as most class members were named after Governors of British Ceylon. In 1936, class member No. 242 Sir Edward Paget was streamlined, but the streamlining was later removed in 1937.^[1] In the 1950s, some members of the class were converted to burn oil instead of coal.

Locomotives

^[1]
Number	Name	Final Subclass	Fuel	Status	Notes
4	Sir Edward Stubbs		Coal	Scrapped
30	Sir Thomas Maitland		Coal	Scrapped
242	Sir Edward Paget		Coal	Scrapped	The only class member to be fitted with a streamlined casing.
243	Sir West Ridgeway		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
244	Viscount Torrington		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
245	Sir Robert Chalmers		Coal	Scrapped
246	Sir William Anderson		Coal	Scrapped
247	James MacKenzie		Coal	Scrapped
248	Sir William Gregory		Coal	Scrapped
249	Sir William Anderson	A	Coal	Scrapped
250	Sir Charles MacCarthy		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
251	Sir Thomas Maitland		Coal	Preserved
252	Sir Edward Barnes		Coal	Scrapped
253	Sir Richard North		Coal	Scrapped
254	Sir Arthur Havelock		Coal	Scrapped
255	Sir Robert Chalmers		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
256	Sir Robert Horton		Coal	Scrapped
257	Ceylon Defence Force		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
258	Sir Hercules Robinson		Coal	Scrapped
259			Coal	Scrapped
260			Coal	Scrapped
261	Sir William Manning		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
262	King George VI		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
279	Sir Henry Ward	B	Coal, Oil	Scrapped
280			Coal, Oil	Scrapped
281	Sir Hugh Clifford		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
282				Scrapped
283	Sir Thomas Maitland		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
284	James MacKenzie		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
285	Sir Henry Blake		Coal	Scrapped
286	Sir Graeme Thompson		Coal	Scrapped
287	Sir Robert Brownrigg		Coal	Scrapped
288	Sir Herbert Stanley		Coal	Scrapped
289			Coal	Scrapped
290	Sir Arthur Gordon		Coal	Scrapped
294	Sir James Longden	C	Coal	Scrapped
295	Sir Andrew Caldecott		Coal	Scrapped
337	Sir Geoffrey Layton		Coal	Scrapped
338	Sir Henry Moore		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
339		D	Coal	Scrapped
340/352	Fredrick North		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
341			Coal, Oil	Scrapped
342			Coal	Scrapped
351		E	Coal	Scrapped
352	Frederick North		Coal, Oil	Preserved
353			Coal	Scrapped
354	Sir Henry Ward		Coal, Oil	Scrapped
355			Coal	Scrapped
356			Coal, Oil	Scrapped

Preservation

Only two members of the class, No. 251 Sir Thomas Maitland and No. 352 Sir Frederick North, have survived into preservation.^[5] Both are currently operational and are used to haul the Viceroy Special , a chartered excursion train operated by J. F. Tours.

Class B2

Ceylon Government Railway B2

B2B No. 213, the only surviving member of the class

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Stephenson (B2) Vulcan (B2A/B/C/D) Kitson (B2E)
Build date	1920-1921 (B2) 1925-1926 (B2A/C/D) 1922 (B2B) 1915 (B2E)
Total produced	35

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	53 ft 2 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton
Loco weight	54.85 long ton
Tender weight	32.50 long ton
Fuel type	Coal
Water cap.	2400 + 400 gal (SIde tanks)
Boiler:
• Diameter	4 ft 8 in
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)

Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf

Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Disposition	One preserved, remainder scrapped

History

A total of thirty-five members of this class were produced for the Ceylon Government Railway. The Class B2 also had various subclasses excluding the original from A to E.^[1]

Locomotives


Subclass	B2	A	B	C	D	E
Numbers	28	1	208	227	40	25
	29	3	209	228	43	26
	39	47	210		44	27
	193	222	211		45
	194	223	212		46
	195	224	213
	196	225
	204	226
	205
	206
	207

Preservation

Only one member, No. 213, survives into preservation. It is also maintained in working order so as to haul the Viceroy Special.^[5]

Class B3

Ceylon Government Railway B3

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Kitson
Build date	1913-1914
Total produced	16

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	53 ft 7 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton
Loco weight	55.00 long ton
Tender weight	29.20 long ton
Fuel type	Coal
Water cap.	1800 + 400 gal (Side tanks)
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)

Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf

Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Numbers	22, 185-192 (B3) 8-11, 169-171 (B3A)
Disposition	All scrapped

Reference: ^[1]

Class B4

Ceylon Government Railway B4

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Kitson, Neilson
Build date	1893-1894, 1911 (B4) 1912 (B4A)
Total produced	9

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	53 ft 7 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton
Loco weight	54.10 long ton
Tender weight	29.20 long ton
Fuel type	Coal
Water cap.	1800 + 400 gal (Side tanks)
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts

Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf

Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Numbers	72-75, 141/147, 142/148, 143/149 (B4) 158, 159 (B4A)
Disposition	All scrapped

Reference: ^[1]

Class B5

Ceylon Government Railway B5

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Kitson (B5), Vulcan (B5A)
Build date	1893-1894
Total produced	5

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	53 ft 7 in
Axle load	13.50 long ton
Loco weight	51.65 long ton
Tender weight	32.35 long ton
Fuel type	Coal
Water cap.	2400 gal
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Allan with Slide Valves

Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf

Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Numbers	76-78 (B5) 79, 80 (B5A)
Disposition	All scrapped

Reference: ^[1]

Class B6

Ceylon Government Railway B6

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Kitson, Vulcan
Build date	1883-1885, 1891
Total produced	14

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	4-6-0
Gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Driver dia.	53.5 in (1.359 m)
Length	53 ft 7 in
Axle load	13.40 long ton
Loco weight	51.05 long ton
Tender weight	29.15 long ton
Fuel type	Coal
Water cap.	1800 + 600 gal (Side tanks)
Boiler pressure	160 lb
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	18.5 in × 26 in (470 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Allan with Slide Valves

Performance figures
Tractive effort	22,620 lbf

Career
Operators	Ceylon Government Railway
Numbers	49-62
Disposition	All scrapped

Reference: ^[1]

Gallery

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hyatt, David (2000). Railways of Sri Lanka (1st ed.). United Kingdom: COMRAC. ISBN 978-0953730407.
↑ Vinodh Wickremaratne; K.A.D. Nandasena (2017). Ceylon Railway Heritage (1st ed.). Sri Lanka: National Trust Sri Lanka. ISBN 9789550093137.
↑ "IESL Digital SLEN". iesl.lk. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
↑ malinga (2024-04-04). "Century of scenic rail travel". DailyNews. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
1 2 Wickremaratne, Vinodh. "Model Railroad Club of Sri Lanka: Steam Locomotives".

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hyatt, David (2000). Railways of Sri Lanka (1st ed.). United Kingdom: COMRAC. ISBN 978-0953730407.

[2] Vinodh Wickremaratne; K.A.D. Nandasena (2017). Ceylon Railway Heritage (1st ed.). Sri Lanka: National Trust Sri Lanka. ISBN 9789550093137.

[3] "IESL Digital SLEN". iesl.lk. Retrieved 2025-02-02.

[4] (2024-04-04). "Century of scenic rail travel". DailyNews. Retrieved 2025-02-02.

[:1-5] 1 2 Wickremaratne, Vinodh. "Model Railroad Club of Sri Lanka: Steam Locomotives".

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v t e Locomotives and railcars of Sri Lanka
Steam locomotives	Leopold A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10 C1 D1 D2 D3 E1 F1 F2 F3 H1^ J1^ J2^ K1^ L1^
Diesel-electric locomotives	G1 G2 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11
Diesel-hydraulic locomotives	P1^ N1^ N2^ W1 W2 W3 Y Y1
Steam railcars	R1 R2 R3 R4 V1^ V2^
Diesel railcars	T1 T2
Diesel multiple units	S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14
^ indicates narrow (2 ft 6 in / 762 mm) gauge stock

Ceylon Government Railway B1-B6

Contents

Class B1

History

Locomotives

Preservation

Class B2

History

Locomotives

Preservation

Class B3

Class B4

Class B5

Class B6

Gallery

References