The old German Hentschel 1979 locomotive had been on the rails for more than 25 years and crawling up and down the Kandy mountains in it's final life period might be a bit exhausting to say the least.
In particular under poor maintenance conditions and tight budgets one should not expect the reliability factor of Japanese, Chinese or Europeans railway systems.
Also the very moderate pricing has to be taken into account when looking at the downsides of the Sri Lankan railway system and it's fragile old trains.
The old German Hentschel 1979 locomotive is only one out of several still operating engines that could form a nice antique railway operation dedicated to restore and market these wonderful old trains that are so much better and more comfortable than the newly introduced Chinese inner city trains.
In fact some nice old railways could easily become an attraction in Sri Lanka not only for the tourists, but also the local business community, which would truly appreciate a quality service between all important cities.
Watch two "Common Sense Videos" with shots from train rides in Southern Sri Lanka and in Colombo.
What to do when a train breaks down somewhere like here in the jungle near Kandy with no clues where it is and no conductor giving any kind of information.
Not a pheasant location to get off a stranded train, especially when traveling with significant amounts of luggage.