REGION

The Story of the “Slovenská Strela”

The year is 1936, and speed records are being broken left and right in Czechoslovakia. Slovenská Strela

left its depo for the first time and broke the speed barrier of 130 km/h. The first high-speed motor train

was able to transport its passengers from Bratislava to Prague in an unbelievable 4 hours and 20 minutes.

The birth of the “Slovenská Strela”

The unique high speed train, of the M290.0

line, was produced in Kopřivnice by Tatra

a.s. in the year 1936. It was the first motor

wagon with an electromechanical power

transmission, designed by the Czech

electrotechnician Josef Sousedník. The

innovation lay in the use of a progressive

traction system, which allowed for the

direct transmission of power from the

combustion engine to the driving axle.

This patented system proved to be so

exceptional that it was only surpassed

in 2006 and 2011 by the 680 Pendolino

electrical unit, which is now the fastest train

connection between the aforementioned

stations.

The Slovenská Strela M290.002 was first

put into use on July 13, 1936, along with

its sister unit, the M290.001. Both wagons

were assigned to the Bratislava-Prague

route, and for the first time in the history

of Czechoslovakian railways, compulsory

seating reservations were put into place.

A Bittersweet End

During the Second World War, the

Slovenská Strela units did not get to see

much use. The main reason for this was

the lack of fuel. After 1945, the wagons

were only used to transport government

delegations, where passengers were

transported

between

Prague

and

Nuremberg during the Nuremberg Trials.

The M290.001 unit was later put out of

commission in 1953, and its story came to

an end in 1960, when it caught fire and had

to be disposed of. The M290.002 was met

with a less wistful end to its operation days,

as it was handed off in the same year to

the Tatra company museum in Kopřivnice,

where it remains to this day.

The Rescue Project

The legendary speed train with its

aerodynamic red hull fell into disrepair

over the years. This, fortunately, changed

in September 2018, when efforts for its

restoration began.

In early 2018, the Tatra Truck company

announced the approval of the subsidy for

the project to revitalize the national and

cultural memento that the motor train Tatra

T68, also known as the Slovenská Strela,

had become.

“We are delighted that we managed to

receive a subsidy for the restoration of

such an important cultural keepsake.

History and tradition are very important

to our company, and so we will begin the

reconstruction as soon as we can,” Radek

Strouhal, the general director of Tatra

Trucks, said.

The total expenses of the projects--building

the depositary and the restoration of

Slovenská Strela--were estimated to come

to 118 million Czech crowns. The Ministry

for Regional Development contributed

a sum of 79.4 million crowns as part of the

Integrated Regional Operational Program,

IROP.

The Course of the Reconstruction

Since it is the only movable national

cultural monument in the MoravianSilesian Region, the restoration of the

Slovenská Strela is directed under the

close supervision of specialized experts.

Furthermore, they have period plans from

the 1930s at their disposal, which allows

them to proceed in exactly the fashion

intended back then.

Since starting the project, restorers have

been able to put up the wallpaper, mount

the windows, do the flooring, create the

wooden panelling, build the luggage areas,

mount seats with new upholstery, run stress

tests for the chassis and install the heating.

Most recently, the wagon received a new

paint job. The bright, radiant, cherry red

coat was picked based on documentation

found in the Tatra company’s archives. The

red coat is complemented by a grey chassis

and a roof in the color of old gold.

During the process of this expansive

renovation, the craftsmen also discovered

a series of curiosities that awaited them in

the bowels of the machine, among the best

of which is an original newspaper from

1936 with easily readable type concerning

contemporary political matters and the

results of football matches.

The New Technical Museum in Kopřivnice

The construction of a new museum

depositary in Kopřivnice, which will stand

next to the newly planned Tatra Truck

Museum building, is also part of the Saving

the Slovenská Strela project.

“The construction contractor that will build

the depositary for the Slovenská Strela was

chosen at the beginning of September. PS

BRNO began constructing a new home

for the wagon at the beginning of October

this year, and it should be completed by

October of next year,” commented Jan

Jurkovič, director of administration for

Tatra Trucks.

The Tatra Vehicle Museum will be

conceived as a branch of the Nový Jičín

Museum, and will be operated by the

Moravian-Silesian Region, to whom Tatra

Trucks donated the land along with the hall

of the former foundry, for this purpose.The

estimated expenses for the construction

have amounted to 123 million Czech

crowns, 85% of which will be financed

through European subsidies.

The museum’s opening has been

planned for the beginning of 2021.

The aforementioned Slovenská Strela is

expected to be its biggest attraction. After

years of decay, the wagon unit will be

returned in its former glory to the museum

in Kopřivnice, where it will be ready for

civic use.

SLOVENSKÁ STRELA

IN NUMERICAL TERMS:

Unites manufactured: 2 prototypes,

the M290.001 and the M290.002

Year of production: 1936

Number of seats: 72

Vehicle weight: 36,000 kg

Performance specs.: 2 x 165 horsepower

Max. speed: 148 km/h

Max. operating speed: 130 km/h

Average travel speed: 92 km/h

Fuel tanks: 2 x 220 l

POSITIV 4/2020 ǀ 79