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