The return of the Slovak missile is approaching. He has already completed a new facility in Kopřivnice

The repair of the unique motor car is finishing, it should be completed by the end of the year. The renovation has been underway at ČMŽO – elektronika since 2018, and the company has already worked 60,000 hours on it. The car returns to the form it was in when it hit the tracks. “It can therefore be said that Strela will be more original than it was before the renovation,” Tatra said on Facebook. According to a recent report on the company profile, the renovation also brought a number of curious findings. “For example, the original newspaper from 1936 was found on the wall paneling with a well-readable text about the current political situation or the results of football matches,” said Tatra Trucks.

The repair was slightly delayed due to coronavirus. In June, the car appeared on the tracks as it was transported for painting.

Slovak missile during reconstruction:

Cultural heritage

The M290.002 motor car is a national cultural monument. The last time the Slovak shot was on the railway line was in 1960, then it stood for many years in Kopřivnice on the tracks near the Tatra Museum as an exhibit.

The M290.0 motor cars were manufactured in 1936 for the then Czechoslovak State Railways in the Kopřivnice Tatra. The electromechanical power transmission from Josef Sousedík, for example, is unique on the car. Thanks to his idea, the car was powered by electric power, which makes the vehicle a hybrid pioneer. With increasing speed, the traction motor switched off and the vehicle was powered only by mechanical transmission. He reached speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour, and during tests he managed speeds of up to 148 kilometers per hour.

The railways deployed them on the route from Prague to Bratislava, the designation Slovenská strela has remained in the timetable until now, although supplemented by the name Metropolitan. Just for comparison: in 1936, these trains traveled from Prague to Bratislava in 4 hours and 51 minutes. Today the journey takes 4 minutes without a minute.

During the war, the cars did not drive due to lack of fuel, then served for government and ministerial rides. One of the cars burned down after being parked, the other got into the Tatra company museum.

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