Silver coin On wheels - Diesel-electric locomotive 753 proof
Silver coin On wheels - Diesel-electric locomotive 753 proof
The product can also be purchased directly in the stores of the Czech Mint
On Wheels
The sixteenth silver coin from the Czech Mint's On Wheels series pays tribute to the 753 series diesel-electric locomotive, which replaced the obsolete steam engines.
At the beginning of the 1960s, Czechoslovakia saw the gradual electrification of main and motorisation of secondary railway lines. The T 478.1 - 751 series locomotive became the representative of modern diesel traction. This type was able to replace steam locomotives of lower and medium power, but unfortunately lagged behind the powerful machines. The electric power transmission system in conjunction with the internal combustion engine was designed for a speed of 80 km/h and was no longer sufficient at higher speeds. Therefore, Czechoslovak railways required the development of a more powerful type of diesel-electric locomotive. Matching a diesel engine with a generator and a set of electric machines so that the whole system works efficiently, with minimal losses and without breakdowns is a technically demanding task, but ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) met the challenge successfully. The result was the T 478.3 - 753 series, which was launched in 1967. Its power plant consisted of a 1,325 kW diesel engine, traction generator and traction motors. The impressive design of the four-axle locomotive with a central engine room and two driver's stations accessible on both sides was dominated by a typical headboard with a protruding cab window. It was this iconic feature that gave the machine its nickname, the Brejlovec. The ČKD factory in Libeň produced a total of 408 T 478.3 - 753 locomotives during nine years, which made this series the most numerous type of universal motor locomotives on Czechoslovak railways. Brejlovec gradually displaced steam locomotives from long-distance passenger transport, but it became obsolete too. Massive electrification at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, together with the deployment of motor units instead of conventional locomotive trains overshadowed it.
The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker MgA. Martin Dašek, is dominated by the depiction of Brejlovec on the tracks. Following the title of the cycle, another motif of the reverse is a detail of a locomotive wheel. The obverse side of the coin is in a similar style, its perimeter is formed by sections of the wheels of various means of transport. As the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with the licence of a foreign issuer, which is the island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary attributes - the name and portrait of Elizabeth II, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2022.
The coin comes with a spectacular packaging in the form of a pop-up book that contains accompanying text and period photographs.