The twenty-fourth silver coin from the Czech Mint's On Wheels series pays tribute to the one-of-a-kind electric locomotive S 699.001.

The locomotive S 699.001 rolled out of the gates of the Plzeň Škoda Works in 1963. The reasons for its creation were various. Apart from the potential interest of the Czechoslovak State Railways, which was rapidly continuing the electrification of the republic with AC traction, there was also a demand in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. At the same time, Škoda wanted to try out new technologies and processes, which they did. The electric locomotive, which was produced in a single unit, was a real unique. It was a six-axle machine with a 'Co' arrangement, where the running gear consisted of two three-axle bogies. Each chassis housed three DC series traction motors - each with a continuous output of 770 kW. Therefore, it was the most powerful locomotive in the Škoda range, reaching a speed of 120 km/h. With a length of 20,000 mm over the buffers and a weight of 126 tonnes, it was also one of the largest and heaviest Czechoslovak locomotives. Its design was also unique. It was the first time in Czechoslovakia that an artist was involved in the design of a locomotive. The bodywork, designed by Professor Otakar Diblík, was a work of art. Especially the front end was richly shaped, so that it was impossible to make it out of sheet metal. Therefore, the first locomotive in the world with a fibreglass body was created. The "Big Fibreglass" was intended to carry both passenger and freight trains, but despite its undeniable qualities, the Czechoslovak railways did not order it in the end. It was somewhat oversized for lines electrified by the AC system and its three-axle bogies were not suitable for sections with small radius curves. Preference was given to the four-axle locomotives S 489.0, for which the prototype S 699.001 served as a model. There was no interest abroad either, and in 1965 the Czechoslovak locomotive was sold for the needs of the Railway Test Circuit Cerhenice, where they needed a very powerful and fast vehicle for various running tests. However, in 1981 a fire occurred in the engine room and the locomotive was not repaired. For years it was subject to the relentless tooth of time and it did not take much for it to disappear from the world. Fortunately, however, it returned to its native Pilsen, where thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts it underwent renovation and became an exhibition exhibit - an exceptional proof of the abilities of our engineers and designers...

The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker MgA. Martin Dašek, is dominated by the image of the Large Laminate supplemented with the inscription ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE S 699.001. 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 elements - the national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2024.

An integral part of the coin is a spectacular packaging in the form of a leporello which contains accompanying text and period photographs.