Description
The ČSD 386.001 locomotive represents one of the most remarkable experiments in the history of Czechoslovak railway technology. It was created in 1927 as the only example of a lightweight three-cylinder express locomotive of the Škoda type 12Lo1, originally derived from the 387.0 "Mikádo" series. Its fate became famous primarily because it became the only Czechoslovak steam locomotive with aerodynamic casing, created in the Moravian-Ostrava workshops in 1937-1938. The project was initiated by the Czechoslovak State Railways, which wanted to test the advantages of streamlined shapes similar to foreign railways. The result was technically very clean, aesthetically impressive, but practically inefficient – the locomotive overheated and did not bring measurable fuel savings. Nevertheless, it became a symbol of interwar modernization and the industrial skill of the Ostrava workshops. After the war, it was retired by the Slovak Railways and was decommissioned on March 25, 1948. Today, 386.001 is remembered as a technical experiment that showed the limits of aerodynamics in steam traction.
Fricek_history
The ČSD 386.001 locomotive was developed and manufactured at the Škoda works in Plzeň as part of an effort to create a reliable and powerful machine for long-distance express transport. The first prototype was completed in 1926 under the leadership of Ing. Oscar Dolch. This locomotive underwent several significant modifications, one of the key changes being the reduction of the boiler and the addition of four heating tubes, thereby increasing the direct heating surface.
386_hi
Despite technical innovations, the ČSD 386.001 locomotive had problems with high weight on a single coupled axle, which was 16.9 tons. This issue led to its renumbering to the 387.0 series. In 1938, the locomotive was fitted with aerodynamic casing, which was a popular solution at the time aimed at reducing coal consumption and improving operational characteristics. The locomotive received a green paint with orange and red stripes that converged at the front into a point.
Foto_cabine
- Manufacturer: Škoda Plzeň
- Year of production: 1926
- Design: Ing. Oscar Dolch
- Boiler weight: 24,405 kg
- Locomotive weight: 90 tons
- Color: Green paint with orange and red stripes
386 low1
After World War II, the locomotive was reintroduced into regular service, but its utility value was still considered problematic. In 1948, the locomotive was ultimately scrapped, and a year later it was dismantled in the Plzeň workshops. The ČSD 386.001 locomotive remained the only experiment of the Czechoslovak State Railways with aerodynamic casing and is still regarded as a significant, albeit not entirely successful, attempt at technical progress.