Tatras behind the Tatras. The railway administration replaced the sink at Prague’s main railway station
Drežín from the film Watchfully Watched Trains commemorates the late birthday of director Jiří Menzel.
The railway administration replaced the exhibit in the “aquarium” in the lower hall of Prague’s main railway station. The original historic Tatra sink was also replaced by the brand’s old sink, but more famous thanks to its film career. The newly installed Tatra starred in the Oscar-winning film Watched Trains from 1966. Drezín is to commemorate the approaching 85th birthday of director Jiří Menzel (born 23/02/1938). The owner of both exhibits is the National Technical Museum (NTM).
“In connection with railway transport, we usually talk about investments that improve the parameters of the infrastructure. But we must not forget its rich history, of which we can be rightly proud. And the newly installed sink completely fills. It also takes us back to the glorious period of Czechoslovak cinematography,” said Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.
The cooperation between the Railway Administration and the National Technical Museum dates back to 2020, when both parties signed a memorandum of cooperation. “On its basis, we are handing over to this institution discarded equipment that documents the history of railway infrastructure in our territory. It is a concrete contribution of both organizations to the preservation of cultural heritage on the Czech railway,” added Jiří Svoboda, director of the Railway Administration.
Train Dm6 – newly displayed at the main station (Description NTM)
It is a six-seater sink from a five-piece van from 1952 (production no. 91325 – 91329), the concept and many components were based on the Tatra T 52 and Tatra T 30 passenger cars, including the engine and interior (2+2+2). These drezins were produced in 1936, 1938, 1944, 1947 and 1952 in a total number of 14 pieces. The bodywork is fixed on the railway carriage made of riveted profiles with the help of several strength screws. The engine is a classic Tatra concept, i.e. an air-cooled four-stroke four-cylinder with opposed pistons with a capacity of 1,910 cm3 and an output of 27.5 hp (20.22 kW) at 2,500 rpm. The ignition is a Scintilla magnetoelectric system. The engine is started either manually with a crank or with a Scintilla starter. The torque is transmitted by a two-stage gearbox with internal reversal to the cardan shaft and rear drive axle.
The sink was part of the very last delivery of Tatra motor sinks for ČSD. It was put into operation in the spring of 1952. It was first garaged in a special-purpose shed at Wilson station, later, after the cancellation of this shed, in a new shed at the Praha-Libeň railway station. Drezína was then used for inspection trips around Prague, especially on the Prague – Česká Třebová line, until the turn of the 60s and 70s of the 20th century.
It was supposed to be scrapped after it was “retired”, but thanks to the understanding of the managers of the Prague Railway at the time, the exit of the chief Ing. Many efforts and the mechanization of Mr. Kavena and especially the dedication of the historically second driver of this train, Mr. Josef Myška, failed to reverse the unfavorable fate of this unique vehicle. In 1987, the sink was handed over to the NTM collections. In 1992 and 1993, under the leadership of Mr. Pavel Lášek, it underwent a demanding overhaul and was brought back into operational condition. The successfully completed TBZ took place in the spring of 1993 at the test circuit in Velimi under the supervision of Mr. Ing. Jindřich Hály.
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