Railcar class M 290.0 (manufactured as Tatra 68), named after an express train which it served as Slovenská strela was manufactured by Tatra Kopřivnice in 1936 for Czechoslovak State Railways.

ČSD class M 290.0
M 290.002 at the Valšské Klobouky railway station on October 16, 2021
Type and origin
BuilderTatra Kopřivnice
Build date1936
Total produced2
Specifications
Configuration:
 • UIC(1A)′ (A1)′
Gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Career
OperatorsČSD
Official nameTatra 68
NicknamesSlovenská strela

Only two units were manufactured and were used on newly introduced express train Slovenská strela starting in 1936. They covered the distance in 4 hours and 28 minutes with a maximum speed of 130 km/h. Both were taken out of service when World War II started in 1939. Afterwards, they were only occasionally deployed on local routes.

The M 290.001 was taken out of service in 1953, the M290.002 in 1960. The M 290.002 is now on display in the company museum of Tatra (company) in Kopřivnice. The M 290.001 did not survive. As of August 2018, the car no. 290,002 is being restored at a cost of 35 million crowns (CZK). Upon completion it will once again be capable of full operation.

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