Sunday Streamline #41: Pilsner Pacific:

Probably it had a nickname but the archives know it only by its serial number: 386.001. And this number is a bit confusing: built in 1927 at Škoda works in Plzen (also known as Pilsen, the birthplace of Golden Lager) it initially belonged to 386 class, for some reason renumbered 387. You can read a Wikipedia article about this class of 43 machines - the first Czechoslovak Pacifics (4-6-2), capable of top speeds up to 120 km/h.

Preserved ČSD 387.043, the last of the class

In 1936, ČSD management decided to streamline one of its fast locos for Prague - Bratislava express service. The first loco of the class has been chosen for the task - already 9 years old but still modern and strong enough to haul a rather heavy night passenger train (for daylight service, streamline Tatra DMUs were used).

The conversion was made at ČSD works in Moravská Ostrava. The loco, retro-numbered 386.001, was fitted with a shrouding modeled on the record-breaking German DRG Class 05 (it hasn’t been featured here yet but I promise to fill this shameful gap as soon as possible - in two weeks maybe).

The paint scheme resembled French and British streamliners of the period

In 1939, after the partition of Czechoslovakia, the 386.001 was assigned to Bratislava depot and served with the Slovak State Railways (SŽ). Between 1938 and 1940, its design was altered to simplify servicing - the “skirt” which covered the drivers has been removed:

In 1945 it was returned to Prague. On August 20, it hauled a special train to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Prague - Olomouc railway. Three years after, in 1948, the 386.001 has been retired from service. Its non-streamlined brothers served through 1967.