ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) () was one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. It is famous for the Tatra T3, a tramcar that sold 13,991 units worldwide.

History

ČKD was formed in 1927 from the merger of two smaller companies, Českomoravská-Kolben (founded 1896, produced machinery for hydro dams) and Breitfeld-Daněk (founded 1854, produced machinery for mines and food industry). From 1927 until 1929 ČKD's products included a motorcycle designed by Jaroslav František Koch. It was an advanced

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

single- cylinder unit construction double overhead camshaft design of 500cc. It was sold under the marque BD, thus perpetuating the Breitfeld-Daněk identity. In 1929 ČKD sold its motorcycle business to

Praga Hostivař Praga is a manufacturing company based in Prague, Czech Republic. The company produced Car, automobiles, karts and Airplane, planes. The Praga V3S 5-ton truck was used by the Czechoslovak Army for more than half a century. History Praga was ...

, which re-branded the motorcycles under the Praga marque. It was one of the main suppliers to the Czechoslovak state of military vehicles during the 1930s. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, the company was renamed BMM (''Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik AG'') and manufactured arms for the Wehrmacht. The company's most notable products in this era were a light tank of the company's own design – the Panzer 38(t) – and the

Jagdpanzer 38(t) The ''Jagdpanzer'' 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as ''Hetzer'', was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. German ...

tank destroyer, which was built on the Panzer 38(t)'s chassis. After the war, ČKD was nationalized and became one of the world's leading producers of trams. These were produced by its subsidiary company, ČKD Tatra (commonly known as Tatra, when being referred to in connection with trams, but separate from the company Tatra). From the 1930s to the 1950s, ČKD also supplied electrical equipment for several trolleybuses built by Tatra, as well as ones built by Škoda until Škoda began manufacturing its own such equipment. ČKD Tatra also manufactured metro cars and diesel

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s, that were exported into other communist countries. One such example from the T-series of Czech locomotives was exported into the USSR and given a Russian designation "ЧМЭ" ( ChME3) there. In the socialist era ČKD employed up to 50,000 people. After 1989 with worldwide economic and political changes the company lost many of its traditional trade outlets in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and Eastern Europe, mainly in former countries of Soviet Union. In 1994 the company was privatized by the Czech government and transformed into a holding company. However, new management was unsuccessful and in 1998, ČKD holding was close to bankruptcy. Some companies went bankrupt, while others returned to state ownership through debts to state-owned bank IPB. The state sold some companies separately to new owners, most notably the 2001 sale of the transport company, ''ČKD Dopravní systémy'' (CKD Transportation Systems, known until 1997 as ČKD Tatra or simply Tatra), to Siemens Mobility's Czech subsidiary, ''Společnost kolejových vozidel'' (SKV),"Siemens invests in Czech Republic". '' Tramways & Urban Transit'', December 2001 issue, p. 462. Ian Allan Publishing. finalized in February 2002.

Products

Trams

Standard trams (T)

* T1 * T2 * T3 ( T3R, T3RF) * T4 * T5 ( T5A5, T5B6, T5C5) * T6 ( T6A2, T6A5, T6B5, T6C5) * T7 ( T7B5)

Articulated trams (KT, RT)

* K1 * K2 * K5 * KT4 ( KTNF6) * KT8D5 ( KT8D5N) * RT6 ( RT6N1, RT6S) * RT8D5

Trailers (B)

* B3 * B4 * B6A2

Metrocars

*R1

Locomotives

BS-80 BS8 may refer to: * BS8, a BS postcode area The BS postcode area, also known as the Bristol postcode area,Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) is a group of 37 postcode districts in South West England, within eight post towns. These c ...

narrow gauge steam locomotive * ChME3 locomotive * T 466.3 diesel locomotive * T 434.0 locomotive * T 478.3 locomotive * T-669 locomotive

Tanks

* Tančík vz. 33 tankette * AH-IV tankette *

St vz 39 ST vz. 39, also known by its factory designation V-8-H, was a Czechoslovak medium tank developed by ČKD in the late 1930s. Only two prototypes were ever built. Design and development In the fall of 1937 a competition was launched for a new m ...

medium tank *

LT vz. 34 The LT vz. 34, formally designated as ''Lehký tank vzor 34'' ("Light Tank Mark 34") was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Slovakia during World War II. Its suspension was based on that of the Carden-Loyd tankette, of which the Cze ...

light tank * LT vz. 38 light tank

References

External links

ČKD Group
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ckd Companies of Czechoslovakia Manufacturing companies established in 1927 Rolling stock manufacturers of the Czech Republic Tram manufacturers 1927 establishments in Czechoslovakia Electric vehicle manufacturers of Czechoslovakia