Key takeaways
- One family, five class numbers: Classes 750 to 754 all trace back to the ČKD build family T 478.
- Brejlovec means spectacle-wearer and describes the characteristic front window arrangement.
- Bardotka and Zamračená denote the more curved body shape of the same family.
- Train heating is the key: the conversion to electric heating explains why Class 750 exists at all.
- Areas of use change – check the current situation before a targeted trip rather than relying on older lists.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Four-axle main-line diesel locomotives for passenger and freight trains |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ČKD Praha |
| Wheel arrangement | Bo'Bo' (two two-axle bogies) |
| Former designations | T 478.1 to T 478.4, assigned under the letter system before 1988 |
| Nicknames | Brejlovec (spectacle-wearer) and Bardotka or Zamračená (the grumpy one) |
| Special feature | Class 750 emerged from conversions of Class 753, Class 754 has electric train heating |
| Country code | UIC country code 54 for Czechia |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Four axles in two bogies, noticeably bigger and more massive than the shunting diesels of the 742 family
- Two cabs, one at each end – a main-line locomotive rather than a shunting vehicle
- Vehicle number begins with 750, 751, 752, 753 or 754
- Brejlovec body: striking front window arrangement that looks like spectacles
- Bardotka body: rounder, curved front section with a different overall character
- No pantograph – can be used independently of the electrification system
Updated: August 2026 – Hardly any other European vehicle family has as many names as this one: Brejlovec, Bardotka, Zamračená, plus five class numbers from 750 to 754 and the old designation T 478. Behind it all is a single ČKD family of four-axle main-line diesels. This page sorts out the confusion and shows how to get to the right class quickly in the field.
Five classes, one logbook
With a family this branched, the exact number counts – log it together with place and date.
What’s behind Classes 750 to 754?
Classes 750, 751, 752, 753 and 754 are four-axle main-line diesel locomotives from ČKD Praha in the Bo’Bo’ wheel arrangement. They have two cabs, are designed for through passenger and freight services, and so belong in a different league from the Czech shunting diesels.
The most important point first: all five classes trace back to the same build family – the ČKD family designated T 478 before 1988. What separates them are body-shape generations and equipment states, not fundamentally different designs.
T 478: the designation before 1988
Until 1988, the Czechoslovak railways used a system of letter plus number group. The T stood for diesel vehicles, the number before the point for the build class, the number after the point for the sub-variant. That produced a clean family structure, which was dissolved into individual numbers with the switch to purely numerical class numbers. The shared heritage is still visible today: in Žilina, machines from the same family run under Slovak numbers.
| Old designation | Today’s class | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| T 478.1 | Class 751 | Older body shape, called Bardotka or Zamračená in the scene |
| T 478.2 | Class 752 | Development of the same body shape |
| T 478.3 | Class 753 | Newer body shape, Brejlovec |
| T 478.4 | Class 754 | Brejlovec body with electric train heating |
| – | Class 750 | Emerged from conversions of Class 753 |
Anyone researching older books and photo archives can barely get anywhere without this table: a photo from 1980 shows a T 478.3, a photo from today a 753 – and it can be the same machine.
One point makes the difference
In the old system, family membership sat in the number before the point, the variant behind it. The new, purely numerical system no longer knows this hierarchy – every variant gets its own standalone class number. That's why Czech class lists look flatter today, but also more confusing than before.
Brejlovec and Bardotka: two faces of one family
The Czech scene doesn’t distinguish within this family primarily by numbers, but by the locomotive’s face.
Brejlovec – the spectacle-wearer – denotes the body shape with the striking front window arrangement that really does look like a pair of glasses from a distance. The name is among the best-known vehicle nicknames in Europe and is used consistently for Classes 753 and 754.
Bardotka and Zamračená stand for the older, more curved body shape. Bardotka refers to the actress Brigitte Bardot and alludes to the curves of the bodywork; Zamračená means roughly “the grumpy one” and describes the expression of the front. Both names existing side by side is typical of Czech vehicle culture.
For you as a spotter this isn’t a folklore detail but a practical tool: if you know the nicknames, you’ll find considerably more material in forums and photo archives than through the class number alone.
Why Class 750 exists: the story of train heating
This family provides one of the finest examples of how technical details create class numbers.
Older passenger coaches were heated by steam – the locomotive had to carry a heating boiler. More modern coaches need electric train heating instead, meaning electrical energy from the locomotive. A diesel locomotive meant to haul newer passenger coaches has to generate this energy and supply it via the train bus line.
This exact conversion was so thorough that the affected machines got their own class number: vehicles from Class 753 became Class 750. Class 754, in turn, is the version that had this capability from the start.
That also explains the deployment pattern: locomotives with electric train heating are destined for passenger services, machines without it tend towards freight and engineering workings. Behind the passenger trains stands the state railway České dráhy. Freight traffic is run by the group company ČD Cargo. And engineering trains run on behalf of the infrastructure manager Správa železnic. You can see both roles side by side at a hub like Brno hlavní nádraží. Don’t rely on this blindly, though – areas of use shift with timetables, rolling stock and contract awards.
See which class is running right now
With a family spanning five class numbers, it's worth checking current sightings before you set off.
Identification in the field
Narrow down the class
Two cabs, a massive body, running in front of a through train: that's a main-line diesel, not a shunting locomotive.
Read the face
A spectacle-like window arrangement points to the Brejlovec body, a rounder curved front to the Bardotka body.
Check the train behind it
A modern passenger coach set points to a locomotive with electric train heating. A construction or freight train leaves the question open.
The number decides
The first three digits name the class: 750, 751, 752, 753 or 754. Everything before that is a clue.
The guide to identifying train classes covers the basic sequence for identifying an unfamiliar vehicle – from class through body shape to number – in detail.
Spotting, special trains and photography
This family is extremely popular among Czech railway enthusiasts, which has two practical consequences: there’s plenty of material online, and the vehicles turn up disproportionately often on special and nostalgia workings.
- Favour non-electrified lines. There, diesel is the only option – so the hit rate rises accordingly.
- Keep an eye on special workings. Nostalgia services are announced in advance and often offer better photo subjects than regular service.
- Look for frontal light. The Brejlovec front in particular lives from its window section – side raking light makes it look flat. Long, clearly visible platforms like Děčín hlavní nádraží make choosing a position easier for this.
- Choose your location carefully. Platforms, public paths and road bridges are permitted. Track areas, operational railway land and stabling sidings are not, no matter how rare the locomotive is.
For researching dates, photo spots and current reports, the guide to Czech sighting sources is a good starting point. The basic photographic technique – panning, focal plane, exposure – is covered in the guide taking good photos of trains.
Common mix-ups
It points to the 750 family if …
- the locomotive has two cabs and looks massive
- it's hauling a through train on the open line
- the number begins with 750, 751, 752, 753 or 754
- the front reads as spectacles or as a curved face
Take a closer look if …
- you only see the silhouette and can't assign a body shape
- the locomotive has been modernised or repainted
- you have an older source with the designation T 478
It's not the 750 family if …
- the locomotive has a long hood with an off-centre cab
- you count six axles
- the number begins with 740, 742, 743 or 714
The most common misidentification is confusion with the shunting diesels. Classes 742 and 743 are noticeably more compact and work within station limits; Class 714 is a re-engined machine of the same size class. Six axles and an even more massive appearance point instead to Classes 770 and 771.
Verdict
Classes 750 to 754 are the best entry point into Czech vehicle culture of all: one family, two faces, three nicknames and five class numbers, every one of them with a technical reason. Anyone who has understood the train-heating logic and the mapping from T 478 to today’s class numbers can place Czech diesel locomotives with confidence – and knows why Brejlovec says more than 753.
Quick verdict
Four-axle main-line diesel with two cabs and a number between 750 and 754: that's the T 478 family. A spectacle front means Brejlovec, a curved front means Bardotka – only the number reveals the exact class.
Spotted a Brejlovec? Secure the number.
With five related classes, the running number decides whether your collection adds up – Traintrack logs it right away.
Summary
- Classes 750 to 754 are the classic Czech main-line diesels and come from the same build family.
- Their naming history is a textbook example of how the Czech system maps technical condition onto class numbers.
- The nicknames Brejlovec and Bardotka separate the family's two visually different body shapes.
- For identification, size, front shape and the first three digits of the vehicle number are enough.
Frequently asked questions
What's behind Classes 750 to 754?
These are four-axle main-line diesel locomotives from ČKD Praha, all tracing back to the build family T 478. They're designed for passenger and freight trains on non-electrified lines, have two cabs, and are noticeably bigger than the Czech shunting diesels.
Where does the nickname Brejlovec come from?
Brejlovec means spectacle-wearer and refers to the striking arrangement of the front windows, which from a distance really does resemble a pair of glasses. The name is among the best-known vehicle nicknames in Czechia and is used consistently in forums and photo archives.
What do Bardotka and Zamračená mean?
Both names denote the same, more curved body shape within the family. Bardotka refers to the actress Brigitte Bardot and alludes to the curves of the bodywork, while Zamračená means something like "the grumpy one" and refers to the expression the front conveys. A vehicle carrying two nicknames at once isn't unusual in Czechia.
Why are there so many class numbers for one family?
Because the Czech class system has reflected the technical condition since 1988, not build kinship. Different equipment – such as a different type of heating – consistently leads to its own class number. Before 1988 the same vehicles were called T 478.1 to T 478.4, with the sub-division carried in the number after the point.
What does train heating have to do with Class 750?
Older passenger coaches were heated by steam, modern coaches need electric train heating. Locomotives meant to haul newer coaches need to be able to supply that energy. The corresponding conversion was so thorough that the affected machines got their own class number – that's how Class 750 emerged from Class 753 vehicles.
Can I see these locomotives in Germany?
Diesel locomotives aren't tied to an electrification system, so a deployment near the border is technically conceivable. Whether and where that actually happens – for example on special trains or engineering workings – depends on approvals and individual cases and keeps changing. Don't treat it as a plannable regularity.
How do I tell the family apart from the shunting diesels?
By size and structure. The main-line diesels of the 750 family have two cabs, look noticeably longer and more massive, and run in front of through trains. The shunting diesels of the 740 family have a long hood with an off-centre cab and work within station limits.
Log your sighting of the ČD Class 750 / 751 / 752 / 753 / 754
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
ČD Class 742 / 743
Classes 742 and 743 are the workhorses of Czech shunting and transfer service. Where the nickname Kocour comes from and how to place them reliably.
Diesel locoČD Class 770 / 771
Classes 770 and 771 are six-axle ČKD shunting diesels, known in the scene as Čmelák. Here's how to recognise them and what's behind the old designation T 669.
Diesel locoČD Class 714
Class 714 isn't a new design but a conversion: older diesel locomotives given a new engine and a new class number. Here's how to recognise and document them.
Diesel locoČD Class 740 (T 448.0)
Class 740 used to be called T 448.0 and is the industrial-railway variant of the classic Czech shunting diesel. Here's how to place it confidently in the field.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
ČD Cargo
ČD Cargo is the freight subsidiary of the Czech state railway and only came into being in 2007. Its vehicle fleet is considerably older: most of it dates from well before that. Add to that a quirk of the network – two electrification systems meeting in the middle of the country.
State railwayČeské dráhy (ČD)
Czechia runs on two electrification systems and a third class of vehicle that masters both. České dráhy classes its rolling stock with a scheme that captures exactly that – the first digit tells you traction type and overhead-line voltage in one go.
InfrastructureSpráva železnic
Správa železnic manages the Czech state railway network – separate from České dráhy, which is just one of several train operators there. The result is a country with unusually strong competition in long-distance services and two electrification systems on one network.
Where to see the ČD Class 750 / 751 / 752 / 753 / 754
Specific viewpoints with lighting times, coordinates and an honest verdict on whether the trip is worth it.
Brno hlavní nádraží
Brno hlavní nádraží is the second most important rail hub in the Czech Republic – and one of the few large stations in Central Europe whose relocation has been debated for decades. Anyone who wants to experience the old layout in operation shouldn't put it off indefinitely.
Border stationDěčín hlavní nádraží
Děčín is the Czech border station in the Elbe valley – the point where the corridor between Hamburg, Dresden and Prague changes its locomotives. Between sandstone cliffs runs a volume of freight traffic that no other place in this guide matches.
Freight hubŽilina
In Žilina, the Slovak east–west main line crosses the north–south corridor towards Czechia and Poland. The high share of freight traffic, a large marshalling yard on the edge of the city and a wide range of older vehicles make this hub the most rewarding spot in the country.
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