Due to the increased weight of trains in high-speed transport, the most influential Austrian steam locomotive designer Ing. Dr. h.c. Karl Gölsdorf, developed in 1906 a new express locomotive with a 1'C2' wheel arrangement. This, compared to the Pacific type popular in many countries, was an "inverted" axle arrangement, allowing for a large standing boiler and a wide grate.
In the 1970s, the former Czechoslovak State Railway (CSD) were in great need of powerful diesel freight locomotives for medium-weight shunting and line service. For this purpose, the lighter variant T 466.2 was derived from the industrial locomotive type T 448. Starting from 1977, it was manufactured by CKD Prag with 494 units in nine construction series (each with small differences) and came into service until 1986.
The so-called “Taucherbrille” (diver’s goggles) or “Brillenschlange” (spectacled cobra) was developed and built at CKD in Prague. The class T 478.3 (from 1988 class 753) was supplied to the CSD from 1970 onwards, and these 408 locomotives became a familiar sight on non-electrified main lines. Due to a lack of locomotives with electrical train heating, over 100 of these engines were retrofitted from 1991. The Reko locomotives received the new class designation 750, whereby the serial number remained the same.
