2,000 forint – 150th anniversary of Kálmán Kandó’s birth

Kálmán Kandó as a Hungarian engineer was the internationally renowned pioneer in the development of electric railway traction. His work rendered rail transport faster, safer and more environmental-friendly. He developed high-voltage three phase alternating current motors of industrial frequency for traction and the rotary phase converter. He devised the plans of the electric traction of the Valtellina railway in Italy, which was the first high-voltage railway in the world to operate on alternating current. The ‘Kálmán Kandó’ collector coins are legal tender in Hungary, but they do not serve circulatory purposes. Primarily they are a means to commemorate, pay tribute to the Hungarian engineer of international reputation and to his work. As a central motif on the obverse the MÁV Class V40 electric locomotive with rotary phase converters, designed by Kálmán Kandó, also nicknamed as the Kandó locomotive, is shown outlined by a grainy background resembling the surface of data tables on old locomotives. The Class V40 and V60 locomotive revolutionised rail transport, because it could be operated on the frequency of the nationwide railway network, thereby avoiding the complicated and expensive frequency conversion. Based on the experiences gained during test runs, these locomotives were suitable for providing motive power to freight trains in addition to passenger trains. The locomotives in these classes were used until the 1960s.