Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français

The Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français (Museum of French steam tramways and secondary railways — MTVS) is located alongside Valmondois railway station, in the small town of Butry-sur-Oise in the departement of Val-d'Oise, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Paris.
The museum houses a collection of railway vehicles from the former French departmental railways, preserved, restored and rebuilt by the members of an association. During the season, short trips can be made on some of the exhibits, at a separate location in the town of Crèvecoeur le Grand, along a metre gauge (1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in)) line, three kilometers (1.86 miles) in length, nicknamed the "Impressionists' railway".

Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français
Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français is located in France
Musée des tramways à vapeur et des chemins de fer secondaires français
MTVS
Established1976
LocationButry-sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise
Coordinates49°05′26″N 2°12′04″E / 49.0904833°N 2.20098611°E / 49.0904833; 2.20098611
TypeRailway museum
Collection size11 steam locomotives
5 diesel locotractors
27 passenger cars
Visitors5,000
PresidentOlivier Janneau
WebsiteMTVS museum

History

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Established in 1976 on the site of the former railway line from Valmondois to the town of Marines, the 'Association of the Transportation Museum of the Sausseron Valley' patiently assembled a collection of railway vehicles from the old regional French networks. The collection has become the most important in France on the theme of secondary railways using the one metre gauge.

The museum was founded after the recovery of two tram engines, N°16 and 60 (seen below), after being abandoned in a forest. They were originally from the Tramways de la Sarthe in the west of France. In 1999, the association changed its name to the Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaires français. In October 2006, the association celebrated its thirtieth anniversary.

It was once planned for the museum to be moved further northwest to the Vexin region, where it would have had larger storage space and a longer railway line to use for its train journeys, but the project was abandoned in March 2009.[1]

During the winter of 2007–08, the terminus of the small passenger line became inaccessible when large rocks fell onto the track.[2] Journeys were restricted to the Rue de Parmain.

Since 2013, a project is under way to transfer the museum to Crèvecœur-le-Grand, called the "Train à Vapeur du Beauvaisis", which is now the association's main activity center. The new line, built on an abandoned SNCF right of way, operates since 2019 between the main station at Crèvecœur-le-Grand and a small halt of Rotangy, a distance of 3.5 km (2.2 mi). The line is to be extended further in the next years, first reaching the station at Oudeuil, and then lastly the town of Saint-Omer-en-Chaussée, for a total length of 11.9 km (7.4 mi).

 
Map of the future line Crèvecœur-le-Grand and Saint-Omer-en-Chaussée.

Collection

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Works plate of Corpet-Louvet N° 1679 of 1925 (Chemin de fer des Côtes-du-Nord Nº 36)
 
De Dion-Bouton JM4 railcar #11 currently exhibited in MTVS

It operates :

Thirty vehicles of the collection are Monuments Historiques and 7 are inscribed in the supplementary inventory of the Monuments historiques.

Steam engines

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MTVS
No.
Name Wheel
type
Builder Works
No.
Year
Built
Empty weight Status Origin Notes
Nº 4 Pierre Jansen 0-4-0T SLM, Winterthur 1891 1909 13.5 t On display Mont Blanc Tramway
Nº 2 Venus 0-4-0T Corpet-Louvet 710 1898 8 t Restoration halted Company Piketty (sand pits) Distribution "Brown system" - Engine in restoration in the Steamrail.net program - Monument historique
Nº 26 0-4-0T Corpet-Louvet 1673 1927 14.8 t
 
In storage Company « Paul Frot » (public works)
Nº 1 Le Coucou 0-4-0T John Cockerill 2691 1908 12 t In storage Forges de Gueugnon Vertical boiler
Nº 16 St Denis d'Orques 0-6-0T Ateliers du Nord de la France, Blanc-Misseron 19 1882 11 t
 
In storage Tramways de la Sarthe
Nº 60 La Ferté Bernard 0-6-0T Ateliers du Nord de la France, Blanc-Misseron 213 1898 12.8 t
 
Blanc-Misseron 0-6-0T n°60
In operation Tramways de la Sarthe Monument historique
Nº 75 0-6-0T Corpet-Louvet 1234 1909
 
In operation Tramways d'Ille-et-Vilaine Monument historique
Nº 36 Lulu 0-6-0T Corpet-Louvet 1679 1925 20.5 t
 
Corpet-Louvet 0-6-0T n°36
Awaiting restoration Chemin de Fer des Côtes-du-Nord Monument historique. On loan to GECP to run as a tourist train on the line of Chemins de Fer de Provence.
Nº 13 2-6-0T SACM 7381 1924
 
SACM 2-6-0T n°13
On display Ligne Berck-Plage - Paris-Plage (B.P.) Ex. VFIL Pas-de-Calais, Ex. VFIL Oise. Monument historique
E96 2-6-0T Orenstein & Koppel (Decauville) 5755 1913 23 t   Restoration in progress Linha do Vouga Nº 6, Portugal Built by Decauville; pieces then sent to Orenstein & Koppel, identical to the engines 121 to 124 of CFD Charentes and Deux-Sèvres. Monument historique.
Nº 14 La Mame 0-6-0T Corpet-Louvet 691 1897 18 t
 
N°14 at Crèvecoeur-Le-Grand
Restoration in progress Chemins de Fer de la Drôme Built by Corpet-Louvet, stayed unknown and untouched for a few decades before being bought and resurfacing again.

Timetable

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The museum is open from the beginning of May to the first weekend in October from 14:30 to 18:00 on Sundays.

A yearly festival is organized during the first weekend of October.

Address

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Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaires français
Mairie de Butry
95430 Butry-sur-Oise

Train à Vapeur du Beauvaisis

Place de la gare

60360 Crèvecoeur-Le-Grand

References

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