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 ofVal-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+3⁄8 in)) line, three kilometers (1.86 miles) in length, nicknamed the "Impressionists' railway".
History
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
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
Built by Decauville; pieces then sent to Orenstein & Koppel, identical to the engines 121 to 124 of CFD Charentes and Deux-Sèvres. Monument historique.
