Montreal Metro MR-63 – In the vast Angus Pavilion of Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Philippe Schnobb, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM), and Daniel Laurendeau, Vice-president of Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, unveiled metro car 81-502 in Exporail’s impressive collection.
Today, we are very pleased to be celebrating the arrival of the Montreal metro’s inaugural car at Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum. Thanks to the work of the STM’s employees, the car was refurbished to extend its life for the benefit of museum visitors in the years to come. Exporail is now the only place where you can see a car from the first MR-63 train that travelled in the Montreal metro system, said Mr. Schnobb.
We are so happy and proud to be welcoming the STM’s MR-63 car into our collection for the renewal of the permanent exhibition at Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum. It will be an opportunity for people to learn more about the STM’s important contribution to rail heritage, including the only collection of former Montreal tramways, in the past, current and future development of Canadian society. This beautifully refurbished car will expand the experience between 21st Century visitors and 19th and 20th Century visionaries, said Mr. Laurendeau.
Facelift
Since the last MR-63 train was removed from the system, on June 21, 2018, car 81-502 has been given a major facelift and returned to its original look. STM employees cleaned and sanded the entire car and repainted it the same colours that it was in 1966. The operator’s cab was also completely made over, and the three-pronged poles installed in 2012 were replaced with the single poles previously used.
Worthy of a museum
This car has quite the history! It’s called the inaugural car because it hosted dignitaries during the unveiling of the first MR-63 cars in August 1965. It was then integrated into the Montreal metro system, which opened to the public on October 14, 1966, and it transported millions of people until it was retired, 52 years and approximately four million kilometers later.
A remarkable addition for a new exhibitionThe inaugural car was handed over to the museum in exchange for a symbolic dollar, as the STM could not legally give away one of its assets without any compensation in return. The addition of car 81-502 to the Canadian Railway Museum’s collection also coincides with a complete overhaul of the exhibition in the Grand Gallery of the Angus Pavilion. One of the star vehicles is tramway no. 274 from the Montreal Street Railway Company, carefully restored to its original 1892 look.
Reduced admission fee for metro anniversary
On Sunday, October 14, the 52nd anniversary of the inauguration of the Montreal metro, museum visitors will receive a 15% discount on the admission fee to Exporail upon presentation of an OPUS card. To find out more about Exporail, go to the Canadian Railway Museum website.
Note that the MR-63 metro cars were replaced by the new AZUR cars. The other cars still in service are the MR-73s, introduced in 1976.
Feature image: From left to right : Daniel Laurendeau, Vice-president of Exporail, Marie-Claude Leonard, Executive Director Metro, Mario Arsenault, Commissioner Ville de Saint-Constant and member of the CRHA Board of Directors, Nadine Cloutier, Executive Director of Exporail and Philippe Schnobb, President of the STM Board of Directors.
