MS 61

MS 61[2] (MS meaning Matériel Suburbain in French) was a series of single-decker electric multiple units that operated on the RATP-owned sections of the RER B (Gare du Nord to Robinson or Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse) from 29 June 1967 to 28 February 1983, and the RER A (Saint Germain-en-Laye to Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy) from 14 December 1969 to 16 April 2016.

For the coin grading code, see Sheldon coin grading scale § Uncirculated grades.

MS 61
Refurbished MS 61 train
Interior
In service29 June 1967 – 16 April 2016[1]
ManufacturerBrissonneau et Lotz
ANF
CIMT
Order no.MS 61
Constructed1966 for first train
Refurbished1985–1992
2005–2008 (partial rebuild)
Scrapped2016
Number built127 units + 1 trailer
Number preserved1 unit (2010)
Formation3 cars per trainset
Capacity292 seats per unit
(200 fixed and 92 tip-up)
Operator(s)RATP
Depot(s)
  • Sucy-en-Brie
  • Rueil-Malmaison
  • Torcy
Line(s) served (1969–2016)
(1967–1983)
Specifications
Train length73.22 m (per unit)
Car length
  • Motor: 24,555 mm (80 ft 6.7 in)
  • Trailer: 24,110 mm (79 ft 1 in)
Width2,910 mm (9 ft 7 in)
Height4,280 mm (14 ft 1 in)
Floor height1.24 m
Doors4 pairs per side
Wheel diameter1.05 m
Wheelbase
  • Motor: 2.6 m
  • Trailer: 2.2 m
Maximum speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Weight148 tonnes
Traction motors8 motors
Oerlikon HMW 48
Power output1600 kW per trainset
Acceleration2.8 km/(h⋅s) (1.7 mph/s)
Deceleration5.0 km/(h⋅s) (3.1 mph/s) (emergency brake)
Electric system(s)1,500 V DC overhead lines
Current collection methodPantograph type AM 44
Braking system(s)disc brakes.Electrodynamic Rheostatic braking
Safety system(s)SACEM
Coupling systemScharfenberg type
Multiple workingMs61 (3 trainset in operations)
Headlight type
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Notes
Source: RATP (1996). This infobox shows the latest status before this train was withdrawn.

The MS 61 trains first entered service on 29 June 1967, and were the first type of trains to be produced specifically for the RER project. The MS61 borrowed many elements from Paris Métro trains, such as having four double doors per side in each car, and was capable of speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph),[2] as opposed to 80 km/h (50 mph) with a Class Z 23000 train. The MI 09 series of double-decker trains gradually replaced the MS 61 series between 5 December 2011 and 16 April 2016, as part of a programme to increase capacity on the RER A.

Construction

The MS 61 series was built before the RER came into existence on 8 December 1977: a total of 127 units and one spare trailer were built by Brissonneau et Lotz, ANF and CIMT for the RATP from 1963.[3]

The manufacturers constructed a total of six types for the MS 61 series: A, B, C, D, E and Ex. Types A and B had three-panelled windows for the front, while the remainder were similar to the MF 67 for the Paris Métro.

Refurbishment

There were two refurbishment programmes for the MS 61 trains: the first one took place between 1985 and 1992, and the other (with 105 units) between 2005 and 2008. In the second refurbishment, the front ends were rebuilt to a single design.

The first train from the second refurbishment entered service on 26 April 2006.[4]

Numbering and formation
  • Type A: M.15001 to M.15031 + AB.18001 to 18015
  • Type B: M.15032 to M.15124 + AB.18016 to 18062
  • Type C: M.15125 to M.15148 + AB.18063 to 18074
  • Type D: M.15149 to M.15216 + AB.18075 to 18108
  • Type E: M.15217 to M.15236 + AB.18109 to 18118
  • Type Ex: M.15237 to M.15254 + AB.18119 to 18128 (with AB.18128 being the reserve trailer).[5]

In passenger service, the MS 61 series usually ran in two or three pairs (6 or 9 cars), depending on the timetable. It was possible for them to run as a single pair, although they rarely did in passenger service.[6]

Design and features

MS 61 trailers formerly had a first class section: the Syndicat des Transports Parisiens (STP, now Île-de-France Mobilités) abolished first class travel on 1 September 1999,[7] and the bulkheads that divided the first and second class sections were removed in the second refurbishment.

Front design

The MS 61 series used three types of dot-matrix displays for the destination panel. When delivered, the MS 61 used four 5×7 panels surrounded by two lights, and was capable to displaying a four-digit service number (e.g. 2020) in amber.[8]

Following the first refurbishment of the 1980s, the destination panel changed to six 5×7 panels, which was capable of displaying the mission code in amber, and the service number in red, without spaces (e.g. NELY01, ZEUS02, etc.).

Following the second refurbishment of the 2000s, the destination panel changed to a single grid of 100×16 pixels, which was capable of alternating between the destination and the mission code and service number. This type of destination panel is also in use on the MI 79 and MI 09 trains, as well as the MI 84 trains that operate on the RER B.

  • Front designs of the MS61 trains
  • Front design for types A and B.
  • Front design for types C and D.
  • Front design for types E and Ex.
  • Front design for trains that were refurbished in the late-2000s.

Liveries

RATP has used three liveries for the MS 61 series:

  • The first livery was blue and (light) grey, similar to the Paris Métro trains at the time, but without yellow borders. The first class section was denoted by a yellow stripe instead of being painted entirely in cream yellow.
  • The second livery, known as "Île-de-France": was navy and white, with red doors and front panel. Three trains (M.15002-AB.18001-M.15007, M.15053-AB.18046-M.15054 and M.15067-AB.18048-M.15066) carried a variant of the livery to deter graffiti artists.[3]
  • The third livery was also navy and white, but the front end had a red roof and white panel with the RATP logo, and large tilted red squares bordered with white to mark the location of the passenger doors.

Cooling and ventilation

The MS 61 trains were manufactured at a time when cooling on the central section of the RER A was not a major issue: this meant that the trains did not have (and never had) air conditioning fitted, with ventilation originally being provided by single top sash windows on one side of any given car. The sash pane could be lowered enough for anyone to look out ahead.

In the early stages of the second refurbishment in the 2000s, the sash and fixed windows were replaced by hopper windows on both sides to reduce external noise, but passenger complaints regarding poor ventilation during the peak hours resulted in the adoption of an alternating arrangement of hopper and (reinstated) sash windows.[5]

Seating and accessibility
Area designated for wheelchair users.

The MS 61 trains were built at a time when wheelchair accessibility was not a priority. Following the second refurbishment, the leading end of motor cars were designated for users with wheelchairs. In practice however, wheelchair users would travel on the leading car because there was no level access between the platform and the train, and a staff-operated boarding ramp (located on the platforms) had to be used to allow wheelchair users to board or alight an MS 61 train.

Service history
Original front end of MS 61.

The first MS 61 trains (type A units) entered service on the Ligne de Sceaux (now the southern part of RER B) from 29 June 1967.[1] On 14 December 1969, type B units replaced trains pulled by SNCF class 141TB steam locomotives on the Ligne de Vincennes (now part of RER A), following the completion of electrification work and the relocation of the western terminus from Gare de la Bastille to Nation.[3]

Type C units entered service when the western end of the RER A between La Défense and Charles de Gaulle – Étoile opened on 19 January 1970, and reached Auber on 23 November 1971: type D units then reinforced the former when that line extended to Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 1 October 1972, displacing the SNCF Class Z 1400 trains. From 8 December 1977, the connection of RER A and B at Châtelet–Les Halles, and the extension of RER A to Noisy-le-Grand – Mont d'Est allowed all MS 61 units, including the Type E and Ex units, to move between and operate on the two lines.

MS 61 trains reached Torcy (on RER A) on 19 December 1980 and Gare de Nord (RER B) on 10 December 1981, but the next northern RER B extensions to Charles de Gaulle Airport and Mitry - Claye (completed 7 June 1983) would use SNCF’s 25 kV AC electrification, instead of RATP’s 1.5 kV DC system that the MS 61 could only handle. Consequently, the MI 79 and MI 84 units, both of which were designed to work with the two electrification systems, replaced the MS 61 units on RER B by 28 February 1983,[1] but the track connections north of Châtelet - Les Halles allowed empty MS 61 trains to continue accessing the southern part of RER B.

For the remainder of their service life, MS 61 trains operated on the RATP-owned sections of the RER A, which (from 1 April 1992) was from Saint Germain-en-Laye to Boissy-Saint-Léger and (occasionally) Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy.[5]

MS 61 trains were never the oldest in service on the RER: the Class Z 23000 trains (from 1937) remained in service on the Ligne de Sceaux until 27 February 1987, while the Class Z 5300 trains (from 1965) joined the RER fleet on 26 September 1979. The last Z 5300 trains operated on the RER D between Juvisy and Melun until 8 December 2018, when they were replaced by 19 Regio 2N (Class Z 57000) trains.[9]

Accidents and incidents

On 19 January 1981, a MS 61 train crashed into the rear of another at Auber, killing one person and injuring 71 others.[10] According to French railway magazine Historail in 2016, the crash was caused by human error relating to a newly-installed signal that came into operation two days prior.[11]

Power and signalling

The MS 61 trains were single-voltage units that only operated on RATP's 1,500 kV DC network: they could not serve the Cergy-le-Haut (A3) and Poissy (A5) branches, because those branches used SNCF's 25 kV / 50 Hz AC electrification.

In 1989, the MS 61 fleet was adapted for the SACEM signalling system (Système d'aide à la conduite, à l'exploitation et à la maintenance), which operates on the core section of RER A.[12]

Withdrawal
The last operational MS 61 train at Joinville le Pont, on 16 April 2016.

The MI 09 double-decker trains, which entered service on 5 December 2011, replaced all MS 61 and MI 84 trains on RER A, as part of a works programme to increase passenger capacity and replace life-expired infrastructure. Once all MS 61 and MI 84 trains were withdrawn from service, all trains on the RER A were double-decker (MI 2N "Altéo" and MI 09).[13]

In 2014, the RATP appointed Veolia Environment to dismantle and recycle the MS 61 units that were part of the second refurbishment programme, plus two additional cars. Veolia dismantled these trains at a specialised facility at Torvilliers, because the trains contained hazardous materials such as asbestos.[14][15]

In 2010, the RATP selected one unit for preservation at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges: the selected unit was not part of the second refurbishment programme, and retains the original front ends and the "Île-de-France" livery.[5][16]

Post-withdrawal use
TrainCar number(s)Notes
024M.15050–AB.18024–M.15151Whole unit preserved at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.[16]

Citations
  1. Yoyo93 (3 May 2017). "Matériel Roulant du RER". Symbioz (in French). Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  2. RATP (1996).
  3. "MS 61". Ferrovia (in French). 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  4. "Portrait of the RER A". RATP. RATP Group. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. "Le MS61". Transport Paris (in French). Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  6. "ErebosSan" (14 October 2014). "Hommage au MS 61 du RER A". YouTube. Retrieved 18 August 2015. Between the 4:50 to 5:00 timestamps, a single MS 61 unit can be seen passing Sucy – Bonneuil station.
  7. Duport, Jean-Pierre (17 June 1999). "Suppression de la 1ère classe dans: les trains et R.E.R. exploites par la S.N.C.F. Île de France. les R.E.R. exploites par la R.A.T.P." (PDF) (in French). STIF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  8. "Au MS 61, la RATP reconnaissante". RATP Scope (in French). RATP. 14 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  9. "Transilien double-deck EMU launches new livery". Railway Gazette. Sutton, London: DVV Media International. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  10. Chardon (1981).
  11. Attal (2016), p. 15.
  12. "SACEM – Driver Operated Metro System" (PDF). Siemens. 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  13. Jérôme, Béatrice (5 December 2011). "Nicolas Sarkozy revendique l'amélioration des transports publics en Île-de-France". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  14. "Les rames du RER désamiantées à Troyes" (in French). Le Parisien. 18 October 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  15. "Veolia dismantles and recycles RER A line train sets for RATP" (PDF). Paris: Veolia. 12 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  16. "Photo of a preserved MS 61 unit". RATP. July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)

References
  • Attal, Philippe-Enrico (July 2016). "MS61, le matériel qui invente le RER". Historail (in French). Paris: Éditions La Vie du Rail (38): 6–25. ISSN 1957-5971.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Chardon, Christian (20 January 1981). "R.E.R. : 1 mort, 71 blessés". Le Parisien (in French). Paris: LVMH. p. 4. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • J.C.A. (12 December 1971). Delacroix, Paul (ed.). "Le matériel roulant du R.E.R.". La Vie du Rail (in French). Paris: Éditions N.M. (1320): 11–12. ISSN 0042-5478.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Salin, Jean, ed. (12 June 1966). "Éléments automoteurs du R.E.R.". La Vie du Rail (in French). Paris: Éditions N.M. (1050): 8–9. ISSN 0042-5478.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "MS 61" (in French). RATP. August 1996. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
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