Tribute to the MR-63 subway trains:

 

            The MR-63 subway trains served Montreal ever since the Metro first opened in 1966 to 2018 when they were retired. They had a remarkable 52 years of service. STM did loose some to fire/accidents, but the majority of the cars made it well into the 21^st century and the fleet was able to mark 50 years of service. They were rebuilt in the late 1980s though before I got to ride the Montreal Metro.

 

            After 52 years, there are four Metro Lines: Green, Orange, Yellow, and Blue. The Green line was designated #1. The Orange line was designated #2. #3 was skipped as the Yellow line was designated #4 and the Blue line was designated #5.

 

            I first really got to explore the Montreal Metro in 2002 and in the years since, I worked to fully ride the whole network. What follows is a collection of photos taken between 2005 and 2018.

 

Green Line:

 

            The Green Line was where the MR-63s spent the majority of their service lives. Prior to their last four days of service, if you wanted to ride a MR-63, the Green line was your best bet. The occasional MR-73 made it onto the Green Line prior to the Azur trains entering service, but the majority of trains were MR-63s.

 

            Here is a photo I took in 2005 during Mark and my layover in Montreal prior to boarding the Enterprise.

 

 

            The MR-63s ran in three car sets (or elements as STM referred them as). They had two end cars and a middle car. Here are interior shots of the end cars in their later years.

 

 

 

            Here’s an interior shot of a center car.

 

 

 

            The MR-63s ran in nine car trains on the Green Line. Between 2005 and 2015, I made an effort to ride the MR-63s on the Green line at least once. Here are some photos of MR-63s on the Green Line taken between 2008 and 2015.

 

 

 

The last two pictures were taken on my 2008 Adirondack Trip.

 

            The next photo was taken in 2010 prior to boarding VIA’s Chaleur for my second attempt to ride to Gaspe on the train. (I made it this time.)

 

 

            I took the next photo when I spend a night in Montreal prior to going down to Burlington, Vermont to see Amtrak’s 40^th Anniversary train.

 

 

            I took this next photo during the 2013 BHA convention in Montreal when I was on my own time.

 

 

            I took this photo in 2015 when I spent another night in Montreal to see the 2015 CP Holiday Train prior to flying down to the U.S.

 

 

            You might not be able to tell from this photo, but STM wrapped the MR-63s in advertising liveries. They have since switched to wrapping MR-73s.

 

 

            In 2018, the writing was on the wall for the MR-63s as more and more Azur trains entered service. STM stopped training new hires on the MR-63s. Knowing their retirement was imminent and not knowing if I’ll never get another chance to ride them, my friend Mark and I went down in late April to get some “final” rides on the MR-63s.

 

 

 

 

 

            As it turns out, April of 2018 wouldn’t be my last time riding the MR-63s. I went to ride them on their final run on the Green Line two months later.

 

 

 

Orange Line:

 

            The MR-63s ran on the Orange line in the line’s early days. However, extensions of the Green Line and the MR-73s shifted the trains to the Green Line. At the time of the MR-63’s retirement, the Orange Line has the most recent extension to have opened in the Montreal Metro with the extension up to Montmorency opening in 2007. As the Orange Line is very busy, STM runs nine car trains on the line.

 

            At the time of the extension opening up, a few MR-63s made it onto the Orange Line so they operated to Montmorency prior to 2018. I actually got to ride one on the Orange line from De La Concorde to Bonadventure on my 2007 Adirondack trip.

 

 

            On the cars’ second last day of service, they returned to the Orange Line. As it was, they were the only non Azur train running on the Orange Line that day.

 

 

 

 

Yellow Line:

 

            As with the case of the Orange Line, the MR-63s ran on the Yellow Line when it first opened but were shifted to the Green Line.

 

            After the MR-63s ran on the Orange Line for a bit in 2007, STM moved them to the Yellow Line and shifted the MR-73s previously assigned to the Yellow Line to the Orange Line. When the Azur trains entered service on the Orange Line, the MR-73 trains were displaced to the Yellow and Green Lines.

 

            During the time the MR-63s ran on the Yellow Line (which only has three stops); they ran in six car trains. Recently, STM began running full nine car trains of MR-73s on the Yellow Line.

 

            I took this photo of an MR-63 on the Yellow Line when I visited La Ronde in 2011.  As it turns out, it would be my only photo I took of an MR-63 on the Yellow Line.

 

 

            I didn’t ride the MR-63s on the Yellow Line during the last day they operated on the Yellow Line in 2018 as the beginning of the end of the MR-63s.

 

Blue Line:

 

            The Blue line is the newest Metro line to open. For awhile, the line ran with only three car trains. In 2007, STM began running six car trains on the line. At least one station on the line cannot presently accommodate nine car trains.

 

            The ONLY time the MR-63s ran on the Blue line was their last day of service; June 21, 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The next few photos are as the last MR-63 train arrived at Saint-Michael for the last time and went out of service prior to deadheading back to the yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            This next photo shows the cab of the MR-63s.

 

 

 

            The MR-63s are no longer in revenue service with STM. However, some will be preserved. STM is keeping the third element which was on the final MR-63 train in service. MR-63 #81-502 which was the first subway car delivered to Montreal will be preserved at Exporail and will be on display.