Sprague-Thomson was the name of the first
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
on the
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...
made completely of metal. The first cars entered service in 1908 to replace the mostly wooden
M1, and were retired from passenger service in 1983, after 75 years of service, making them the longest-used rolling stock type in the Paris Métro. However, some Sprague-Thomson cars converted into work trains remained in service until 8 March 2011.
Legacy
The RATP has preserved three Sprague train sets, only one of which is currently usable by passengers. From time to time it is exhibited on certain lines and by organisations such as ADEMAS or COPEF, or used in movies, e.g. in ''Les Femmes de l'ombre''.
Five cars (of which two are 2nd class, with their power car, and one is 1st class, with a trailer) were classified as historical monuments on December 18, 1998. Another car, a second class
power car
In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:
*a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, potentially a multiple unit train, often as the lead vehicle;
*a veh ...
, is preserved at the Vaugirard depot and was 'classified' on 17 February 2000.
The historical train was abandoned in a secret tunnel from the mid-2010s, then renovated during 2023. The train was later displayed at
Porte d'Auteuil for the centenary of
Line 10.
References
{{France-rail-transport-stub
Paris Métro rolling stock
Articles containing video clips