In 1976, a group of enthusiasts bought two wrecked steam locomotives from a scrap dealer and created the 'MTVS' association du Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaires français (Association of the Museum of Steam Tramways and French Secondary Railways) which was then set up in Butry-sur-Oise in the Val d'Oise on the grounds of an old metre gauge railway linking the station of Valmondois to Marines. The main activity was the recovery was the recovery of vehicles, railways and tramways of the departmental metre gauge, which ran from the end of the 19th century until the 1960s, and their restoration for museographic purposes.
This collection of over 120 vehicles, 38 of which are listed as historical monuments of industrial heritage, was operated on a short line by members and was a living museum until 2017.
