Berliet PH: buses and trolleybuses of the 1960s

The Berliet PH is a range of city buses and coaches produced by the Lyon firm from 1961 to 1974. It came from the PLH coaches of 1956, and in the PH 12/180 it produced the first articulated bus built in France.

Berliet PH at a glance

Based on one source, the French Wikipedia article on the PH range, with company history from the English article on Berliet.

History of the Berliet PH

The range

The PH range derived from the PLH coaches of 1956, and it was the direct competitor of the Saviem SC2 and SC4 at a time when the French market was closed to foreign production. It comprised five models. The PH 80 was built from 1959 to 1962 with the MH 520 engine of 7.9 litres and 150 hp; the PH 85 followed from 1962 to 1968 with the same engine; the PH 8/100 ran from 1961 to 1968, again with the MH 520; the PH 10/100 from 1961 to 1974 had the 9.5-litre MH 620 of 180 hp; and the PH 12/100 from 1969 to 1973 had the 12.0-litre MH 635 of 240 hp. In the PH 80 and PH 85 the number referred to the passengers carried, while in the x/100 models it referred to the engine size, a six-cylinder of almost ten litres or one of twelve litres.

Body and doors

The PH 80, PH 85, PH 8/100 and PH 10/100 looked very much alike and carried a large number of passengers despite a conventional length of 9.7 or 10.66 metres. The PH 8/100 and PH 10/100 were officially presented on 30 September 1961, shortly after the PH 80. They came with several door layouts: 0-4-4, with no door at the rear, was a new arrangement suited to one-man operation; 4-4-4 was the classic layout, and the rare 4-0-4 had no centre door. The conductor was only abolished in 1974.

Trolleybuses

The range also included trolleybus versions. The VCB 80 of 1961 used Vétra traction equipment and five were built for Algiers. The VBH 80 was a single prototype of 1961, tested in Lyon and sold to Dijon. The VBH 85 was built from 1960 to 1964 in 24 examples: 21 for the Lyon TCL network, one for Dijon and two for Fribourg. The EH 100S had Sécheron equipment and was built in 14 examples, two for Fribourg and twelve for Geneva.

The articulated bus

As demand for urban transport grew quickly, Berliet offered an articulated version of the PH 100 at the request of the transport operators. The PH 12/180 of 1966 was the first articulated bus produced in France, and it brought the PH 100 a completely new front with a curved windscreen, as on the PCM of 1965. In 1966, for the Marseille network, Berliet also built the PCM-UC, which put the PH body on a PCM-U chassis; the heavy steel body made it much worse than the aluminium-bodied PCM, and only 16 were made. A PH 8/100 of Limoges dating from 1970 is preserved by the AMTUIR.

Design and features

• Five models: one range covered 150, 180 and 240 hp and lengths of 9.7 and 10.66 metres.
• Door layouts: 0-4-4 for one-man operation, 4-4-4 and the rare 4-0-4.
• Trolleybuses: four electric versions served Algiers, Lyon, Dijon, Fribourg and Geneva.
• First articulated bus in France: the PH 12/180 of 1966.

Berliet PH versions

• PH 80: the 1959–1962 model with the 7.9-litre MH 520.
• PH 85 and PH 8/100: the 1960s versions with the same engine.
• PH 10/100: the long-lived 9.5-litre model of 1961–1974.
• PH 12/100: the 12.0-litre model of 1969–1973.
• PH 12/180: the articulated bus of 1966, the first made in France.
• Trolleybuses: the VCB 80, VBH 80, VBH 85 and EH 100S.

The PH range was replaced by the Cruisair coaches, and the PR100 took over the city routes. More models are in the Berliet collection.

Video: Berliet PHC 8 Escapade

Video by Gigabus72 on YouTube.

Sources

• Berliet PH, French Wikipedia: models, engines, doors, trolleybuses, articulated version
• Berliet, English Wikipedia: company history