Renault TN

Renault TN

A Renault TNH4 of 1937
Overview
Type Transit bus
Manufacturer Renault
Production 1931–1971
Assembly Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Transmission 4-speed manual
Chronology
Predecessor Renault PN

The Renault TN is a range of buses produced from 1931 until 1971 for the Paris service. They have been described by Le Monde as a "symbol of a Paris era".[1]

History

In 1931, the first TN model, the TN4, a bus with a length of 9.5 metres, is introduced upon request of Société des transports en commun de la région parisienne (STCRP), the predecessor of the RATP.[1] The TN4 introduced the radiator in front of the engine instead of behind as used on previous Renault buses.[2] The TN4, more powerful and with a larger capacity (up to 50 passengers) that previous Parisian transports, led to the final decline of the Paris tramway that disappeared in 1937.[1]

The first TNs had an open platform. The TN4 introduced versions with various inline-four engines of 58 metric horsepower (43 kW) (TN4A, TN4B, TN4C, TN4F) and received some front-end restyling. In 1932, a TN with a inline-six engine of 68 metric horsepower (50 kW), the TN6 (also with open platform), is introduced. Its versions (TN6A, TN6C 1 and 2) were used for suburban transport. The TN6C 1 and 2 had a closed platform from 1936 onwards.[3]

In 1935 Renault unveiled a new TN4, the TN4H. This 50-passenger bus adopted a closed platform, a longer wheelbase, a forward control cabin and a new suspension. A significant number of TNs were requisitioned by the French military during World War II.[3] The main rival for the TNs during that era was the similar K 63 bus produced by Panhard.[2]

After the war, all the TNs on circulation (6A, 6C2, 4B, 4C, 4E, 4H) were given a standard interior furnituring. By the 1950s, almost all the TNs adopted a more closed cabin to protect the driver. The TNs were slowly phased out: TN4B in 1959, the TN6 in 1969, the TN4F in 1970 and the TN4H in 1971.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Normand, Jean-Michel (15 April 2016). "Le Renault TN, superstar des bus parisiens" [Renault TN, superstar Parisian bus]. Le Monde (in French). Paris. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 Desrues, Josette (2005). En coche, en tram, en bus: le Paris-Saint-Germain [By coach, tram, bus: Paris Saint-Germain] (in French). DISLAB. pp. 119–120. ISBN 2-9520091-7-1.
  3. 1 2 "La grande famille des Renault TN à plate-forme (1931–1938)" (in French). Autobus de Paris. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  4. "Le second souffle des autobus TN (1945-1971)" (in French). Autobus de Paris. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
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