STDE, Dunkerque nos. 108 (3013 DE 59) and 109 (3014 DE 59) - May 2000
If you're lucky enough to have the opportunity to nose around the premises of DK'Bus Marine at Dunkerque, you'll find all sorts of interesting items. Tucked away at the back of the depot when I visited in 2000 were a number of the undertaking's old buses, awaiting restoration to their former glory. These two are underfloor-engined Saviem-Chausson SC2s, an ancestor of the Renault S45/S53/S105 family. Finding one of these buses would be an event in itself, but the survival of a matching pair is amazing.

STDE, Dunkerque nos. 144 (293 JE 59) and 207 (2737 EU 59) - May 2000
Slightly younger than the SC2s but no less worthy of survival are these two - 144 is a Saviem SC10L (the last SC10 delivered new to Dunkerque), while 207 is a rare Belgian-built Brossel A92 with bodywork by Jonckheere. As with the SC2s, there is another A92 still present to pair off with this one.

STDE, Dunkerque nos. 313 (5603 KF 59) and 301 (8308 JQ 59) - May 2000
CBM TDU11s are very rare nowadays - when I took this shot of DK'Bus Marine's two preserved buses a handful of the type were eking out their final few months in nearby Lille. When I visited Dunkerque in 2000, there seemed to have been no firm decision on just what to do with all the elderly stock retained by DK'Bus Marine, however since then I have received excellent news - to commemorate the centenary of public transport in Dunkerque some at least are being restored. Apparently a 3-door Berliet PR100, a Brossel A92, a CBM TDU11 and a Saviem-Chausson SC2 are in the course of renovation - I look forward to seeing the results!

SVTU, Versailles no. 51 (9680 JV 78) - October 2002
Another gem found lurking at the back of a depot building is this Saviem S105M, new in 1972 to Versailles fleet SVTU and still retained by the company. It appears to be in excellent condition, however was well hemmed in with tyres so clearly hasn't moved in the recent past. Pre-'R' generation S-series buses are now very rare indeed, so it would be nice to see this one find a home where it is a little more accessible to the public. SVTU also retain an open-back SC10 for special duties (the front of which is just visible behind the S105M). The most recent addition to their 'historic' collection is their last surviving SC10R, no. 145.

RATP 2200 - September 2001
Yes, it's a double decker!!! And a proper French one at that. This is a Berliet PCM-RE and once belonged to RATP in the capital. RATP wished to try out double deckers in the late 1960s so Berliet came up with this. Based on the Berliet PCM-R (the main rival to the SC10), the PCM-RE used basically the same chassis but was shortened and had a rather angular top deck added. Two staircases (one up, one down) were included to speed passenger flow. 26 were built and they operated (initially with a crew of two, later as one-person buses) on route 94 and 53.

RATP 2200 - September 2001
The PCM-REs were retired in 1977 after 9 years service. They proved unpopular due partly to their poor suspension and restricted headroom on the upper deck. One has passed into the hands of the Paris transport museum, while no. 2200 (the prototype) is now at the Musée Automobile de Reims-Champagne. It was purchased as the museum is largely dedicated to the works of Philippe Charbonneaux, vehicle designer and native of Reims. Charbonneaux was at one stage chief designer at Berliet and was responsible (among other projects) for the PCM-RE. However the PCM-RE is far from his prettiest design, and while the cars that he designed live indoors the PCM-RE sits sadly under a lean-to structure in the car park, unloved and decaying. One can only hope that somebody takes pity on it and restores it. 

RATP 2204 - June 1994
As mentioned above, the Paris transport museum collection have a PCM-RE as well, and here it is in the old museum at St. Mandé with two rather unlikely shed-mates, a London RT and a London H1-class trolleybus. The St. Mandé museum closed in 1998, and the collection has been moved to the site of a new museum across Paris at Colombes. However the move has been far from straightforward - over five years after the closure of St. Mandé, Colombes has yet to open to the public due to bureaucratic wrangling and political arguing. In the meantime, AMTUIR's fantastic collection of buses, trams, trolleybuses and metro cars from all over France remains hidden from public view.