It is logical that a manufacturer of road petrol or diesel engined vehicles should see railways as a target market, using the same technology and engines. Renault were very successful in this, especially with their well known railcars. Berliet also produced successful rail vehicles.
The history of Berliet goes back to Marius Berliet, born in 1866, who started working at his father's satin loom. Marius’ mechanical aptitude was unstoppable, and he built his first engine in 1894 and his first car in 1895. In those days, there were no apprenticeships or classes to learn how to do this – it was all brand new. Marius was one of those natural born engineers who could see what to do and how to do
