[1] By 1933, the company had perfected the basic design for a railcar, the Type VH, building 15 units at the Ile Seguin factory.

[1] The VH are equipped with the Renault 12-A-130 engine with twelve V-cylinders (27 liters of overall displacement), producing 220 hp.

The engine is cooled by a voluminous streamlined radiator on the roof equipped with an adjustable flap [1] (earning the VH their nickname "Iroquois" as it resembled the traditional head dress worn by Native Americans).

[1] The large roof-mounted radiator was used to cool the Renault 12-A-130 engine, which was located in one of the control cabs in the unit.

In spite of precautions taken by the SNCF to park them in safe locations, nine VH units were badly damaged and retired from 1944 to 1950.

The remainder underwent extensive updating and modifications, adding sleepers, simplified couplers, multiple unit controls, more powerful Type 517 engines producing 300 hp, updated heating systems, new paint schemes and unified headlights, before being able to return to service.

The exhaust gas heating system presented an asphyxiation risk to passengers or a fire hazard if it malfunctioned and was replaced in all VH units with radiators using cooling water from the engines.

The 1968 decision by the railway to repaint all railcars a vermilion red for easier visibility didn't apply to the VH units, then near retirement.