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Steambus! [film]
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Identifier2000-06-20_AV_018SourceThe William P. and Moya Olsen Lear Papers (2000-06-20), Audiovisual MaterialsCreatorCalifornia Steam Bus ProjectDescriptionInformational film about steam buses, directed by Peter Adair and Pat Jackson, produced by Irving Saraf and KQED News, narrated by Scott Beach, copyright 1972. Created on behalf of the California Steam Bus Project, the film describes the development and implementation of three steam buses created by William M. Brobeck and Associates, the Lear Motors Corporation, and Steam Power Systems.
The film opens with several shots of the steam buses surrounded by crowds and news crews. Senator John V. Tunney of California is present and speaks with an unidentified man, who describes steam buses as the only operable bus to meet the state's 1975 emission standards. This is followed by scenes showing various natural and human-made sources of steam and its practical applications, such as steamships and steam cleaners. Several steam-powered devices are shown via brief animated clips, as overlapping narrators describe the inventions.
The next segment, beginning at 00:02:57, focuses on the history and impact of car-based pollution. Historic footage of automobiles and factories is shown as the narrator describes the early dominance of the internal combustion engine over steam engines in the automobile market. The scenes then transition to modern-day clips of polluted cities and cars on congested highways. In a series of brief interview clips, experts describe the impacts of automotive pollution on public health and the environment. Interviewees include Milton Feldstein of the Bay Area Air Pollution Control District, Robert R. Wright of the University of California Medical Center, Dr. Robert V. Bega of the U.S. Forest Service, and John Goldsmith of the California State Department of Public Health.
The next segment, beginning at 00:07:06, focuses on the development of a modern steam-based automotive engine, presented as one possible solution to the smog problem. Kerry Napuk of the Scientific Analysis Corporation describes the California state government's decision to explore the feasibility of steam power systems. The film then showcases the three firms that were selected to develop and demonstrate a steam-powered bus: William M. Brobeck and Associates (Berkley, California), Lear Motors Corporation (Reno, Nevada), and Steam Power Systems (San Diego, California). Executives from each firm (Brobeck, William P. Lear, and Steam Power Systems' R. D. Burtz) provide details about their engines and engineering approaches, as scenes depict their respective workers and facilities. Animated diagrams and historic footage of steam power plants are also featured.
Next, the film presents road and emissions tests and public service demonstrations of the firms' completed buses. The narrator notes that steam buses easily meet California's 1975 emissions standards, while diesel buses do not. One of the Brobeck tests, which took place in Washington, D.C. in 1971, features Roy Renner of the International Research and Technology Corporation; Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine; John A. Volpe, Secretary of the Department of Transportation; and C. C. Villarreal, Administrator of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Other scenes filmed during the buses' demonstrations in California feature Bob Moretti, Speaker of the California State Assembly, and Alan L. Bingham, General Manager of A.C. Transit. As the end credits roll over footage of the buses picking up passengers, the narrator notes that the project was a success but that support is needed to transform the steam bus prototypes into production models.
The film is in color and includes audio.
Label on container: "Steam bus, steam car history."Creation Date1972SubjectSteam motorcarsPollutionSteam enginesWilliam M. Brobeck & AssociatesLear Motors CorporationSteam Power SystemsLear, William P. (William Powell), 1902-1978Brobeck, William M.Burtz, R. D.PlaceReno (Nev.)NevadaCaliforniaWashington (D.C.)United StatesExtent1 film reel (28 min, 57 sec.) : sound, color ; 16 mmOriginal Format16mm (photographic film size)Bibliographic CitationThe William P. and Moya Olsen Lear Papers/The Museum of FlightRightsCopyright undetermined
The film opens with several shots of the steam buses surrounded by crowds and news crews. Senator John V. Tunney of California is present and speaks with an unidentified man, who describes steam buses as the only operable bus to meet the state's 1975 emission standards. This is followed by scenes showing various natural and human-made sources of steam and its practical applications, such as steamships and steam cleaners. Several steam-powered devices are shown via brief animated clips, as overlapping narrators describe the inventions.
The next segment, beginning at 00:02:57, focuses on the history and impact of car-based pollution. Historic footage of automobiles and factories is shown as the narrator describes the early dominance of the internal combustion engine over steam engines in the automobile market. The scenes then transition to modern-day clips of polluted cities and cars on congested highways. In a series of brief interview clips, experts describe the impacts of automotive pollution on public health and the environment. Interviewees include Milton Feldstein of the Bay Area Air Pollution Control District, Robert R. Wright of the University of California Medical Center, Dr. Robert V. Bega of the U.S. Forest Service, and John Goldsmith of the California State Department of Public Health.
The next segment, beginning at 00:07:06, focuses on the development of a modern steam-based automotive engine, presented as one possible solution to the smog problem. Kerry Napuk of the Scientific Analysis Corporation describes the California state government's decision to explore the feasibility of steam power systems. The film then showcases the three firms that were selected to develop and demonstrate a steam-powered bus: William M. Brobeck and Associates (Berkley, California), Lear Motors Corporation (Reno, Nevada), and Steam Power Systems (San Diego, California). Executives from each firm (Brobeck, William P. Lear, and Steam Power Systems' R. D. Burtz) provide details about their engines and engineering approaches, as scenes depict their respective workers and facilities. Animated diagrams and historic footage of steam power plants are also featured.
Next, the film presents road and emissions tests and public service demonstrations of the firms' completed buses. The narrator notes that steam buses easily meet California's 1975 emissions standards, while diesel buses do not. One of the Brobeck tests, which took place in Washington, D.C. in 1971, features Roy Renner of the International Research and Technology Corporation; Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine; John A. Volpe, Secretary of the Department of Transportation; and C. C. Villarreal, Administrator of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Other scenes filmed during the buses' demonstrations in California feature Bob Moretti, Speaker of the California State Assembly, and Alan L. Bingham, General Manager of A.C. Transit. As the end credits roll over footage of the buses picking up passengers, the narrator notes that the project was a success but that support is needed to transform the steam bus prototypes into production models.
The film is in color and includes audio.
Label on container: "Steam bus, steam car history."Creation Date1972SubjectSteam motorcarsPollutionSteam enginesWilliam M. Brobeck & AssociatesLear Motors CorporationSteam Power SystemsLear, William P. (William Powell), 1902-1978Brobeck, William M.Burtz, R. D.PlaceReno (Nev.)NevadaCaliforniaWashington (D.C.)United StatesExtent1 film reel (28 min, 57 sec.) : sound, color ; 16 mmOriginal Format16mm (photographic film size)Bibliographic CitationThe William P. and Moya Olsen Lear Papers/The Museum of FlightRightsCopyright undetermined
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CollectionWilliam P. and Moya Olsen Lear PapersPersonBill Lear
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Digital FormatAVIDCMI TypeMoving ImageRights HolderUnknownNotesRights: Possibly public domain?File pathDigitalAssets\Archives\2000-06-20 William P and Moya Olsen Lear Papers\AVDigitized ByMedia PreserveMetadata ByOther TMOF StaffDigitized on19-Apr-22Reviewed ByAli Lane
California Steam Bus Project, Steambus! [film], [2000-06-20_AV_018]. Museum of Flight Digital Collections, accessed 16/08/2026, https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/4574