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Abner and his brother John formed their own company, the Abner Doble Motor
Vehicle Company, in 1914. Their father provided financial support for the venture. The first car was the Model A. Up to five cars were thought to be made. Four were sold and one was kept for development. The cars were of good
218:
Doble apprenticed at his family's factory at the age of eight. Between 1906 and 1909, while attending high school, Ab and brothers John, Warren, and Bill built their first steam car in their parents' basement. It was composed of parts taken from a wrecked White steamer but reconfigured to be driven
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In 1924 the State of
California learned that Doble had helped to sell stock illegally in a desperate bid to raise money for the company, and though Doble was eventually acquitted in April 1928, the company failed during the ensuing legal struggle. Fewer than thirty of the Model E steam cars were
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car, for the Paxton
Engineering Division of McCulloch Motors Corporation, Los Angeles. The project was for a low-weight car built around a unique "torque box" chassis similar to an aeronautical wing section. The project was eventually dropped in 1954. He did work on a design for a steam car for
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in New York. Over 5,000 deposits were received for the car, with deliveries scheduled to begin in early 1918. The Dobles had not entirely worked out various design and manufacturing issues, and although the car received good notices and over 10,000 orders, about 11 were built. Doble blamed his
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chassis for the
Auckland Transport Board to trial. The intention was that should the trial be successful more would be constructed. By 1932 the first had covered more than 20,000 miles (32,000 km) and a second was ordered by a private company, White and Sons, for their Auckland to Thames
209:
for San
Francisco, as well as being involved in operating a local railroad company. In about 1892, Doble's grandfather formed the Abner Doble Company, assigning his interests to his sons Robert and William (Abner's father) and the company merged with arch-competitor and William stayed on.
347:, using a Doble Model G engine, and the Detroit Motorbus Co, in a double decker, with a Doble Model H engine. A second Detroit bus had a Doble steam engine added in 1927 and at least one of them covered some 32,000 miles (51,000 km). In 1929 a Doble Model H was installed in a
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produced before the company went out of business in April 1931, the F cars coming under Besler ownership. The total being reported variously as 24, 42, and 43. Doble himself owned E-24 from 1925 to 1936 as his own experimental car. He took it with him when on consulting work in
193:. He had been a sailor, a smith, and a lumberman, who became a journeyman blacksmith and subsequently became a partner in Nelson and Doble. The company became one of the biggest manufacturers of miner's and blacksmith's tools on the US Pacific coast during the
245:
would not hire Doble because he didn't trust him. Although recognized as a steam genius, Abner was considered by some as arrogant and conceited and often told people he was a genius and therefore privileged to act so.
386:, working on steam lorries and locomotives. Several shunting locomotives (switchers) and an undetermined number of railcars were fitted with Doble/Sentinel machinery for sale to customers in Britain, France,
406:
413:. In the middle of the project after the powerplant was actually built, Doble left to some annoyance. Doble then did engine designs for Cleaver-Brooks, Nordberg (1946-1948), and
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With the demise of their company, Abner and Warren went on to work as consultants for other engineering companies globally. During the 1920s and 1930s engines were developed for
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to seek investors. He managed to obtain $ 200,000, which he used to open the
General Engineering Company with C L Lewis. In January 1917, Doble's new car, the
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buses and trucks, powered by Doble designed steam engines, were operated. Abner Doble left
England in 1936. Also during this time he acted as a consultant to
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The Doble brothers were divided by Doble's insistence on taking credit for the company's technical achievements, and John Doble ended up suing Doble for
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of
England, but it was never built. He was a consultant on the Keen steam car in 1957 and a monotube boiler for Charles W Tadlock of St Louis in 1957.
226:. He dropped out after less than a year of studies, and with his brother, began to design his own steam car. By 1912 they had built their first car in
219:
by an engine of their own design. Though it did not run well, the Doble brothers went on to build a second and third prototype in the following years.
451:
Doble married Helen A. Davis on
February 28, 1910. They had three children, Lee, Dorothy and Abner Jr. They divorced in 1926. He married Alene.
659:"Automobiles and Power Plants Manufactured". Vol. Call Number BANC MSS 77/183 c. Abner Doble Papers, UC Berkeley Bancroft Library.
987:
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For the remainder of his life, he maintained that steam-powered automobiles were at least equal to gasoline cars, if not superior.
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In
January 1932 Doble left New Zealand and went via San Francisco to England. There he was loaned by Prices as a consultant to the
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company's production failure on the steel shortages caused by World War I, but the Doble Detroit was mechanically unsatisfactory.
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189:. Doble's forebears had migrated from England to the US in the mid-1700s. William's father Abner was born in
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648:. International Research and Technology Corporation paper; presented to the American Transit Association.
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World’s First Steam-Driven Airplane, H J Fitzgerald, Popular Science Monthly, July 1933, Vol 123, No. 1
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162:. His steam engine design was used in various automobiles from the early 1900s, including a 1969
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In 1915, Doble drove his Model B, a revamped version of the Model A from Massachusetts to
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nearby. Abner attempted to interest the Stanley twins in his condensing boiler. However,
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Doble also announced at the New York show that he was working on a steam engine for
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Abner Doble Motor Vehicle Company, General Engineering, and Doble Steam Motors
230:. The car was based on an American Underslung chassis, their own engine and a
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Doble was hired as the chief engineer for a new bus powerplant for a revived
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on the development of a steam engine for buses. One was installed on an
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and England. He sold it in England to Mortimer Harman Lewis (editor of
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197:. The company became famous manufacturing Abner Doble's water wheel
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H H Stewart's photographs relating to Doble's time in New Zealand
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for General Motors. This was followed by another Model F in a
561:"1925 Doble E-24 Steam Car Coupe & The Abner Doble Story"
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689:. Vol. CXI, no. 42. February 19, 1931. p. 10.
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Doble's consultancy also included in the development of the
491:
Fox, Stephen (1998). "The Strange Triumph of Abner Doble".
387:
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704:. Vol. LXIII, no. 162. July 11, 1932. p. 5.
608:"Doble Steam Motors President is Freed of Overissue Count"
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in March 1930 where he worked under a 3-year contract for
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In 1909 Abner graduated from high school and attended the
674:. Vol. CIX, no. 58. March 10, 1930. p. 12.
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Waltham was near to the Stanley works and its factory at
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for mining applications. The company expanded to make
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Doble Steam Motors Corporation photograph collection
169:and the first successful steam-powered aeroplane.
959:
716:"» Abner Doble | Automotive Hall of Fame"
534:George & William Besler (April 29, 2011).
993:American founders of automobile manufacturers
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263:quality and appeared to have a good market.
297:in 1921 the surviving brothers reunited in
258:1924 Doble Model E at the Henry Ford Museum
301:. They set up a company under the name of
31:
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510:"GM Takes Its Wraps Off Its Steam Cars."
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147:(March 26, 1890 – July 16, 1961) was an
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544:from the original on December 21, 2021.
315:The Engineering and Boiler House Review
181:, one of four brothers. His father was
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822:"Abner Doble, of Steam Car Fame, Dead"
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596:(3794). New Zealand: 3. July 16, 1917.
567:. Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society. 2006
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321:, just before he departed for the US.
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685:"First Steam Bus - News of the day".
224:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
177:Doble was born on March 26, 1890, in
88:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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460:University of California at Berkeley
646:Steam Power for Urban Transit Buses
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493:Invention & Technology Magazine
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343:. The first were tested in 1926 by
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946:The Strange Triumph of Abner Doble
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941:Automotive Hall of Fame Inductees
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864:"Steam Auto Inventor Dies in SR"
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407:Stanley Steam Motors Corporation
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988:20th-century American engineers
780:"Mrs. Abner Files Divorce Suit"
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394:. In Germany, during the 1930s
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983:American mechanical engineers
612:The San Bernardino County Sun
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185:, son of the inventor of the
16:American inventor (1890–1961)
954:at virtualsteamcarmuseum.org
788:. March 18, 1926. p. 19
720:www.automotivehalloffame.org
274:, caused a sensation at the
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922:Jim Crank. 2019, at Amazon.
920:Doble Steam Cars, 2 volumes
644:Renner, Roy (May 4, 1970).
614:. April 29, 1928. p. 1
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417:. After this he retired to
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926:Abner Doble online archive
874:. July 18, 1961. p. 6
830:. July 18, 1961. p. 1
749:. March 2, 1910. p. 9
325:Consultancy and later life
978:People from San Francisco
439:He was inducted into the
156:steam-powered automobiles
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57:San Francisco, California
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276:National Automobile Show
441:Automotive Hall of Fame
345:International Harvester
37:Doble in 1922 newspaper
948:, AmericanHeritage.com
937:, The Bancroft Library
872:Santa Rosa, California
785:San Francisco Examiner
746:The San Francisco Call
540:(YouTube). Bomberguy.
537:The Besler Steam Plane
515:, July 1969, p. 84-85.
456:Santa Rosa, California
419:Santa Rosa, California
400:Borsig Lokomotiv-Werke
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299:Emeryville, California
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228:Waltham, Massachusetts
76:Santa Rosa, California
380:Sentinel Waggon Works
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930:The Bancroft Library
916:at Wikimedia Commons
195:California Gold Rush
183:William Ashton Doble
117: 1910;
586:"Flying by steam".
396:Henschel & Sohn
291:patent infringement
154:who built and sold
152:mechanical engineer
868:The Press Democrat
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303:Doble Steam Motors
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912:Media related to
670:"Shipping News".
589:Ohinemuri Gazette
319:Hyde Park, London
187:Doble water wheel
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882:– via
878:November 26,
876:. Retrieved
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838:– via
834:November 26,
832:. Retrieved
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796:– via
792:November 26,
790:. Retrieved
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757:– via
753:November 26,
751:. Retrieved
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723:. Retrieved
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687:Evening Post
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672:Evening Post
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70:(1961-07-16)
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973:1961 deaths
968:1890 births
914:Abner Doble
741:"Marriages"
402:of Berlin.
366:Limited at
360:New Zealand
358:He went to
341:steam buses
311:New Zealand
214:Early years
207:street cars
145:Abner Doble
25:Abner Doble
962:Categories
571:October 9,
478:References
384:Shrewsbury
284:aeroplanes
49:1890-03-26
443:in 1972.
415:Greyhound
375:Service.
239:Watertown
167:prototype
84:Education
565:svvs.org
542:Archived
466:See also
392:Paraguay
234:boiler.
199:turbines
149:American
135:Children
725:May 30,
411:Chicago
268:Detroit
243:Francis
191:Indiana
123:
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94:Spouses
594:XXVIII
390:, and
368:Thames
353:Fageol
78:, U.S.
59:, U.S.
355:bus.
317:) of
203:drays
127:Alene
113:(
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880:2022
836:2022
794:2022
755:2022
727:2018
620:2022
573:2017
499:(1).
388:Peru
205:and
119:div.
65:Died
43:Born
409:in
382:of
372:AEC
158:as
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47:(
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