Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research, but the StaRRcar not available for viewing at this time.

Researchers may access digitized materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], William Alden Collection of StaRRcar Material, A&M 5275, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Judy Alden, 2019-2021.

Biographical / Historical

William Lewis Alden (d. 11/16/2018) of Falmouth, Massachusetts worked in the transportation field of personal rapid transit (PRT). During the mid-1960s, Alden created a "dual mode" transportation prototype vehicle named the staRRcar (Self Transport/Transit Rail and Road). The staRRcar was able to drive on a standard roadway to a PRT station where it attached to an automated driverless track to continue on its journey. The staRRcar was selected in a study funded by the Urban Mass Transportation Authority as the prototype for an experimental PRT system to be constructed with federal funds at West Virginia University, using Boeing Vertol as the contractor. This became the PRT system that continues in operation at the University today.

Scope and Contents

This collection features material pertaining to William Alden (d. Nov. 16, 2018), Alden Self-Transit Systems Corporation, and the staRRcar (Self-Transport/Transit Road and Rail Car) which served as the model for West Virginia University's Personal Rapid Transit system (PRT). Formats include business materials, photographs, concept art, clippings, schematics and blueprints, artifacts, and audiovisual material.

Highlights include blueprints/schematics of the staRRcar; poster-sized illustrations and concept art of the staRRcar in operation; photographs of the 1972 PRT dedication ceremony, featuring Tricia Nixon; a portable television presumed to belong in a staRRcar; models of the railway system and stations; and staRRcar number 1.

The audiovisual material in the collection is a reel of film showing an episode of CBS New's 21st Century titled, "Autos, Autos, Everywhere " featuring Walter Cronkite. Cronkite reported on the advances in automobile technology that could be expected in the mainstream in the 21st century, including William Alden's staRRcar. This film includes an interview with Alden and Cronkite's experience testing a staRRcar prototype. Other film features include Ford's experimental steering wheels, General Motors' battery-powered cars, and the DAIR or Driver, Aid, Information, and Routing system.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Alden StaRRcar
• Alden, Judy
• Alden, William, 1926-2018
• Automobiles
• Cronkite, Walter, 1916-2009
• Personal rapid transit
• West Virginia University - Personal Rapid Transit System (PRT)