California USA-1936: Steam Excavator Digging Dirt in 1930s Construction

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only. $149 flat from Stockfilm for documentary, news and educational use, plus internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Year1936
Decade1930s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1936 California

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Before you add to cart: Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement. Checkout will only offer editorial, educational, internal and social/web scopes.

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Steam Excavator Digging Dirt in 1930s Construction — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm footage from California USA in 1936 shows a steam-powered rail-mounted excavator, labeled 'N.P. BITEKER 15', digging into dirt in a barren landscape. Workers operate the heavy machinery, which emits thick black smoke from its chimney. The grainy, monochrome film captures the industrial effort of early 20th-century construction, with the camera fixed on the machine's operation. This authentic home movie offers a nostalgic glimpse into historical engineering and labor.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: editorial use only Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121505030

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Editorial only Direct license: editorial use only. Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Editorial use only; commercial use is not offered for this clip. Review the flags below for your editorial context.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: Yes
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1936 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

construction
dirt
machine
digging
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industrial
california USA
1936
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vintage 8mm film
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steam engine
digging machine
historical footage
archival film
retro construction
black and white film
old machinery
steam power
railroad history
manual labor
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1930s construction
vintage engineering

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for requests needing 1930s California construction, steam-powered excavation, or industrial labor footage for documentary, museum, education, or editorial use.
Period detail: The rail-mounted excavator, smoke stack, monochrome 8mm texture, and workers' clothing support a 1930s industrial construction setting.
Home-movie behavior: The fixed, slightly distant viewpoint feels like an observer filming a working machine rather than a staged industrial demonstration.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a steam excavator on rails, dirt embankment, smoke stack, workers, cables, metal boom, rail wheels, and lettering on the machine body.
Film character: The clip has grainy monochrome 8mm texture, soft focus, flicker, and gate-edge shadows that preserve the physical feel of the original film scan.
Edit role: Editors could use it as a brief cutaway, industrial process insert, labor-history transition, or visual bridge into Depression-era construction themes.
Historical context: The footage shows mechanized earthmoving and human operators working in an open, barren landscape without identifying a specific project or landmark.
Research note: People and machine lettering are visible, so likeness and trademark or business-name review may be needed separately from copyright status.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1930s California construction footage, steam excavator home movie, vintage earthmoving machinery, and rail-mounted digger footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with nearby shots from the same reel, then other 1936 California material, then broader vintage construction and heavy machinery footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1936 California home-movie frame showing a steam excavator boom over dirt, with the machine partly obscured by dark film-edge shadows. — The excavator boom reaches across the frame while the rail-mounted machine works near a dirt bank.

1936 California frame showing the rail-mounted steam excavator cab, smoke stack, boom, and partial lettering on the machine body. — The excavator body and stack come into view as smoke rises above the cab.

1936 California home-movie frame showing workers around a rail-mounted steam excavator with visible lettering and the number 15. — Workers stand by the excavator cab as the machine sits on rails in the open landscape.

1936 California frame showing the steam excavator, workers, rails, boom, smoke stack, and visible machine markings in a barren work area. — The rail-mounted excavator and crew are seen in profile with the boom angled toward the earthwork.

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