<![CDATA[BARTCHIVES - The Two Bagger]]>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:50:47 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[WRM: BART Car Decals]]>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 15:11:47 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/wrm-bart-car-decalsNumerous historical decals have found their way onto the BART cars at the Western Railway Museum. These decals span everywhere from the 1970s to 2020s. See them next weekend during the BART Grand Opening 9/12-9/13.
]]><![CDATA[C1 Car 323 and 1990s TV Screen Platform Destination Signs]]>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 02:40:09 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/c1-car-323-and-1990s-tv-screen-platform-destination-signs
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The second generation destination signs were installed at Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Streets starting in the early 1990s. These destination signs were cathode ray tube (CRT) television screens and the displays were branded as “Commuter Channel,” operated by Metro Channel. They were replaced in the late 1990s during the Systemwide Rehabilitation Program..
]]><![CDATA[Legacy Fleet Book Copies Arrive]]>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 02:24:11 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/legacy-fleet-book-copies-arriveThe copies of the Legacy Fleet book are here and will be available at the Western Railway Museum on the 9/12-9/13 weekend.
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]]><![CDATA[BART Cars at WRM: Decals Installed Ahead of Event]]>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 03:12:13 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/bart-cars-at-wrm-decals-installed-ahead-of-eventThis past weekend's work included installation of exterior decals used on the cars, including these seen below. Car 1834 was indeed a test seat layout car.
Progress continued on the Nixon corner with carpet and installation of the original car number - car 120.
]]><![CDATA[Bicentennial Decals on WRM BART 1164]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:20:47 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/bicentennial-decals-on-wrm-bart-1164For the 50th anniversary of the 200th anniversary, the Western Railway Museum BART team recently installed commemorative decals on 1164, the first new decals to be placed on the cars (with more decals currently in progress).

Also note the now lit up faregate direction arrow.
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]]><![CDATA[BART's Bicentennial Cars]]>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:53:38 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/barts-bicentennial-carsHappy Fourth of July. Fifty years ago, in line with numerous railroads across the country, a few BART A cars also “celebrated” the Bicentennial. Around 11 A cars temporarily gained the official Bicentennial Logo in lieu of the cab logo alongside smaller versions of the same logo below the cab exterior numbers. The cars that received the logo were recorded as follows:

The following A cars received the Spirit of 76 treatment:

115
127
139
140
153
169
176?
177
202
219
236
264
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Note, Rapido Trains announced car 169 in white paint and bicentennial logo as part of the second run of HO scale BART cars.
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]]><![CDATA[Arthur Mac’s A2 Car 1203 Arrives in Hayward]]>Fri, 08 May 2026 03:55:57 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/arthur-macs-a2-car-1203-arrives-in-hayward
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Today Arthur Mac’s, a local pizza, beer, and wings place, received BART A2 car 1203, part of their upcoming downtown Hayward location.
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As per my records, A2 car 1203 was originally built by Rohr as A car 203 (line number approximately 156) and delivered to BART on March 19, 1973 (alongside A car 204). For most of the first half of 1973, Rohr delivered only A cars and 203 was one of over 80 A cars delivered during that timeframe. There’s not too much to say about the car during the first 30 years of service. It was “just another” A car roaming around the Bay Area, running on every line and stopping at every station.
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Once again, the 1203 was another A2 car of the fleet, roaming around the system and racking up millions of miles and millions of riders. By 2023, the car reached 50 years of revenue service and one year later, it was among the final legacy cars in service, being part of the first of three trains to depart MacArthur station on the final run of the legacy fleet on 4/20/2024.
Joining a small fleet of cars with similar fates, the 1203 was assigned a new role instead of scrap – this one in particular was slated to become part of the new Hayward location of the Arthur Mac’s pizza joint. Slightly over two years later, today, May 7, 2026, the car left Hayward Yard to begin its next chapter.
The car left Hayward shop shortly before 9 am and arrived in downtown Hayward shortly afterwards – among the quickest trips for a retired legacy car.
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A small contingent of the WRM team/bartchives was on scene to watch the departure and placement into the site, followed by checking out the car with the owners and contractors. The first step was to return BART-loaned equipment and as seen with the three WRM cars, we guided the contractor in removing the J hooks and blocks used to secure the car’s trucks – which were then returned back to the shop. Further inspection and knowledge-sharing included info on the side doors, best practices for HVAC decommissioning, facets of carborne ATC, and car electrical system info. Sierra Train House was also on scene for the delivery and at this rate, there is a small community of people with old BART cars – only the Bay Area would be cool enough to do something like that.
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The concrete “tub” that the car now rests in was a bit on the theoretical side. As true BART car design nerds know, the A car cab is basically a “pod” secured to one end of essentially a B car, making the design asymmetrical for truck placement, but allowing for easy conversion into B cars (as was originally intended and later actually done). With the assumption of a standard, centered, 75-foot car, the rail pieces were placed in this position, but later had to be moved ever so slightly. Similarly, the male portion of the coupler on the X-end, nicknamed the “bull-pick” [add an r between p and i] stands out a few inches past the normal car dimensions and had to be cut off to fit the box. Thus, the car had to be parked off to the side for a good few minutes until finally fitting inside the tub where it rests today.
Overall, the car is in good condition (mind the damaged diffusers) and shows much promise for reuse. Ideas abound on modifications to the car to make it ready for arcade games and showcasing the history of BART its technology. Stay tuned for more exclusive updates on the 1203 in its new role alongside the other surviving legacy cars.

-ATP 5/7/26
]]><![CDATA[BART at WRM Updates: Spring 2026]]>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:44:22 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/bart-at-wrm-updates-spring-2026
Hello friends of the legacy fleet,

Progress on the preserved BART cars at the Western Railway Museum continues at PL1, 80 mph. With the completion of the lighting project, activities have focused on displays inside the cars. Here are a few exclusive pictures of progress thus far.
The A car (1164) will have displays on BART test and repair equipment.
The B car (1834) will have displays of various BART things, including tickets, car parts and tools, maintenance equipment, and more. It will also have an HO scale model railroad of BART. I heard you like BART so we put a BART train in a BART train so you can BART while you BART.
The C car (329) will have a video theater and posters of BART’s history, including plenty from the 1990s expansions.
The cars are partially open to visitors when the museum is open, upon request. The BART team is usually at the museum once every other week. All we ask is to be mindful that the displays are still in progress and to not remove anything from the cars. We are planning a grand opening event in September 2026. Stay tuned for more details.
Additional side projects include assisting others that got (or will get) BART cars, including the Sierra Train House and Scraper Bike team.
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Progress on the Legacy Fleet book continues, with the final data gathering efforts wrapping up in the coming months followed by a writing phase throughout the summer.
]]><![CDATA[BART A car Cab Pod at WRM]]>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:11:19 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/bart-a-car-cab-pod-at-wrmThe Western Railway Museum recently received another giant gift from BART – a spare A2 car cab pod.
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My understanding is that Bombardier made a few extra pods “just in case” and they were stored at the Hayward Test Track for several years. One such pod became the “1972” cab pod on display at the 50th anniversary event and Final Run.
With the retirement of the Legacy Fleet, the pods were deemed spare and available for reuse. WRM paid to transport one of them from Hayward to the Museum and it arrived in late February.
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The plan is to have this cab pod on display in the Laflin Park at a future date. Currently it is stored “out back.”
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WRM also has the cab pod of car 107. This was removed from the actual car 107 in the early 2000s as part of the midlife rehab. The A2 pod is slightly different, with relocated HVAC vents, improved communication equipment mounts/holes, etc.
]]><![CDATA[Super Bowl LX Clipper Cards and Where to Find Them]]>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:19:46 GMThttps://www.bartchives.com/the-two-bagger/super-bowl-lx-clipper-cards-and-where-to-find-themUpdate 2/11/26: Ticket Vending Machines are running out of these cards. If you happen to be at one of the stations, it's best to ask the Station Agent which machine, if any, has them.
These limited edition Clipper cards are available at certain BART stations.
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