Retirements, Preservation, and Write- Offs
Which cars to Preserve?
Here is a list of some of the more historical cars of the BART Legacy Fleet.
BART's "Old Cars" were the most advanced rail transit vehicles in the world when they first entered service almost 50 years ago, and even today, the sculptured look of an A car is still a familiar but now battered icon.
BART's "Old Cars" were the most advanced rail transit vehicles in the world when they first entered service almost 50 years ago, and even today, the sculptured look of an A car is still a familiar but now battered icon.
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A2 Cars, Ex A Cars
1164 - Lowest numbered A car (likely oldest remaining). Ex test/engineering car
1195 - Other 1100 series car. Any idea why?
1276 - Last A car
B2 Cars, Ex B cars
1501 - First B car built
1504 - Oldest non-prototype car in use, used Day 1 (September 11, 1972)
1505 - Used on Day 1, and part of the Nixon Presidential consist.
B2 Cars, Ex A cars
1801 - Ex 801, Ex ex 147. First A to B convert. Once a pride of the fleet, and christened with champagne on May 6, 1978 by BART Shops.
1808 - Ex 808, Ex ex 108. First production A Car, oldest nonprototype A car in service. Also one of, if not, the first train across the tube 6/72 (and public display), In service on Day 1, and (likely) seen in Pursuit of Happyness
1826 - Ex 826, Ex ex 143. Fremont Flyer: Onboard ATC failure resulting in train continuing past the end of track and landing in parking lot of Fremont station, October 2, 1972. Damage to the roof of this car is still visible today.
1832 - Ex 832, Ex Ex 197. Only car on the train to survive the Transbay Tube Fire of 1979 and re-enter service.
1834 - Ex 834, Ex Ex 120. President Richard M. Nixon rode this car from San Leandro to Lake Merritt stations on September 27, 1972
1855 - Ex 114. Lead car, first passenger train under the bay, 9/14/74. Only car fitted with ceiling handrails at that time.
1887 - ex 107. Prototype car, oldest A car in use until rebuilding. Only protoype A car accepted, and used extensively in 1971-1972 pre revenue testing. Planned for first train under the Bay, but taken out of service due to a locked axle on car 685, 9/14/74. Fiberglass cab preserved by Bay Area Electric Railway Association
C1 Cars
305 - Likely the first production C car, and the first BART car built in Union City.
C2 Cars
2501 - First C2 car
2580 - Presumed to be the last legacy fleet car built, last heavy rail car built by an American firm
Honorable Mentions:
1800 series cars which ran on Day 1 (as A cars) - post coming soon.
1502, 1503 - other prototype cars.
1913 - last A to B convert
1712 - last renovated car,2002
C cars 304 (Prototype?) and 416 were seen in Predator II
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