Arthur Mac’s A2 Car 1203 Arrives in Hayward

Today Arthur Mac’s, a local pizza, beer, and wings place, received BART A2 car 1203, part of their upcoming downtown Hayward location.

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.

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.

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.

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