Legacy Fleet: The Story of BART's Old Cars

[@markambus]

ATP Transit.... As a retired BART Train Operator of 25 years, I would like to say your history video of our Legacy Fleet was outstanding! Kudos!

[@ATPTransit]

Thanks Mark! And of course, thanks for all the help on this stuff along the way. -Andy

[@itz_catz_1714]

1 and a half hours of watching ATP transit explain transit. I could not have asked for more! Also, this is video 2 of me asking: Where in the Bay Area do you live, and what's your home station (if applicable)? Are you CURRENTLY a BART employee? I scrolled through your webpage but couldn't find the answers to these questions. Finally, what are your thoughts on the Tunnelvision: An Unauthorized BART Ride youtube video if you have watched it?

[@ATPTransit]

Some answers also here - bartcars.weebly.com/about.html I live in Fremont and Fremont is my home station. I do not work at BART, but am part of WRM's effort to preserve the legacy cars.

[@OvercastDays]

Looks like I know what I will be doing for the next hour and a half!

[@WMAC_Master]

I will watch this documentary tomorrow, but I want to thank you for documenting the legacy fleet as much as you could. Growing up, the tracks were right outside my window. Watched hundreds of trains day and night from that window. I'll never forget that unique sound of the wheels and brakes. Very glad to see that bart sees these as a part of their legacy and is willing to send some to museums for all the enjoy.

[@tagwier]

As a person living in the Bay Area for all my life, these legacy cars were all i knew before FOTF. Now as these legacy trains are getting set the the scrapper, I see these railcars not as just filthy things to get me from point a to point b, but a story, a special life, a part of my childhood. Seeing as one of my first BART rides was on a C1, 329 to be exact, from Orinda station to SFO, this brings me joy as I know they will be preserving this railcar at WRM. What the future brings in is not predicable, but i hope they will preserve them for the rest of eternity. April 20, 2024 Today was the final run of this historic fleet. I was on 1212, the lead car back from Bay Fair, to Macarthur. I saw my friends from school, my fellow transit enthusiasts, my fellow historians, and much more. The speeches were moving, and when the big man addressed the scrappings, everyone boo'ed him, which made me grin a little. I miss these trains, the iconic screeching of these trains, the iconic cab, and so much more. January 2024: The legacy fleet still runs strong. There are still at least 10 A2 cars on the property. Stay safe. November 6th, 2023: Its was around 8 20 PM, and i was carpooling from a UC Berkeley thing. To my surprise, a FOTF, At Orinda, i think it was 3107, not too sure, and nearly overshot. Thank god these shorter trains have more flexibility inside the station, compared to the 10-car trains. October 22, 2023: As i was returning from dinner at Gotts roadside, i was walking to embarcadero station. and as I was waiting, and a 8-car legacy train was speeding into the platform from west Oakland, headed for Daly city, blue line. leading the consist was 1252, and trailing was 1232. As i was super hyped up, i could not go, as i had to get to the east bay on time. 1232 was quite filthy, and tagged, while 1252 was honestly quite clean. After going to west Oakland, i saw all the trains the passed by, all FOFT. Late October. 2023: My friend, who shall stay anonymous, gave me some footage of a A2 car getting scrapped. Like Raw Video. It was worse than that Old 1208 scrapping video from 3 years ago. Like, the poor train getting torn into bloody pieces, and then sent into a shredder, where the train is just flaky chunks of aluminum. September 17, 2023: I was railfanning through Bart, and as i was passing by Colma, I thought i saw a legacy consist at the Daly City/Colma Train Yard. Early March, 2023: Riding to warm springs, I caught a quick glimpse of several legacy cars at Hayward Shop. Notably 1164, 1232. Also saw some C1 cars, and some B2 cars. I hope that the history of these railcars will be saved for generations to come. keep an eye out for the younglings, 1195 don't fall off your rails, 1204 there won't be any pickup trucks up there, 1205 scrapped during the holidays, 1206 the first one, the one who has brought us here, 1208 goodbye for now, 1210 see you soon, 1218 dissapeared, but will reappear soon, 1220 The end as it is for now..., 1223 hope to see you again, 1226 my first BART ride of 2015, 1227 day last, 1228 happy thanksgiving, 1229 december 2023, 1230 november 2023, 1231 my favorite child, 1232 lovingly, 1233 somewhere else, somewhere 1236 50 years of service, 1238 12.39 million miles, 1239 you didnt live to see 2024, but i hope you see us from up there, somwhere, 1242 comfy chairs, 1243 when will i ever see you again, 1244 It was not your choice, 1245 BART, BART, BART, 1247 12 times 3 is 48, 1248 wash yourself more often..., 1249 take me to SFO, 1250 1975-2023, 1251 good to know you're in a better place, 1252 run like the wind, 1254 continues to pursue happiness, 1255 Nice Map!, 1256 Your significance shines in the world youre in now, 1258 like an arrow in the sky, you came down, but you'll go up again, 1261 scrapped in a grusome way, but also in a way just for you, 1262 stop when they tell you to stop, 1263 stay safe up there, 1264 i like your map better, 1265 there arent anymore scrappers in public transit heaven, 1266 don't hit your friends up there, 1267 dearly departed, 1270 day last, last, 1272 gone too soon, 1274 don't let the older kids bully you, 1275 the end, the last, no more, 1276 Those with me on the final run, from Millbrae/SFO to Richmond, Thank you for taking time out of your day to celebrate the end of an era. Thank you for celebrating the life in which there historic trains faithfully served us, for 50 years since BART's opening day, in september 11, 1972. Thank you, for seeing these trains roll on the tracks, one last time, and letting them finally rest, after a tough 50 years of continuous service Thank you, for letting your tax dollars be spent on such an astronomical project And finally, Thank you, for the tremendous amount of support you give for BART to keep running. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For my fellow historians, VIPs, NSIP, and such, thank you for joining the last legacy train forever. This really means a lot for everyone in the bay area. Some people came from out of state just for this, and i respect that, i really do. And for all train cars who were scrapped, May you rest in pieces Good Night, BART Legacy Fleet Thank you for 50 years of service, 50 years of fun, 50 years of adventures, and 50 unique stations, and over 5000 hours spent on you. We miss you, and we hope to see the survivors at WRM soon Goodbye and i end with this, from Carl Sundberg, "The car is probably the largest “hardware” object ever to be the subject of an industrial designer’s efforts. Situated as we are in the heart of the automobile industry, our people are vitally aware of the importance of good vehicle design. We tried to employ the talent and knowledge we have gained here to produce for the Bay Area people a design that transcends anything yet conceived in the field. For us, it was labor of love. We began the design process with the most essential ingredient, the human being, tailoring all elements to his or her needs. We knew, also, that the people of the Bay Area traditionally accept newness, that they do, in fact, hunger for innovation. We gave the nose a sophisticated, sculptured look, yet we kept it simple; we used no gimmicks or clichés strictly for the sake of appearance. We wanted a modern vehicle, yet we stuck to the contention that a rapid transit train should look like a rapid transit train, and nothing else. We wanted the car to appeal to all ages and walks of life, so we gave it a fleet look to reach the younger generation, yet a solid, practical, even dignified look to appeal to adults. It was our purpose to make the interior of the car, as well as the exterior, competitive in design and comfort features with the most expensive automobile. This, I feel, we have done." I believe they have done it, for 50 years and beyond. 1164; I hope to see you soon at WRM. I never truly got to know you, but its great that there's more chance for me to get to know you. 329; My first BART ride was on you. You. Yes, your brothers and sisters were sent to the scrapper, but you, and 323 get to be spared, to live another day. 1834: i have heard of you, but never really ridden on you. President Nixon, along with hundreds of others, rode you. I hope to see you soon -@tagwier November 5th, 2023 Edited November 6th, 2023 edited valentines day 2024 Edited Feb 18, 2024 feb 24 2024 April 20, 2024, the final run, the final day Good night, forever and more

[@TurningRedForever]

I wish we could see this at the WRM

[@catvoncrimson666]

You will!

[@ATPTransit]

WRM will get 3 cars next year (around summer). Stay tuned

[@Andreshms3]

My first ride was this year, because of work, I had to commute to SF, and I don’t have a car, I choose BART for my transportation option, since the retire of the legacy fleet (2 Car Trains) on September, the sound the old cars maked will be no more, I miss that sound. 😢

[@DNP_10]

Well made video! The only criticism I have for this video is that you talk so fast and so quickly that I had to keep pausing and rewinding to comprehend everything presented since this video was packed so full of interesting information. There's also a few points (the shot you included of the deconstruction of the C car is the biggest example) where the background sound makes it a little hard to hear what you're saying. Other than that, really great video! Learning more on how the Automated Train Control system works was fascinating, especially in regards to stopping at stations. Great video, would recommend!

[@ATPTransit]

Thanks, the pace is quite....rapid....to keep the video short(er). There isn't much said during the C car getting crunched up, I am figuring out how to import captions (the script)

[@DNP_10]

@@ATPTransit I figured that's why you went so quickly. Still, really enjoyed it!

[@Alejandro-vn2si]

Please talk more about BART, especially the new bart projects.

[@jackongames6005]

1:18:18 how did you find the video of the C1 car getting scrapped

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

1:03:10 I miss the carpet and upholstered seats...

[@royceyyyy]

my auntie was actually the one who drove 1205 and hit the truck she ended up breakin a few bones and going into surgery.

[@ATPTransit]

Hoping she has healed and in better health

[@Bogarttherideop]

I got to ride Bart for the first time in a few months this past Saturday and I’m really happy with this new updated schedule stuff. Everything seems to be safer even though we didn’t have that great of an experience going back at night in the back car. Lesson learned stay in the front or where there is other people

[@graphtonix6607]

Did BART ever have a A1 cab car with the number 814Y or 814X???

[@donnyo639]

Yes- Converted in the late 70's

[@graphtonix6607]

@@donnyo639 OK.

[@chromebomb]

EPIC!

[@ericfung5279]

Was watching this while riding the Bart Legacy Fleet 8-Car Blue Line train today.

[@vernontrent926]

Great documentary video of the Legacy Fleet cars. The A, B, C1 and C2 car brought out great memories when they were in service.😊

[@tvm133gRF]

Hey ATP, this was an awesome look at the BART legacy fleet and I appreciate how in-depth you went with facts and niche details about virtually every aspect of the cars and their history. I watched through the whole thing and was certainly impressed! I had started a project just after september 11th, which is my tribute video to these old cars. My work on the video is paused though, as college is more important. I had intended to add my own take on a brief overview of the cars and their history, and an explanation of the car types to my audience; however my video will be nowhere near as comprehensive as this video was. Would you mind if I included that in my tribute? I'm just trying to ensure that you know I'm not copying any ideas or stealing your work; i just want to add that information to my video as part of my valediction to the cars as they're now retired.

[@tagwier]

Just asking; since there are transbay delays on motor vehicles, is there a chance that there will be more legacy trains out there?

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

I remember riding the old trains since my childhood!

[@danjee464]

33:00 Where did you find the graphic of the car numbers, and do you know anything about the typeface for the numbers?

[@ATPTransit]

It's from some drawings, a custom design. There were two different "generations" of the numbers, which the second popped up around the time of A/B car rebuilding. Biggest difference are the "corners" of digits such as 0 which was more flat compared to the original style (more rounded).

[@tagwier]

2nd comment 17 minutes after the upload

[@Caltrain921]

Is the book reddy

[@ATPTransit]

Not yet, next year it will be printed.

[@Caltrain921]

@@ATPTransit can I get a signed copy?

[@ATPTransit]

Of course my friend

[@binf5867]

I wonder how many legacy barts they have left to use in reserve , Has anyone seen these bart running since they've been discontinued I haven't seen any so far?🤔

[@ATPTransit]

Roughly, about 140-150 legacy cars left on property, I saw two rolling in service today (replacing scheduled Fleet of the Future trains)

[@tagwier]

@@ATPTransit theres only like 50 left

[@gdrriley420]

Great bit of history. Do you have a source for Caltrans order 113 Bilevel cars, I was never aware that that many were planned

[@ATPTransit]

Certainly, they were a few: Morrison-Knudsen "The eMKayan" Volume 52 Issue 5 article "MK Unveils Four Railcars in One Day" MK 10-K405 Annual report: capedge.com/filing/763739/0000912057-95-005085/10K405

[@gdrriley420]

@@ATPTransit Interesting that 113 cars were ordered, wonder what the original makeup would have been

[@ATPTransit]

I'm not too sure, but with the Surfliner cars, there's about 120 cars total. CA Prop 116 was statewide in scope.

[@gdrriley420]

@@ATPTransit and from the day we got the last surfliner cars we’ve been hunting for more. Pretty soon after we paid to rebuild superliners. And just a few years later we bought the comet cars while leading 40+ Amtrak cars

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

One thing I don’t get is when the voice for door close sounds why Isent their a door close beep like on the fotf?

[@ATPTransit]

The A cars had a short tone, which was later replaced by an announcement "The doors are closing...." The C cars had a chime. FOTF have a combination of the two

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

@@ATPTransitbut on the old trains why didnt they have both voice and tone? like it only seems to do the tone when the C card is leading not A car and same for the C card if A leads c car has a voice instead