END OF AN ERA: FINAL LEGACY TRAIN IN SCHEDULED SERVICE (9/10/2023)
Yesterday, September 10th, 2023 was the final day of the Legacy Fleet in scheduled service. It was an honor and a privilege to ride along over 100 like-minded people on the final run, saying farewell to these storied cars (and of course, thanks to so many for saying hello!). This is my writeup of what happened on one of the most important days in the history of BART.
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Consists
This website is all about these cars. The consists I saw were as follows:
Train 443: 1250, 1843, 1611, 1607, 1577, 1228
Notable cars included:
Train 445: 1239, 1556, 1649, 1675, 1694, 1614, 1689, 1840, 1583, 1262
This consist was pulled out of service early in the afternoon, and replaced by a FOTF consist.
Notable cars included:
Train 447: 1272, 1549, 1754, 1802, 1738, 1589, 1580, 1745, 1515, 1256
Train 447 was the final legacy train in scheduled service.
Notable cars included:
Train 443: 1250, 1843, 1611, 1607, 1577, 1228
Notable cars included:
- 1250: Final A car of the original 1969 order for 150 A cars (101-250) and 100 B cars (501-600)
- 1843: In service on Day 1, 9/11/1972, as A car 124 – 29th car built
- 1577 in Zoho One wrap
Train 445: 1239, 1556, 1649, 1675, 1694, 1614, 1689, 1840, 1583, 1262
This consist was pulled out of service early in the afternoon, and replaced by a FOTF consist.
Notable cars included:
- 1840: In service on Day 1, 9/11/1972, as A car 112. This was the oldest car out in service - 17th car built.
Train 447: 1272, 1549, 1754, 1802, 1738, 1589, 1580, 1745, 1515, 1256
Train 447 was the final legacy train in scheduled service.
Notable cars included:
- 1272: Worn and faded logo and numbers, yet a fitting end to the Legacy Fleet. Built in 1975 as part of the last order for Rohr A/B cars. About the 450th car built (of 454 including prototypes).
- 1802, with a Kaiser wrap: Originally built as A car 137 and in service on BART’s first week of service in September 1972. This was the 42nd car built.
- 1745 in a Zoho One wrap
- 1515 – Oldest as-built B car in service during the day. About the 75th car built.
- 1256: Built in 1975 as part of the last order for Rohr A/B cars.
Trip Report
I live in Fremont and rode an FOTF Orange line train up to MacArthur. I wore an original button from Day 1, September 11, 1972. Of course, I was not alive then, but I have written extensively about the day and the cars in service. I believe it was most fitting to have sometime from the first day brought along to the last day.
With a few friends, we rode all three legacy trains in service in the early afternoon, hopping on them all between North Berkeley and 19th Street, then went out for a late and light lunch.
We thence went to MacArthur and photographed train 443 heading to Millbrae, riding it to Daly City (and gaining another friend along the way).
We rode a little bit of FOTF and returned to Daly City. There, we photographed train 443 returning to Richmond on its final run. We also gained a few more friends.
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1843, one of the B cars (ex A cars) that made it to the very end.
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Train 443 departed Daly City and we waited on the footbridge over tracks 1 and 3, photographing Train 447 pulling into Daly City, bound for Millbrae-SFO-Millbrae. We boarded and it quickly assessed the condition – quite a few familiar faces and friends had already joined this train for the final ride.
Friends in this pic
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Plenty of great friends in this pic
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Enjoying the ride and catching up with several friends, we rode trail car 1272 to Millbrae, which then turned into a Millbrae-SFO train.
At SFO most of us got off for a few minutes and enjoyed taking photos of the final legacy train in scheduled service at SFO Airport Station.
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We all reboarded and rode to Millbrae – meeting a giant mass of fellow fans (and lost a few since it was their final stop in their itinerary).
Central made the following announcement:
This is a Message from the BART Operations Control Center. Welcome aboard the last scheduled run for the BART Legacy Fleet. This is a Red Line train with a final destination of Richmond Station. These Legacy Trains have run on the BART system every day since our opening in 1972. After today, the Fleet of the Future will be exclusively used for the scheduled BART service. We will be closing up a major chapter of BART History. Thank you for joining us and riding with us today. This is a Richmond bound, Red Line tarin. Thank you, thank you Train Operator, please deactivate [TT-PA] the time is 19:42.
(Thanks Ryan C. for sending over the recording)
Central made the following announcement:
This is a Message from the BART Operations Control Center. Welcome aboard the last scheduled run for the BART Legacy Fleet. This is a Red Line train with a final destination of Richmond Station. These Legacy Trains have run on the BART system every day since our opening in 1972. After today, the Fleet of the Future will be exclusively used for the scheduled BART service. We will be closing up a major chapter of BART History. Thank you for joining us and riding with us today. This is a Richmond bound, Red Line tarin. Thank you, thank you Train Operator, please deactivate [TT-PA] the time is 19:42.
(Thanks Ryan C. for sending over the recording)
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The 1272 was now the lead car on the final legacy fleet train in scheduled service. T/O Curt closed the doors and off we went to San Francisco/Richmond, departing with a round of applause and announcements from the TO and Central.
A most fitting sunset
The train stopped and departed every station without fail, save for what appeared to be a door problem at Civic Center. The T/O made an announcement at each station, noting the final run of the legacy cars (and last red line train for the evening).
Riders and the T/O asked for PL-1 into the tube – the fastest speed on BART. PL-1, aka Performance Level 1, is the maximum performance for the train. Usually, trains run at PL-2, which is almost full speed except for a command (trackside ATC transmitted) speed of 80 mph being translated into a 70 mph actual speed. Central tried, but to no avail, and we rolled at 70 mph through the Transbay Tube one last time.
The train briefly lost speed codes at the east portal, allowing for a little bit of road manual, but we resumed our normal run.
Departing El Cerrito Del Norte, Central did a TT-PA announcement on the cars for all aboard to enjoy:
Good evening passengers, message from the BART Operations Control Center: We are approaching the final destination of Richmond station. This legacy train has BART A car as the lead unit, designed by aerospace manufacturing company in the 1960s. These cars were a symbol of the space age, when America dreamed and worked hard land a man on the moon and beyond. Slanted nose cab became an instant symbol of BART and the Bay Area. The first Legacy Train ran on opening day, September 11th, 1972 between MacArthur and Fremont Stations. Today is one day shy of its 51st anniversary.
These legacy trains have ran on the BART tracks every day for half a century through the Bay Area. They ran high above ground and deep under the sea, they carried millions of people to work, to home, to fun, and to wherever they needed to go.
These legacy trains have traveled millions of miles in their lifetime. Many of these legacy trains could have traveled to the moon and back several times, and have circled planet Earth more than a hundred times, but they stayed here in the Bay Area to take our riders where they needed to go.
BART will hold a proper, public retirement ceremony for the Legacy Fleet to mark their final in service run at a future date, but today is their last normal scheduled run. It is the end of an…era here at BART. Thank you for joining us in this moment, and Train Operator, thank you. You can deactivate your TPA at 20.
Good evening passengers, message from the BART Operations Control Center: We are approaching the final destination of Richmond station. This legacy train has BART A car as the lead unit, designed by aerospace manufacturing company in the 1960s. These cars were a symbol of the space age, when America dreamed and worked hard land a man on the moon and beyond. Slanted nose cab became an instant symbol of BART and the Bay Area. The first Legacy Train ran on opening day, September 11th, 1972 between MacArthur and Fremont Stations. Today is one day shy of its 51st anniversary.
These legacy trains have ran on the BART tracks every day for half a century through the Bay Area. They ran high above ground and deep under the sea, they carried millions of people to work, to home, to fun, and to wherever they needed to go.
These legacy trains have traveled millions of miles in their lifetime. Many of these legacy trains could have traveled to the moon and back several times, and have circled planet Earth more than a hundred times, but they stayed here in the Bay Area to take our riders where they needed to go.
BART will hold a proper, public retirement ceremony for the Legacy Fleet to mark their final in service run at a future date, but today is their last normal scheduled run. It is the end of an…era here at BART. Thank you for joining us in this moment, and Train Operator, thank you. You can deactivate your TPA at 20.
T/O Curt gave his final remarks approaching Richmond station, saying:
Now approaching Richmond. You guys are all the best customers I that ever had, and I’ve been in sales most of my life. This is the best sales experience we’ve ever had, the patrons of Bay Area Rapid Transit. Everybody have a safe trip home!
Now approaching Richmond. You guys are all the best customers I that ever had, and I’ve been in sales most of my life. This is the best sales experience we’ve ever had, the patrons of Bay Area Rapid Transit. Everybody have a safe trip home!
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Arriving at Richmond, there was a long pause for everyone to offboard and then for the T/O to sweep the train (ensuring no stragglers ended up in the yard). After such sweep, train 447 swiftly departed Richmond station, heading to Richmond yard, with a wonderful applause. The T/O finished his lookback with a bow - end of this concert. Such was the end of the legacy fleet in scheduled revenue service, and it seems most of us took the next Orange Line Fleet of the Future train south, ending one of the most notable days for transit in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Postscript
This was a fitting end to the Legacy Fleet in scheduled service. These cars represented a turning point in public transportation. Faced with growing automobile traffic, the BART car was designed to take advantage of the most advanced technology at the time to provide a commute without parallel in the field of public transit. At their heart, these cars were designed to be pleasing inside and outside. Inside, plush upholstered seats, air conditioning, and carpet were meant to meet the comfort of the most expensive automobile, if not a jet airliner. Outside, these trains rolled at speeds up to (and sometimes slightly passing) 80 mph under automatic control, with automatic door opening and automatically timed departures. Originally, their DC chopper propulsion system was state of the art – an advancement used by other systems until replacement by AC propulsion. And of course, these cars were made with aesthetics first and foremost. BART was not to be an “cast iron subway” but instead, space age rapid transit system for the future - a Fleet of the Future.
I will leave this article with my most favorite quotes on these famous cars, by designer Carl Sundberg:
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.
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.
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Farewell Legacy Fleet. They served their purpose well, and then some.
-Andy T. Payne, bartchives. September 11, 2023. Day 1 + 51 Years. |
