50 years ago - Final Rohr Car Delivery

BART records record the date receipt of the final Rohr A/B car a half century ago, on July 31, 1975. The car with the honors was 276, built as part of the final order for 26 A (#251-276) cars and 74 B (#701-774) cars bringing the fleet size to about 450 cars as outlined in the 1962 composite report.

The fourth, final order of Rohr cars were built during a time of significant unreliably with the fleet, and as such the A cars were delivered without ATO equipment. The Board of Directors even rejected a Westinghouse contract to supply the 26 cars with ATO equipment and the cars were stored after delivery. With A to B conversions (800 series), the cars eventually entered service in the latter half of the 1970s with the last A car being 253 in August 1979.

Here is a BART photo of 276 in the yard in the latter half of the 1990s/very early 2000s.

The 276 lasted until 2001, in which it was rebuilt by ADtranz into A2 car 1276.  After about 22 more years of service, it was retired in November 2023 and scrapped, making it the 558th Legacy Car to meet the end of the line.