Dear friends,
Today, April 20, 2025, we reach the one-year anniversary of the Final Run of the Legacy Fleet. This post will take a look back at the year behind us and a brief glimpse of what lies ahead. This is an exclusive look at the final months of the legacy fleet, available only here and in the upcoming book, Legacy Fleet: The Story of BART’s Old Cars.

Decommissioning in late 2023/early 2024
After the final scheduled run on 9/10/2023, the legacy fleet was retired from “scheduled” service. A steady flow of B cars had been scrapped in the months prior, alongside some wrecked A cars (e.g. 1204).
With their removal from scheduled service and the impending roll-out of a new radio, destined for only a handful of cars, the decommissioning program continued now with a mixture of A and B cars. The first of the A cars to be scrapped as end-of-life without a career-ending incident was 1233 on October 4, 2024. For a period of time, car decommissioning was almost random, outside of a radio mod or other restricting holding the car back (e.g. 1164 was slated for preservation).
 
A total of 9 A2 cars were decommissioned in October, followed by 17 in November, 11 in December, 2 in January 2024, and 3 in February 2024 – a total of 42 cars. These were the “great months of the A car scrapping.” After the decommissioning of the 1742 on February 16, 2024, the decision was made to hold on to the remaining fleet of 13 A cars and 22 B cars (and of course the C car for WRM) until after the final ceremonial run of the legacy fleet.

Unscheduled legacy trains in service
By and large, at least one legacy train was out in service almost every day to every other day, from September 11, 2023 to March 2, 2024 – serving as the ready reserve train pressed into service. The last legacy fleet train I rode was on the Blue Line on February 22, 2024 - 1235, 1584, 1759, 1760, 1817, 1164
Of historical note, 1235 was the final legacy car sent to the scrapyard (that was not previously selected for any post-BART use), 1759 is used as an Earthquake shake testing car in a lab in Richmond, 1760 was used as a fire department training car after decommissioning, and 1164 is of course preserved by the Western Railway Museum. Fittingly, 1164 was the final legacy car I rode in true revenue service.
The week after, on the 2/23, 2/24, and 2/27, I saw: 1257, 1587, 1580, 1897 (Zoho), 1605, 1259 on the Transfer Tracks at Hayward Yard.

Final Run on 4/20/2024
April 20, 2024, was the final day of the Legacy Fleet in service, the final ceremonial run. It was a whole event, with some 3,000 people in attendance. Trains were as follows:
The first train to depart was train 104 with the following cars:
1212, 1897, 1607, 1738, 1259 (Bay Fair end)
 
The second legacy train to depart MacArthur was train 100 with the following cars:
1203, 1760, 1759, 1584, 1834, 1890, 1515, 1580, 1911, 1269 (Fremont end)
 
The third and final legacy train to depart MacArthur was train 102 with the following cars:
1260, 1587, 1548, 1721, 1501, 1857, 1596, 1512, 1869, 1241 (Fremont end).
 
More details are available on the page: Final Run

Home Stretch of Scrapping
After the joyful sendoff, the final work was left in decommissioning the last cars of the fleet – those final 13 A cars and 22 B cars (and of course the C car).
A total of 27 cars were sent to the scrapyard – 1605 and 1817 were sent over on April 26, 2024, and a steady flow continued until 1235 and 1587 were sent over on May 21, 2024.
 
Here is a picture of an entire train’s worth of cars being scrapped (left to right): 1219, 1512, 1596, 1878, 1241. And to boot, 1257 and 1760 are laying in the back behind these cars.
 
The final BART legacy cars to reach end-of-life decommissioning were a group of 5 cars on the week of May 20, 2024 – one month after the final run. The last car to be decommissioned was #1235.

Not all cars were scrapped
The Legacy Fleet was aptly named. No other rapid transit system in the world used aluminum bodied cars for frontline service for over 50 continuous years, and, arguably, no other rapid transit cars represented such a forward-looking concept of post-WWII public transportation. It was only fitting that a few select cars lived on, in one form or another.
The full page of the legacy fleet after BART is available on this website too, with details on each car and its intended use. As of April 20, 2025, the following cars have been sent out for new lives:

The 1759 was sent out for earthquake shake tests on August 2, 2024. This car is being used to test ballast stability and aerial structures and the stability of the car.

Western Railway Museum
1164, 1834, 329
 
The Western Railway Museum preserves the history of electric railways throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. These innovative cars have earned a place in the museum – representing the Bay Area’s bold attempt to bring public transit back to everyday life.
The WRM is the only place to have a complete legacy train, with full trainline. The 1164 arrived on August 9, 2024, the 1834 on September 11, and the 329 on October 4. Oddly enough, September 11, 1972 was BART’s opening day and October 4 is 10-4 (“message received”).
The exterior of the cars is viewable as part of Carbarn 3 tours at the WRM. Currently, we are working on the interior with modifications to car electrical systems to have them lit up without 1000v third rail power. Progress is in full swing and the cars are not currently accessible for the public. Stay tuned though, because they may have a BART preview day where everyone can check out the cars in September 2025.

Sierra Train House, a short-term rental house with a BART car, received their 1234 on March 14, 2025. This car has a new home in Jamestown in the foothill of the Sierras and their project is also underway with an opening sometime late this year or into 2026.

The Oakland Ballers received their car earlier this week. The 1253 was initially set up for the Oakland A’s but they abandoned that plan just like they abandoned Oakland. This new hometown team will convert their 1253 into a concessions stand at their field in West Oakland.

Of course, 323 was the first BART car in this century to be sent somewhere other than the scrapyard, a partially complete C car in Hayward sent out in December 2022. It is being used as a fire training prop.

A few more A cars are awaiting their fate. Stay tuned for those updates as the months continue.

Have a wonderful Easter.
-ATP

Today the WRM BART car crew continued progress on the preserved BART cars by adding an original Hughes Airwest ad from the 1970s (amazingly one was found for sale, and purchased for the display), cleaning the car, and a few other mods.

Additional work focused on the LED lighting conversion and cleaning A car 1164.

As a reminder, the car interiors are not yet ready for public display. We are currently working on car electrical systems and cleaning the cars. The plan is to have a preview day sometime in September, depending on progress. Stay tuned for more information on the "BART Preview Day" at the Western Railway Museum over the coming months.

Today the folks at the Sierra Train + House, a future vacation rental house in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, received their BART Legacy Car - perhaps a new type of gold I think.

A2 Car 1234, after about 6 million miles and over 50 years of service, has earned a retirement out in Tuolumne County and departed Hayward Shop yesterday, March 13 and overnighted at the transportation contractor’s yard in Stockton. It arrived late this morning, March 14 and was placed on a dedicated BART-gauge trackway at the Sierra Train House Site.

A very special thanks for the invitation to watch the delivery, and stay tuned for more updates throughout the year!

Today, February 22, 2025, WRM BART Project Volunteers delivered and installed an authentic BART third rail adjacent to preserved A car 1164. The third rail and related parts including coverboard and insulators, were donated by BART to WRM for display with the Legacy Fleet.

In a fine example of teamwork, the volunteers installed the assembly in manner allowing everyone to see and understand the key components – the coverboard is staggered to allow viewing of the third rail, and the #4 collector paddle of the A car is contacting the third rail. Back when the car was in service, the third rail provided nominal 1000 v DC power which was picked up by the 4 collector shoes on the car to power the car systems (propulsion, auxiliaries, etc).

To note, labels will be crafted and applied in the coming weeks.

The black strip below is the wiggle wire mounted on the coverboard at stations and other parts of the system. It will be mounted to the coverboard at a later date.

This is the newer design of the coverboard and includes the “DANGER ELECTRIC THIRD RAIL KEEP AWAY” decals along the top and side.

The equipment mounted above the rail is a fastener and clips used on direct fixation portions of the BART system such as aerials, which was also donated by BART for display. The rail mounted on it has a white line showing the difference between 115 lb per yard rail vs BART’s custom 119 lb per yard rail.

Additional activity included the replacement of bearings on doors 6 and 8 of 1164, which will be used for public access into the cars. The old, worn out bearings have been replaced by new ones and the movement is now “smooth as silk” – and will be for decades to come. The cars are not yet ready for public display inside - the interior is best described as a workshop given all these activities, but will be open sometime later this year.

A special message was added to the car after it was retired from BART, and shortly before it was scrapped.

The 1164, the oldest A2 car (by original build date) and a car used for engineering tests since the 1970s, has found a new home at the Western Railway Museum. This is one of 6 A cars that found a second use and the only A car to be preserved.

WRM will get two more cars - B car 1834 and C car 329 in the coming weeks or months.

The Western Railway Museum is selling BART Legacy Fleet Train Operator Consoles sourced from retired cars. For $1000 each, you can own a core piece of BART history and support the preservation of three complete legacy cars at the Museum.

This video presents a history of the different train operator consoles of the Legacy Fleet, the functions of the console, and how to purchase one from the Museum if so inclined.

The final BART legacy cars to reach end-of-life decommissioning were a group of 5 cars on the week of May 20, 2024 – one month after the final run. The last car to be decommissioned was #1235.

The remaining cars of the legacy fleet (10) have found new uses including preservation.

BART stopped decommissioning cars and held onto a small fleet of 13 A cars and 22 B cars starting in early 2024 to retain enough cars for the final ceremonial run on April 20th. An additional C1 car (#329) was still in the fleet, awaiting its final trip to the Western Railway Museum for preservation. Of these, 6 of the A cars and 19 of the B cars ran on said date.

After the final run, the wheels once again started rolling to decommission the cars – a total of 7 A cars and 20 B cars – that did not find a new life. The remaining 6 A cars and 2 B cars have found new purposes which will be shared in due course.

These 27 cars were steadily decommissioned and scrapped from late April 2024 through yesterday, May 21, 2024. Shops removed hazmat materials and the cars were on their way to the scrapyard. Since the Legacy Fleet was no longer in service, there was no major need to pull parts from them to maintain other cars (a process called cannibalization), but there was a need for recipients getting BART cars after their retirement. I was invited to help out Sierra Train House folks pull parts from the cars, which will be used as spare parts on their rental home project.

This time though, was to capture the final decommissioned car for preservation. B2 car 1587 was the send to last B car sent to the scrapyard, and A2 car 1235 was the last legacy car to be sent to the scrapyard – the 659th car.

Here is the 1235, after 6 million miles and 50 years of service, enjoying its last rays of sun.
 
The car will be chopped up, and shredded into little pieces. The metals will be sent overseas and find a variety of uses through recycling. One day you may once again see 1235, but perhaps in a medical instrument in a hospital, in a new automobile imported from South Korea, or in new copper wires in a computer.

And some parts of the 1235 will on, preserved at the only museum preserving BART cars. One day later this year, you will be able to see 1235 and bits of many more cars that were decommissioned, alongside 3 complete cars, at the Western Railway Museum.

So long and farewell #1235 and the 658 other legacy cars that rolled their last.

1260 and 1212, alongside a few more dozen legacy cars resting at Hayward Yard after 52 years of revenue service. Taken 4/25/24

A2 car scrappings resumed this month (October), with 4 such examples thus far: 1218, 1233, 1258, 1270.

With some scrapping earlier this year and last year due to crashes, alongside the 1208 of 2020, this leaves 51 A2 cars left (total count was 59 A2 cars).

Built 1973 as A car 218. Rebuilt in 2000 as A2 car 1218.

Only A car with single seats.

Built 1973 as A car 233. Rebuilt in 2002 as A2 car 1233.

Built 1975 as A car 258. Final acceptance on 9/11/1975 (Day 1 + 3 years). Rebuilt in 2002.
Patch below left cab side window.

Built 1975 as A car 270. Rebuilt in May 2001.