The Western Railway Museum’s BART Legacy Fleet has reached its milestone of the first car available for public inside viewing – C1 car 329 is now available and open to the public during guided Carbarn 3 Tours.
 
Since its arrival at the Museum in October 2024, the car has received a host of TLC. Work on the car includes:

• Upgrading car auxiliary electrical systems to run off Carbarn power (instead of 1000 volt third rail power and the car’s inverter)
• Replacing burnt out light bulbs (exterior trouble light and headlights)
• Replacing graffitied mylar window film with new film
• Replacing selected ads with ads from the 1980s/1990s (when the car first entered service)
• Cleaning the car, including replacing dozens of heavily tagged and etched seats, stained doors, ceilings, and more.
• Modifying doors to prevent visitors from falling out the non-walkway side, and from getting locked out/in from the walkway side.
• Replacing broken parts and currently working on replacing and crafting replacement pieces.

 
However, the car will always be a work in progress, so please understand not everything has been repaired and replaced. The car is cleaner than when it exited service in May 2023, so it’s still worthy of a visit.
 
The car is available under a docent-led tour of Carbarn 3 at the Western Railway Museum. I can’t guarantee there will be a docent available for this tour every day the museum is open. However, please feel free to contact me and I will tell you when I will be at the museum next.
 
Currently, I will be at the museum on June 29th (Sunday).

And of course, I want to cordially thank everyone who has helped out at the museum, especially those that have worked on prepping the cars for delivery and that recent stretch to making them accessible. It has been an excellent example of teamwork and dedication, leveraging many different talents from several people to complete numerous key items, such as crafting custom dollies to deliver the cars, upgraded car electrical systems to ensure decades of reliable performance, and cleaned and repaired the car to ensure the 329 is the finest remaining example of a fully-complete BART C car.
 
In addition, I want to thank the BART employees that have helped the museum preserve these cars, extending an unparalleled level of support in ensuring that the legacy fleet is preserved in full, not just through three cars, but an extensive collection of parts, tools, equipment, signage, and many other things, that help the museum maintain the fleet and capture the overall world that the legacy fleet ran in.

Progress Made and Work Remains with the BART Legacy Fleet preserved at the Western Railway Museum.

Today marks 2 years after the C cars were officially removed from service, as per the 5/15/2023 internal schedule. The final dozen or so cars were removed from revenue service and in the following months were sent to the scrapyard. And of course, one of the final cars, the 329, was preserved.

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, April 7, was the first time I've seen a 4600 in revenue service. Here is a pic of 4604 on a yellow line train, complete with "new car smell" and it's pretty much as new as you can get.

Not to be forgotten, after all this is the BARTchives, was 4001 also seen today on a Yellow Line train, the oldest E car of the fleet.

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.

Work is well underway on the restoration of the legacy fleet at the Western Railway Museum. It's not enough to simply park the cars and call it a day - they must be cleaned and repaired. Of the projects going on inside the car, one is replacing tagged and damaged seat cushions with new-er cushions.

The C car by far had the worst seat condition, and the worst seats have been replaced with spares provided by BART Shops. Here are the tagged seats being removed.

The car has also been cleaned quite a bit. Much progress has been made and more remains.

The BART revenue fleet was designed for a top speed of 80 mph, but the cars have exceeded this speed during various points in history.
 
From time to time, the legacy fleet ran at 83-84 mph under automatic mode during revenue service, typically while going down the grades in the Transbay Tube with smaller wheels (closer to 28 inches as compared to the 30 inch new wheel diameter).
 
Even bolder records were under manual control with the governor jumpered allowing the car to reach whatever speed the motors would take it. These were often done with only a single car, and of course done outside of revenue service.

Early 1970s:
There are rumors of a BART train reaching speeds of up to 110 mph, or more, before the motors blew out, during the early 1970s. Unfortunately, the details of this early 1970s test are likely lost to time, but the test, if it occurred, would have likely happened on the A line, around Hayward or Fremont.

Hayward Test Track
Additionally, old timers remarked that a car, ungoverned, once reached 120 mph on the Hayward Test Track. Another Train Operator notes his record on the test track as 93 mph with a single car.
 
With this in mind, the BART car was almost certainly the fastest urban rapid transit vehicle in the United States, beating the confirmed 87.75 mph record of the New York City Subway’s R-44 cars by a country mile.
 

Today, October 4, 2024, C1 car 329 arrived at its final home of the Western Railway Museum. It is the last C car to leave BART property and the only C car to be preserved in complete condition.

The car was selected by BART, among the final C1 cars left in service in May 2023. The 329 was considered the car in the best condition for preservation. The 329 must have known that too, since it was always auxed on during WRM inspections and even moved to the shop under its own power and even had a little bit of battery power upon arrival at WRM.

Only a few things were removed for transportation to the Museum, the largest being an air tank mounted below the cab, and the pilots mounted on the truck. They have all since been reinstalled, and it is a complete car. I did get a fair bit of dirt helping to reinstall that air tank under the car.

It’s been some time since I’ve been around a C car. Since its arrival, it has been a great opportunity to remember all the differences as compared to the Rohr A/B cars, including the carbody welds. It is a sort of work of art. On the other hand, those flipper doors will probably be a forever issue, even at WRM.

WRM is working with BART and even PBM members to facilitate car lighting and other functions. The cars will be a pride of the WRM fleet, if they aren’t already. Please be patient, the fellows working on this at WRM are all volunteers. I can only be at one place at one time, but rest assured the cars will soon be the best ever static display of the BART system.

Regardless, the best C car has been preserved. The Westinghouse chopper control system, the Westinghouse 1463 BA traction motors, and even an authentic Alstom BART car, have all been preserved through the 329. All of this is due to a great cooperation between BART and the Western Railway Museum, of which includes many dedicated BART retirees.