Happy New Year. BART brings in 2024 with a mainline derailment.

A yellow line train crossing the C25 interlocking (between Orinda and Lafayette) derailed today, resulting in a fire and evacuation. E Car 4311 derailed fouling both C1 and C2 tracks.

BART calls this a "partial derailment"

Today, 12/26, we look at car 1226.

Originally built by Rohr as A car 226, delivered to BART on 4/19/1973, entered service around October 1973. Rebuilt into A2 car 1226 by ADtranz in 2002, and scrapped in late October 2023.

Twelve Twenty-five at South Hayward, July 2019.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the bartchives.

A car 164 was just over a year old when a photographer snapped a series of images, including this one, of it at the rear of a Daly City to Montgomery (shuttle) train, in June 1974. 

After the doors close, the train will depart Montgomery and turn back at the unfinished shell of Embarcadero station, and return to Daly City station. 

The shuttle service lasted until the opening of the Transbay Tube in September 1974, and 164 would have an eventful career spanning over a half century.

The 164 was delivered to BART in January 1973 and was cleared for service in April 1973. It was noted as serving as the test car, equipped with various modifications throughout the years, designed to increase the reliability of the new cars.

The 164, and later rebuilt as the 1164, would later last 50 years in service. The 1164 will soon have final and fitting home, at the Western Railway Museum, next year.

This is the latest slide to be added to my collection, which the slide notes the photographer as "Traction Slides Int'l".

B2 cars 1501 and 1774 were once B cars 501 and 774, respectively, the first and last B cars (originally built as B cars).

Most fittingly, the two cars wound up coupled together last week. Old 1501 is the oldest car on the railroad, originally built in 1970, and the 1774 is 5 years younger.

A new addition to my collection - BART's first 5 car train - composed of 5 prototype A and B cars, at Union City track 1. Taken in December 1970 or sometime in 1971.

Rohr Industries, Inc. Picture, 710828-3

The 1210 reached its end of line a couple weeks ago – the final chapter for a BART car with 50 years of service. It was originally built by Rohr as A car 210 back in 1973, delivered to BART on 3/26/1973, and rebuilt by Adtranz in 2001. As A2 car 1210 it rolled in service until 2023. Since about 2012, the 1210 had a damaged cab – a dark mark towards the bottom center of the fiberglass “pod” indicated such damage.

Here is an exclusive look at the final moments of the 1210, given by special permission.

Cars arrive at the scrapyard on a truck, and then offloaded using a grabber and a wheel loader with forks. It is a sight to be hold - a 40,000 lb BART car lifted up using those two machines.

Inside of the car after being set down.

I am a historian at heart, and these cars were rolling museums not too long ago - that is what got me into all this stuff years ago. Of the 59 A2 cars, the 1210 stood out due to its damaged nose - a hole/patch in its fiberglass cab, towards the bottom center.

Traditionally, BART has often used the A car nose as a "face" in marketing materials, with the windshield serving as the "eye" - taking advantage of this hole, plus the remains of some type of repair forming a weak "w" pattern, I noted this car as having a "mustache".

As a final farewell, for 50 years of service and a little unique damage, I made a little drawing in the cab marking the end. (Note, I do not sharpie any transit vehicles outside these in the scrapyard. I ain't a tagger.)

Once we were done, the all clear was given and the car was chopped up minutes later.

A sad, but important end to 1210. Parked next to it is 1545.

The metals will be recycled and reused, somewhere in the world. Perhaps one day, I'll come across something new, that was made out of said metal from old 1210.