BART Delivers Legacy Car to Western Railway Museum

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) has delivered the first of three decommissioned legacy cars to the Western Railway Museum (WRM) for its forthcoming Rapid Transit History Center.

The museum was awarded the three retired cars—an A, B, and C car—following a call for proposals in 2021 that selected eight recipients to receive decommissioned cars. BART officially retired its legacy fleet, which carried passengers for more than 50 years since the opening of the system, at a ceremony and final ride in April 2024. All 55 trains in service are now made up of new cars.

BART donated the cars for free, under the proviso that the museum would transport the cars from their temporary home at BART’s Hayward shops to their final destination. Moving a 64,000-pound BART car requires a flatbed truck with a yellow “OVERSIZE” banner as well as a crane for getting the car off the bed. Moving just one car costs thousands of dollars.

The Western Railway Museum raised money to get the cars to their new temporary home in Car House 3 until its proposed Rapid Transit History Center is completed. In addition to the three cars, which the public will be able to enter and explore, the center will include displays, videos, a set of wheels from the front of a cab car, third rail equipment, and the antennas that enable the train to pick up power and communicate with train control.