I just read that WMATA will be retiring its series 1000 cars in the next few years. These were the original Metro cars build by Rohr between 1973-1976. What do you think about these cars going to a rail museum?
In the next few years you'll have other first generation cars being retired? Will the Western Railway Museum add a BART car to their collection? Regauge it and place it next to a Key System car?
Well if the Orange Empire Railway Museum can boast of having three active gauges (3', 3'6" and 4'8.5"), then it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for the Rio Vista Junction folks to support two gauges.
Installing the third rail might be kind of exciting...
- Erik
P.S. I first rode BART the day they opened the Richmond line - January 29, 1973 - shudder to think that's almost 40 years ago...
They're not going to be retired. They say they're going to be retired.
But.
There's not enough cars for the system in the first place. The 7000 series is going to be on Silver line usage only, so there's no slack in the fleet to retire any cars. Maybe when the 8000s come around in...hell 2025.
Then all the 1000s should be gleefully shredded and the scraps dumped into the ocean. After that, they can be systematically erased from all records and photographs, like Stalin did to his enemies.
The 7000-series cars on the Silver line will serve a substantial length of the Orange Line. I would think that would contribute to the slack in the fleet.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.