The Rapid Transit History Center is a project of the non-profit Western Railway Museum in Solano County to preserve an original Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train. Now over 50 years old, BART was a modern marvel when it opened for business in 1972, running many of the same cars they still use today. These cars, now known as the “Legacy Fleet,” are being retired and the Western Railway Museum is the only organization that has been selected to preserve three of these cars.
The museum is envisioned as a series of themed environments constructed around its centerpiece BART train. Visitors will move around the through these cars to experience interactive exhibits describing the history, culture, technology, design, operations, and impact of the BART system. These environments could include re-creations of the iconic settings of the original BART system, such as stations, maintenance shops, the Operations Control Center, and even the Transbay Tube. The concept images here are an attempt to illustrate the full-potential of this museum to explore the history, culture, and technology of the BART system.
These images were produced to support the museum’s fundraising efforts and were unveiled at BART’s 50th Anniversary celebration in September 2022.
BART car models courtesy of Darby Johnston
