Passenger Trains > Farewell to Breda LRVs in the City November 12

After nearly 30 years of service, San Francisco Muni’s Breda light rail vehicles are retiring from the streets they helped shape. Join for one last ride — and raise a toast to the end of an era.  More details can be found in the following link:

https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/bye-bye-breda-final-ride-farewell-toast

 

We used to have Breda articulated dual-mode buses at Metro Transit in Seattle, acquired for the then-new downtown Seattle transit tunnel.  They were both overweight and overdesigned. I understand the overweight problem was  partially solved with smaller diesel engines that tended to wear out quickly because they were overworked, and being overdesigned those buses were a lifelong maintenence headache.  About 50 of them were eventually converted to straight trolleys, solving the overweight problem with the removal of the engines.  All of them were retired some time ago.

Can't believe they are being retired.  As someone said on another forum, I think of those as the "new" Muni cars.  I was able to ride the Boeing LRVs before they were fully replaced by the Bredas when started my career in The City.  Even used the Bredas on a business trips after moving away, one time it was with a group of coleagues and we won our "race" back to the office after an offsite.  Wish I could make it back for this little event, haven't been "home" in way too long.

With the original BART cars being retired and now the Bredas, guess I'm officially old - as my kids like to remind me!  But, because of them (which is a good thing), I won't be able to retire after almost 30 years of work.  I have a ways to go still.  ;)

Nathan

Old?  I remember riding the only BART operation to Fremont whenever that was.  Then the early trips with the Boeings.  I've been gone from the City for 45 years,  still miss it.

Well, my oldest once told me I’m so old because I was born in the 1900’s! He was pretty proud of himself when he came up with that one years ago.

I moved away almost 20 years ago and still miss it, and still call it “home”.

Nathan

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