Calgary's First C-Train is Retired & Stripped for Parts

[Hack&Lube]

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...lion-km-career



The very first C-Train car that arrived in Calgary in 1980 is being stripped down and decommissioned. The first official driver was Ralph Klein. It's travelled over 2.6M KM and served millions of passengers and is probably one of the most common shared experiences everybody who has ever lived in Calgary over the last 36 years has had. I can still see the dimpled orange floors and feel the brown 80s style seat stitching in my mind.

Why isn't this car being put into a museum or something? It's unfortunate that the city just strips it for parts and recycles the metal.

[Bill Bumface]

The guy in Sandon should be all over this:

[Hack&Lube]

I would cut it in half, restore the front part to 1981 configuration so people can walk through it, and put it in City Hall. There's so much space in that atrium anyway.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Why isn't this car being put into a museum or something? It's unfortunate that the city just strips it for parts and recycles the metal.

Glad I'm not the only one that feels this way, that was my first thought too.

[burn_this_city]

It served well over 2.5M passengers, it traveled 2.6M km..

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I would cut it in half, restore the front part to 1981 configuration so people can walk through it, and put it in City Hall. There's so much space in that atrium anyway.

Theres no winning this.

If they strip it down for parts people want it preserved for posterity, if they dont people scream about the wastefulness.

I'd personally have preserved it, how valuable can parts from 1981 possibly be anyways?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

It served well over 2.5M passengers, it traveled 2.6M km..

Thanks, mis-read it at first. It says too many passengers to count.

[MRCboicgy]

You just knew exactly what you were getting when you saw it pull up. Probably was the only car number I recognized.

[calgaryblood]

Put a C-train in a museum? Uh why? Am I missing something? What's the significance of the first C-train in Calgary?

I can't imagine someone walking through a museum and being fascinated by seeing a C-train.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Put a C-train in a museum? Uh why? Am I missing something? What's the significance of the first C-train in Calgary?

I can't imagine someone walking through a museum and being fascinated by seeing a C-train.

It's a neat bit of civic history. Complex concept for certain.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

You just knew exactly what you were getting when you saw it pull up. Probably was the only car number I recognized.

Oh yeah, when the ol' 2001 pulled up you just hoped it only faintly reeked of vomit, the stale vomit smell being preferable to fresh and infinitely preferred to 'immediate.'

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Put a C-train in a museum? Uh why? Am I missing something? What's the significance of the first C-train in Calgary?

I can't imagine someone walking through a museum and being fascinated by seeing a C-train.

Wrong.

Double wrong in due time when all of these first generations go out of service. It's a neat bit of Calgary's history, certainly the first one doesn't need to be stripped for parts.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Put a C-train in a museum? Uh why? Am I missing something? What's the significance of the first C-train in Calgary?

I can't imagine someone walking through a museum and being fascinated by seeing a C-train.

I don't know, we have museums with all sorts of trolley's and old timey buses that attract attention. Maybe not now, but 50 years from now, could have some appeal.

[Northendzone]

I'd assume that it may be hard to get some parts for c-trains of this vintage (35 yrs old)

Originally Posted by Locke

I'd personally have preserved it, how valuable can parts from 1981 possibly be anyways?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

I don't know, we have museums with all sorts of trolley's and old timey buses that attract attention. Maybe not now, but 50 years from now, could have some appeal.

I agree, I mean, as of today that thing is 35 years old. Its kind of interesting to think of all the mechanics that worked to get it going and all of the batcrap insanity that took place on that train.

Its really cool. That train is older than I am. The kind of things that thing has seen. If that train car could talk....well...that would likely be a scream of horror emanating from the remains of a heavily fragmented mind...like something out of a horror movie, but still! Neat!

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Put a C-train in a museum? Uh why? Am I missing something? What's the significance of the first C-train in Calgary?

I can't imagine someone walking through a museum and being fascinated by seeing a C-train.

The roundhouse at Heritage park is my favorite part. Old trains are awesome. This is already decently old, and one day it will be really old.

[ricosuave]

They could make a museum with it and the hidden corridor under city hall.

[Bigtime]

Strip the parts that have use and are not visible for a display piece. Agree with everyone else that thinks it definitely has a historical value and one that will only increase as more years go by. Such a young city as ours should make a point of keeping pieces of our history.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Strip the parts that have use and are not visible for a display piece. Agree with everyone else that thinks it definitely has a historical value and one that will only increase as more years go by. Such a young city as ours should make a point of keeping pieces of our history.

Agreed, I would wager that anyone here who has ever regularly taken the C-Train has been in that car. I know I have.

Whether its to school, work or hockey games, I damned near guarantee you've ridden in that car.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Locke

Agreed, I would wager that anyone here who has ever regularly taken the C-Train has been in that car. I know I have.

Whether its to school, work or hockey games, I damned near guarantee you've ridden in that car.

Ridden in it? Damn think so old the majority of us have had atleast two urine soaked racist encounters. Obviously more if you're a visible minority.