![]() ![]() The Tower was added to the Historic American Engineering Record at the Library of Congress in 1992. Santa Fe Tower 19, a keystone piece in the Museum’s collection, has been preserved through DART’s commitment to saving the region’s railroad history. The structure was displaced due to Red Line construction in the 1990s. The Museum has enjoyed a long relationship with DART, having hosted Transit Education programs during its years in Dallas, as well as technology presentations at Frisco’s Mindbender Academy. We are grateful to DART for this outstanding addition to the Museum’s collection. Their sensitivity to the history and technology represented by RDC #2001 and its service in North Texas will be enjoyed by generations to come. Its role as a museum piece ensures its preservation and access by thousands each year. The RDCs provided DART and its partner Trinity Metro a quick and economical way to get up and running on the TRE line through remanufacturing existing equipment. They served the line well for nearly two decades, but increased ridership demand called for more capacity and standardization of equipment. Their retirement followed acquisition of conventional locomotive-hauled high capacity bi-level coaches operating in push-pull fashion. Twelve of the thirteen retired units were sold to other commuter authorities, while #2001 awaited disposition. The decision to donate it to the Museum came earlier this year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! In 1993, it was withdrawn from service by VIA and sold to DART along with 12 running mates. In 1995, the 13 RDCs were completely remanufactured by GEC Alsthom Transport of Montreal, with final assembly in Dallas. The work took 20 months and included new drive trains, wiring, air conditioning, and interiors. Total cost per unit was $1.8 million. ![]()
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