Archival Footage of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System Under Construction in the 1960s

“To Build a Dream” by Carol Levene is short archival film that details the construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail system. The film also included the 1964 celebratory groundbreaking ceremony in Concord, California where President Lyndon B. Johnson was on hand to give opening remarks.

The ceremony celebrated the start of construction on the 4.5 mile Diablo Test Track that would eventually become part of the Yellow line. The test track was a lab for research. Every component of the system was tested there: laying track, power sources, the train propulsion system and more.

BART model
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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