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Radio Shack Selling Subway Cars on eBay

David Cantrell writes "The Radio Shack Corporation (formerly the Tandy Corporation) headquarters in Fort Worth, TX was one of the only companies in the world to have its own private subway system. Its main purpose in life was to move employees from their parked cars to the office building. About a year or so ago, Radio Shack decided the subway system was no longer needed and they shut it down permanently. Well, they are now selling the subway cars on eBay. For $5000US, you can get your very own Radio Shack Subway Car. Rails sold separately. Click for the eBay auction page."

28 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. If I bid ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are they going to insist I give them my phone number and try to sell me batteries with it?

  2. Must be a fake by lovebyte · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am sorry to say that these so-called subway cars are fake. They are clean, with no graffiti. That is simply impossible.

    --

    I'll do it for cheesy poofs.

  3. Awww by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 4, Funny

    Shipping Will not ship.

    What kind of service is this?

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    1. Re:Awww by capnjack41 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Complaint: payed for subway, seller WOUDL NOT SHIP!!!1 F---- DO NOY BUY FROM

  4. Do I by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Funny

    Need to order about 25000 AA bateries to power one of these babies ??

    Also does anyone know where I can get a good repetive recording of 'Mind the gap' so my dream to replicate a london subway station can finally become a reality.

    --
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  5. Subway care house by Captain_Frisk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always thought it would be a cool project to convert a bunch of subway cars into a liveable house. I especially think it would look pretty snazzy in the middle of one of those pre-planned developments, with all the houses that look alike, and your subway car network right next to them.

    $5,000 seems like a reasonable price for such a thing. Assuming you'd need between 5 and 10 cars, thats not so expensive for building your own house.

    However, the logistics involved in transporting a 40,000 lb subway car would probably make such a project impossible.

    1. Re:Subway care house by Timesprout · · Score: 5, Funny

      However, the logistics involved in transporting a 40,000 lb subway car would probably make such a project impossible.

      I think your neighbours would probably make it even more impossible by killing you as soon as they found out what your intentions would to do to their property valuations

      --
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    2. Re:Subway care house by infinite9 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think your neighbours would probably make it even more impossible by killing you as soon as they found out what your intentions would to do to their property valuations.

      My wife and I got swatted by our home owner's association for... (insert drum roll).. Parking in our driveway. It seems we're required to park in our garage unless the vehicle won't fit. Since then we've been looking for creative ways to piss off our neighbors while still following the rules. I have a rusty '91 van that I parked directly in front of the main offender's house in one of the approved parking spaces. Now they see it when they look our their window. I could get this train car and park it in my driveway. I'm certain that it won't fit in my garage.

      --
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  6. Didn't just drop the semiconductor line by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    They've obviously dropped their full-sized conductor line, too!

    (ducks and hides!) :-)

  7. Is this the one? by Bartmoss · · Score: 5, Informative

    I never heard of such a thing. I think this is the subway in question. Some pictures and a movie on that site. Pretty cool, but then again, nobody has yet bid on ebay which should tell ya something :)

    1. Re:Is this the one? by mattsucks · · Score: 4, Informative

      [IAAFWR: I Am A Ft Worth Resident]

      The "subway" was hella-convenient getting into downtown at crowded times, hot or cold. It was free, it ran right into the heart of downtown, and the only two stops it made were in the basement of the Tandy Center building and in the remote parking lot. Seems like I recall it (the subway) held the record for the shortest subway line in the world when it was active. I doubt it was even a mile long, but sometimes that could be the longest mile.

      Lots of Ft Worth residents were sad to see it go. Progress, schmogress.

  8. Half-Life by termos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Radio Shack Corporation? This is not the secret name of Black Mesa is it?!

    --
    Note to self: get smarter troll to guard door.
  9. Go to work or kill yourself by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like the nooses convienently placed above each seat, so if you have a sudden bout of realization that you work for Radio Shack, you can quickly put yourself out of your misery. That's a work-perk!

    1. Re:Go to work or kill yourself by the-dude-man · · Score: 5, Funny

      i hear microsoft uses a similar system....except its more like "Go to work, go home, or kill yourself....but if we catch you using linux...we will make the choice for you

  10. Don't waste your money by barbazoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...on crappy old two-rail carts! Buy Monorail! "Well, sir, there's nothing on earth Like a genuine, Bona fide, Electrified, Six-car Monorail!"

  11. Awwww. by IPFreely · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I used to ride that subway. The city library is right next to Tandy Towers. I'd park out in the extended lots and ride the Tandy subway into the library.
    Hate to see it go, but Fort Worth has grown up a lot in the last fifteen years. I guess they have better arrangements now. Anyone been there recently?

    --
    There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.
  12. Urban Infiltration by Schezar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Can you say "Urban Infiltration?" Methinks I have a new target.

    For those of you who are unfamiliar, it's sort of a game: exploring places people are no longer meant to be. Old subways, abandoned factories, campus steam tunnels, etc.. Lots of fun, and certainly more exciting than.. say.. reading slashdot!

    A few links:
    Infiltration.org
    Zone Tour

    --
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  13. Hey Vanessa! Check out this Subway car! by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Howie, what are you doing in my house, and what are you staring at?

  14. Sure, it's 5k for the subway car... by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny
    but 29,959 for the adapter, battery pack, and cleaning kit.

    It's their loss leader! Don't be fooled!

  15. for the urban explorers by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's a link I just turned up with a quick google search that has some pics and information about the subway itself. These will be nice tunnels to explore in a few years.

    http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/FtWorth/

    --
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  16. Fond memories... by Ranger96 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I grew up riding the Tandy Center Subway (as it was called then). My dad and I would drive in to Fort Worth on Saturdays from the small suburb where we lived, and ride the subway into Tandy Center to go to the Fort Worth library. The main floor of the library was underground, and had an entrace from the Tandy Center mall.

    Tandy Center also had a pretty good arcade at the time (at least, by Fort Worth standards).

    Ranger96

    --
    What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.-Ecclesiastes 1:9
  17. Re:Love "Shack"? by chmod000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Comes from a time when all the technology was banished into a separate structure, as in "transmitter shack", "ham shack" (amateur radio), and so forth. Sometimes it was a literal shack, since technology in every age attracts the geeks and repels the Martha Stewarts.

    --
    Aptal soru yoktur; sadece merakli aptallar vardir.
  18. Re: quantum subway cars by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... was one of the only ... </quote>

    Not to be a grammar nazi, but it was either the only or one of the few. It can't be in both states at once, unless subway cars are now in a state of quantum superposition, which, given their size, is doubtful.

  19. Not sure who will want this by robo45h · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you read the eBay ad carefully -- and know a little about trains and streetcars -- it turns out this was more of a "subway surface streetcar" line than a pure subway. The car itself did not start out life as a subway car; it was an old "PCC" streetcar. Tandy remodeled it extensively in the '70s, basically bringing it down to the bare frame. Thus, any Trolly Museum that would be looking for a PCC will not get much by buying this other than a few spare parts and a frame. Perhaps some museum would want it as a novelty. If you want a good place to see some authentic PCC streetcars still in active service, visit San Francisco -- they purchased a bunch from Philadelphia for tourist attraction.

  20. Re:Love "Shack"? by zulux · · Score: 4, Informative

    I never understood how the word "Shack" was supposed to convey competence with technology.

    When radio's were added to ships early in the last century - they were usually in little 'shacks' on the main deck for several reasons: Better antenna reception, and so the operator could see - to orient the antenna properly, and more importantly, to show-off to the paying passengers that the ship had a 'wireless' on board.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  21. Re:Just sparked a weird fantasy... by op00to · · Score: 4, Informative

    Transportation planners thought of this -- mainly in California. They call it "Personal Rapid Transit", and it takes all of the bad aspects of cars (traffic jams, wasted space, etc) and combines it with all the bad aspects of light rail (limited infrastructure, expensive) -- I am by no means advocating using a car, but personal rapid transit is a bad idea. It's much more cost effective to use larger cars and have established routes. The technology is there, and some towns even have trolley tracks buried underneath 2 feet of concrete, but it is just so wasteful and the benefits gained by having PRT (being able to go where you want to go, when you want to go there) can be found in light rail if a lot of time and planning goes into picking where stops go.

  22. Thank you for purchasing our subway car by DarKrow · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can I interest you in a RadioShack Service Plan? It will protect your subway car for up to three years! No? Well, I can save you $400 dollars on your purchase, if you're so inclined. All we ask is that you sign up for three years of MSN Internet...

    No? Well, would you be interested in a cell pho... yes, I see you have one. How do you like the service. Just fine, huh? Well, we've got some great deals on cellular phones and...

    Sir! Sir! You left your subway car!

    (I used to work at RadioShack. Ick.)

    --

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  23. This is rather depressing by looseBits · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My father used to work for Tandy at that office in the early 80's as a system programmer on the Tandem until he had a stroke. I remember riding those subways to his office when I was a little kid and he would show me around the data processing center. We also used to go ice skating at the Tandy Center and my sister and I would love riding on those little subways. For me, this is an era gone by.

    Now I am a programmer myself and it gives me a great deal of pride to be a chip off the old block.

    --
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