White Train
Encyclopedia
During the height of the Cold War
, the White Train worked out of the Pantex
plant in the Texas panhandle
. This train moved nuclear weapons from the plant where they were constructed to numerous sites to support the US
nuclear program. From 1951 to 1987 The Department of Energy’s
Office of Secure Transportation
(OST) used the train to move the weapons by rail. http://www.mbe.doe.gov/me70/history/August06.pdf The train became the focus for peace and anti-nuclear
weapon activism in the west.http://no-nukes.org/nukewatch/sp00samday.html While the train's color was changed numerous times to avoid notice, it continued to be referred to by its original color. After the last attempt to prosecute protesters who blocked the passage of the train failed, the Department of Energy began instead to move nuclear weapons by truck without public notice.http://www.gzcenter.org/newsletters/october_1998/page5.html
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the White Train worked out of the Pantex
Pantex
The Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre site 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, in Carson County,...
plant in the Texas panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. This train moved nuclear weapons from the plant where they were constructed to numerous sites to support the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nuclear program. From 1951 to 1987 The Department of Energy’s
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
Office of Secure Transportation
Office of Secure Transportation
The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Secure Transportation provides safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear materials, and conducts other missions supporting the national security of the United States of...
(OST) used the train to move the weapons by rail. http://www.mbe.doe.gov/me70/history/August06.pdf The train became the focus for peace and anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
weapon activism in the west.http://no-nukes.org/nukewatch/sp00samday.html While the train's color was changed numerous times to avoid notice, it continued to be referred to by its original color. After the last attempt to prosecute protesters who blocked the passage of the train failed, the Department of Energy began instead to move nuclear weapons by truck without public notice.http://www.gzcenter.org/newsletters/october_1998/page5.html