Most of these towns would not be here if it was not for the coming of the railroad. The thing was, we realized real quick that the railroads were evolving and changing. We were seeing new locomotives coming on. We were seeing so many changes. We said we need to preserve some of that before it disappears. We incorporated the Amarillo Railroad Museum with that goal to preserve it. We bought this property here in the northeast part of amarillo, and it already at the Railroad Track on it. We have been keeping our eyes open for opportunities to acquire certain pieces of rolling stock. We were fortunate to get the cars from the formerly called white train, which was used for transporting Nuclear Weapons. At least here, we can display them so people can see these things that they would not be able to see anywhere else. Write here, this row of cars i have set up kind of in the way the white train used to operate. On the end is the escort coach with the raised car facing the cargo. Then next to it is what is called a buffer car. The deal is by law, people cannot ride into a car adjacent to explosives. That red car, the third car from the end, that is the sole surviving of the armor plated cargo cars. Around 1980, they modified the train for protecting the Nuclear Weapons. That is the sole survivor. Now we are in the coppola of the escort coach. It is an elevated area. You can see we have bullet resistant glass around us. This is the security perch of where the couriers would be at all times. There would be at least two watching at all times to make sure that there were not intruders trying to get on the train while they were hauled Nuclear Weapons throughout the complex. In case that there would be any difficulties with anybody trying to get on the train, there are these gun portals here. They are blocked off right now. The couriers could use those if they needed to. Pantex today is the primary assembly and disassembly facility for Nuclear Weapons in the United States. The story of pantex begins in 1941 when the japanese attacked pearl harbor. That really launched the United States into world war ii. Prior to that, we had many lend lease programs with our future allies. Pantex is the primary plant to build 155millimeter howitzer shells. 250 pound bombs and 500 pound bombs. We built conventional weapons during world war ii. Amarillo makes a great location to build one of these facilities. Where pantex exists is no accident. Where it exists is because of the railroad. The railroad is hugely important for transporting goods during world war ii. It is the most reliable means of transportation. Remember, in 1942, we dont have a national highway system. There is no easy way to move goods through the United States reliably like that, so the railroad becomes the means of transportation. One of the first things they do when they select the land is they lay spurs off of the Main Railroad line so they can direct those to the load bars. They are able to build pantex so quickly because they bring those materials from the railroad to where they are building. They lay down spurs and it goes right to where they are putting the load lines. They bring in the metal shells and any of the explosive materials via the railroad, as well. Amarillo, because we are a railroad center, it is a great place to build pantex. As well as the Amarillo Army airport. That was set in 1941. That is constructed in 1941. Close wherely the amarillo airport is today. Amarillo is an army , they are able to share a guard force and cross train, so it is pretty efficient. Amarillo had a decent sized population. You are going to need workers. Pantex at the height of our employment in 1943, we had over 5000 employees. All of those people need a place to live. Amarillo being so close provided that. Lots of Housing Options for people to live so that pantex could have the size of workforce it needed. To complete our world war ii mission. Pantex throughout the cold war has a remarkably consistent mission. Our mission was to build and dismantle Nuclear Weapons. Weve become since 1975 the primary Nuclear Weapons assembly and disassembly site in the United States. The next mission shift for us is in 1991 when the first president bush gives his speech on unilateral dismantlement. The United States would take it upon itself to start dismantling some of its Nuclear Weapons stockpile. We now have an unparalleled opportunity to change the Nuclear Posture of both the United States and the soviet union. If we and the soviet leaders take the right steps, some on our own, some on their own, some together, we can dramatically shrink the arsenal of Nuclear Weapons. We can more effectively discourage the spread of Nuclear Weapons. You can rely more on defensive measures in our strategic relationship. We can enhance stability and risk of reduce the nuclear war. Now is the time to seize this opportunity. Katie the soviet union was sort of coming to an end when president bush gives this speech. The soviet union still exists, but it is a few months later, and then the soviet union falls. We remained pretty constant throughout the cold war and once the cold war is over, we start to shift to dismantlement. Pantex still has a vital function of dismantling our Nuclear Weapons stockpiles and figuring out how to dispose of certain materials within a nuclear weapon. Furthermore, today, we are focused on life Extension Programs so we ensure that we have a safe, reliable stockpile for the future. For the United States to be a credible nuclear deterrent. When we started building Nuclear Weapons back in the 1950s, we did not have a highway system. There was not a highway system on this country, so most everything and everyone traveled more by train, by rail than by highway. In the meantime, to move the goods, these railcars were specially designed by Sandia National laboratories carrying Nuclear Weapons safely. Our cities tour staff recently traveled to amarillo, texas, to learn about its rich history. To watch more video from amarillo and other stops on our tour, visit cspan. Org citiestour. You are watching American History tv, all weekend every weekend on cspan three. Sunday night at 9 00 eastern pulitzerards, prizewinning journalist Nicholas Kristof and sheryl would on report on the issues facing the working class in Rural America in their book tight rope. There interviewed by jeff merkley. These people, in the small towns around america, the rural areas, people are walking on a tight rope. One miss in the fall. In the last 50 years, we have vastly overdone it. We have become obsessed with this personal responsibility narrative blaming the people who fall off of the tight rope for the catastrophes that follow. Watch afterwards sunday night on book tv on cspan2. Next on lectures in history, university of North Carolina at chapel hill Professor William sturkey taught a class about expanding rights in the 1960s and 70s. Looking at womens liberation and the gay rights movement. He covered topics such as birth control, the equal rights amendment and the stonewall riots
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