The B Reactor tour is full of interesting facts.
When the first batch of enriched plutonium was ready to be transported from Washington’s Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the person in charge placed it in a small container and personally took it on the passenger train from Pasco to Portland before continuing on to New Mexico. This happened in early February 1945 and the enriched plutonium was later used in the first atomic bomb test that year at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, after components were assembled at Los Alamos.
According to Russel Fabre, who manages the B Reactor tours, this was the safest and most discreet way to transport the plutonium at the time. He explains that there was very little risk of contamination unless the plutonium came into contact with oxygen and became airborne, potentially causing harm if inhaled.
Fabre works for Mission Support Alliance, a contractor for the Department of Energy that runs B Reactor tours. The reactor was decommissioned in 1968 but has since become a popular site for visitors interested in learning about what took place at Hanford.
Fabre emphasizes that Col. Franklin T. Mathias made sure to prevent any exposure of the plutonium to air during transport. As chief engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in charge of constructing Hanford, Mathias even traveled on the train carrying the plutonium with only one companion and no security detail. Keeping things inconspicuous was key to ensuring safety, according to Fabre.
During World War II, the production of plutonium at Hanford was kept top secret until President Harry Truman revealed it to the world after two bombs were dropped on Japan. As production increased during the Cold War, special rail cars were developed for secure transportation of plutonium from enrichment facilities to bomb assembly sites.
B Reactor tours are available during the summer months until mid-September and can be reserved free of charge, although availability is limited. It is recommended to book early if planning to visit the area and include a B Reactor tour in the itinerary.
