The Southern Appalachia Railway Museum hosts "The Secret City Scenic Excursion Train." This event is a train ride through an area of Oak Ridge that aided production in the atomic bomb.
For Christmas, the excursion train is transformed into a Santa train. The train, built in 1947, is decorated with Christmas lights. Santa walks around passing out candy to everyone while David McVicker gives information about the historic area.
The 14-mile train ride takes passengers through the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was used during the Cold War to provide material for the first atomic bomb. K-25 is 1.6 million square feet and was surrounded by a city, in that time, named Happy Valley.
McVicker tells the passengers that K-25 was used as one of the sites for the Manhattan Project. The scientists at K-25 worked on separating the unstable uranium-235 to produce the atomic bomb. This uranium was in the first bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
Because they ran out of uranium, McVicker said, the second bomb dropped on Nagasaki was made of plutonium. The inhabitants of Happy Valley did not know what was happening at K-25.
"The majority of people had no idea what they were doing until the war was over," McVicker said.
On the train, McVicker answers questions from the passengers and shows them diagrams comparing the size of K-25 to Neyland Stadium.
Also, the train provides a commissary car, built in 1926, with hot chocolate, snacks and a variety of gifts. The next themed train ride is the Valentine Dinner Train on February 10 and 17. The cost is $15 for adults and groups of up to 10 people can rent the caboose for $100.
Comments
David McVicker commented, on December 12, 2007 at 6:09 p.m.:
Bridget, I thank you for your interest in the Secret City Excursion Train and hope that you had an enjoyable experience.
I must, however, make a few comments relevant to your article. They are as follows:
o Para. 2 - the coach in which you were riding was built in 1947 and not the entire train.
o Para. 3 - K-25 was used primarily during the Cold War, but did provide some material for the first atomic bomb that was dropped prior to the Cold War. Also, Happy Valley was a community not a city.
o Para. 5 - "Because they ran out of uranium..." is inaccurate. Should have read, because not sufficient enriched uranium was produced for two bombs, plutonium was used in the test bomb, the gadget and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki."
o Para. 6 - the use of the words "no idea what they were doing..." is inaccurate. This should have read, "that the vast majority of the people had no idea of the project's mission until the war was over."
o Para. 8 - should have read, "...a commissary car, built in 1942..." The dining car was built in 1926. The cost of the Valentine Dinner Train, according to the web site www.southernappalachia.railway.museum is $ 60.00, including taxes per person.
Again, I thank you so much for your interest and good luck in your journalism career and certainly, have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Excursion Train, Host David McVicker
e-mail address: davemcv1995@yahoo.com