41ParPac,

I believe that there were about 1,500 people working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos during its peak activity. This would include military personnel too. I'll check on this and get back if it is different.

Incidentally, Trinity was the name given to the first test in July, 1945 because of it was conducted at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo.

I was a young lad during this time (born in 1940). I remember the first dealership location (114 West Palace Avenue) which was on the corner of Palace and Borro Alley. Borro Alley was a narrow street, but was used as a main thoroughfare through Santa Fe for traffic going north. Much of the supplies for Los Alamos were shipped into Santa Fe on a spur railroad track from the AT&SF main line at Lamy to the Bruns Army Hospital site. There they were unloaded onto trucks and driven up to Los Alamos through Santa Fe. I remember him saying one time after a caravan of trucks had just passed: "...there goes some more stuff for the submarine factory on the hill."

I don't know about the vehicles used, but don't think there were more than two or three of these stretched limousines.

There is another book that I have just started. It is "The Manhattan Project" edited by Cynthis Kelly. It is a collection of article and excerpts from books that tell the story of developing the atomic bombs from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. Kelly is the president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Enough of this, back to Packards.

Turbopackman, was the "Boyle" Miller race car owned by the same person who sponsored Wilbur Shaw and the Maseratti GP car he raced and won at Indianapolis? Just curious.

Guscha, I think the entertainment value of this engine poll has far exceeded anything I expected. I enjoy posting these generally stated topics and watching the replies roll in. Some people actually take this stuff seriously. Now, where is my rake and hoe?

Dave, I enjoyed very much the articles by Dale Adams on rebuilding the Packard V-12 engine. The guy is a genius. His thorough approach to the process is as good as anyone I have ever heard of. He is knowledgeable, skilled, experienced, and highly innovative. I think anyone who has work done by him is in the best of hands. Those flanged bearings are like jewelery, and probably as expensive as some of the finest. And, oh yes, he can write too.

There was one area that I wished he would have covered. That is the refinishing of the cylinder walls. I take it from his article that they were probably honed and did not need reboring. I would have been helpful if he had talked about the odd cylinder block angle and the special tooling and method to rebore the V-12's cylinders. Also, the shape of the combustion chambers as a unique design feature of the 12s. Never the less, the articles are keepers.

Thanks for pointing us to the site. Great stuff.

Asparagus, the chart you are referring to is the result of voting by site members. Kevin set up the voting place so all members could vote for their preference. If you feel the V-12 is the most reliable Packard engine, then you are encouraged to vote for it. Members are not required to justify their votes, just check the box next to the engine for which they are voting.

Dave, this is reassuring. I have donated to the proving grounds. My brothers and I bought an Elm tree in my father's memory, and I have individually contributed.

DanL, I worked at Los Alamos for 18 years, the Lawrence (no relation) Berkeley Lab for 1 1/2 years, and the Lawrence Livermore Lab for 8 years. I was able to work at all of the Univ. of Calif. Nat'l Labs before retiring in 2000. I had friends at Sandia-Albuquerque, but none at the Livermore site.

Dave, Sad news, thanks for sharing. Is there any wat to prevent all the material he collected from being destroyed? Surely, there must be a way go keep the collection intact.

For those who are interested in the 1942 Clipper Limousine, here is a book recommendation: "109 East Palace" by Jennet Conant. It is the story of Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project days as seen mostly through the eyes of Dorothy McKibbon. Dorothy managed the University of California office in Santa Fe, and was responsible for processing the civilian personnel who were going to Los Alamos. Most people coming to Los Alamos did so by train. They would disembark from the train in Lamy and be driven to Santa Fe for processing, and then up to "The Hill". It tells the Los Alamos story in a people oriented approach as opposed to previous tellings that tended to focus on the technical side. The mother of a neighborhood friend worked for Dorothy. My father's Packard dealerships were also on Palace Avenue (114 and 110 West Palace). I did not post it on the Packard Bookshelf because it is not a Packard book, but it does tie in nicely to the recent discussions on the Limousine. Enjoy.

The most I have on it is a photo. My Salado photos are in the Recent Photos section.