Vanderbilt Cup Races

Hi Howard,
Thank you for providing us this opportunity to clean up another part of the Motor Parkway.  Great seeing so many enthusiasts show up to help out.

From The Amazing Clean-Up of the Old Courthouse Road Motor Parkway Bridge

-Identify the location and orientation of the aerial

Mitchel Field. The wide angle, almost 170 degree of view is from about North North East on the left of the photo to South South East on the right side of the photo.

Name the many significant events that occurred at this location
1908,09,10 and 1936,37 Vanderbilt Cup Races

Identify the structure that is being pointed at by the two red arrows

Grandstands for Roosevelt Raceway.

-Identify the train track in the aerial

Tracks can be seen coming directly at the photographer in close up A, and then away from the photographer in close ups F & G. These tracks were a spur for Mitchel off of the Central line in between the first row of houses. 1966 Aerials show some sort of tall silos alongside the spur so one can assume the photographer was on top of them.

-What Long Island Motor Parkway structure was captured in the aerial?

Roosevelt Field highway bridge.

-Can you find the airplane in the aerial?

Parked on the airfield in the center of close up G

-What is the year of the aerial? Provide a rationale.

1937 judging by the Mitchel Field buildings, lack of trees and the grandstands.

-Bonus: Identify the object sticking out of the below brick wall.

I have no clue! A rock?

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: A 1937 Cirkut Photo of Mitchel Field and Roosevelt Raceway Update: 5/27

This is Michell Field Housing, LIRR Spurs and the Roosevelt Raceway in back.  Circa 1950.

From Mystery Foto #21 Solved: A 1937 Cirkut Photo of Mitchel Field and Roosevelt Raceway Update: 5/27

I will be there sometime after 10 after hopefully making an N25.

From Help Clean-Up the Historic Old Courthouse Road Motor Parkway Bridge on Saturday, May 21, 2016

Ok, it!s a normal ordinary Mustang, nothing to compare to yours, for style, a normal every day car,nothing special, that’s the only difference, I,m not knocking it, I like the car, but it’s nothing to talk about compared to yours,as I told you,I had one and loved it,it was my first new car. Maybe I shouldn’t even say this,but I think the midshipman just wanted to have his car with yours,it made him feel honored and proud of himself and car,that’s how I would feel if I could have chance to do that with the same type of car.

From Mustang III Highlights from Newsday's Field of Wheels and the Merchant Marine Academy Car Show

Brings back such good memories!

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

David, great memories of our past. Reading this brought the smell of early mornings and newspapers to my mind. And rushing to get done to explore. I can remember walking the Parkway from Harkness Boy scout camp to New Hyde Park Road. Hope to read more of your memories in the near future . Dad would love to read this story.

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

Howard, just one question, what’s so special about that other Mustang being displayed with yours? Maybe it’s the same year, but not a fastback or sporty looking to compare it to yours, what was there to compare? Thanks for the email reply on that website I sent you. Enjoy the rest of the shows this summer, you might not be getting any comments from me for a while, the big move is coming up, I’ll try to keep up with what’s going on the best I can, so until then enjoy displaying and driving your ONE OF ONES. 
___________________________________________

From Howard Kroplick

Ted, great question. The blue Mustang next to the Mustang III was just purchased by one of the midshipman and was useful to compare the differences between the two automobiles.

From Mustang III Highlights from Newsday's Field of Wheels and the Merchant Marine Academy Car Show

Will we be having lunch in the area? I am bringing extra money in case. I do not know this area at all.I need to know if the parkway is easily accessible from the northbound side of New Hyde Park Road. Must know by 9 PM Friday.
_______________________________________

From Howard Kroplick:

Chris, we will be done by Noon so there is no planned lunch. Best way to enter is through Old Courthouse Road.

From Help Clean-Up the Historic Old Courthouse Road Motor Parkway Bridge on Saturday, May 21, 2016

Very enjoyable, the pictures, the story’s and the comments.  There was nothing better than a bicycle to explore when your 11 or 12 years old!

From New VanderbiltCupRaces.com Series: My Motor Parkway Story #1- Jerry Mintz

Boy does that resemble the Levittown grandstand ‘08-‘10, but the dip in the road and the support beams seem closer here. Could be the Canadian National Expedition, CNE. Got to dig deeper, hopefully

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

From Ariejan Bos:

I assume the above photo is the original of the friday mystery photo.
It is present in the photo collection of the Library of Congress and was a press photo by the Baines News Service. All text is on the photo, so no further comments from me. Only maybe that the number 18 on the mystery photo clearly has been improved at a later stage (we now call this photo shopping!).

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Identify the location of the photo:  Levittown Grandstands
Identify the race and its date: Vanderbilt Cup Race, Oct. 24, 1908
Identify the two race cars and their drivers. Provide a rationale.: George Robertson in the lead (actually #16, Locomobile) followed by Herb Lytle (#6, Isotta).  Why not?

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

That’s the grandstands for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on Oct. 24, 1908.
The car in front is #18 Mercedes driven by Foxhall Keene. The rear car is the #6 Isotta driven by Herb Lytle -has the recognizable fenders.

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Another fun rememberance of the LIMP, Thankyou David & Cassie. With enough of these memoirs, another book can be created about the parkway.

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

Assuming the number 18 is accurate, I think this might be a photo of Foxhall Keane driving the #18 Mercedes past the grandstands on the LIMP in Hempstead Plains (now Levittown) during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 24, 1908. If I’m right so far, then based on the shape of the front fenders, the car in the background could be the #6 Isotta driven by Herb Lytle.

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I had a similar experience with my father when we went under the bridge on Springfield Blvd when returning home from visiting family who had moved to Floral Park.  It continually nagged at me and probably when a bit older began writing for info from the Historical Society which referenced other sources.  Our family then also moved to Floral Park and I began poking around in earnest and around 1960, I took my 8 yr old brother and we walked from Winchester Blvd westward crossing a then under construction Clearview XWay and continued southbound roughly where the road would have run down to the LIE.  Continuing the “search” in later years,  I’ve scoped out (where I could see) some sections and walked others in Bethpage Park and Melville. There’s no explaining to others what holds out interest for so long about this piece of our youth and history.

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

David,  thanks for your recollections.  I get the same kind of excitement when uncovering a new portion or relic of the Parkway, even though its much harder now a days to find some new path or post (but the excitement grows each time).  But also much easier with the internet andGPS technology.  Guess you have to blend the old with the new.  By the way I’ve gotten a number of friends interested enough to hear me talk about the Parkway and give a tour of what remains.  Thanks again!

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

Looking forward to more in the series.  It takes me back to the fifties, when our Boy Scout leader took us on hikes on the motor parkway on the section that was just east of Hicksville Road and north of Hempstead Turnpike.  We reached it from a dead end street in a housing development in that area.

From My Motor Parkway Series #2- David Lamm: Introduction and Chapter One

Looks like the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup race at the Levittown grandstand.
In the forefront is Foxhall Keene’s Mercedes (18), and coming up behind is Herb Lytle in the
Isotta (6).

From The Natural & Mystery Foto #20 Solved:#18 Mercedes and #6 Isotta During the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race