Vanderbilt Cup Races

Nice job by all !

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

ALCO? Was American Locomotive Company building cars in that era?

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: Harry Grant Preparing the Alco for the 1911 Elgin National Trophy Race

From Jon Ruvio:

Once again I would like to thank you and your team for coming to our show. You and your crew were so nice to the kids at the school, it really made it a super special day.

Like I mentioned if there is ever a time where we can help you out, please let us know. ( I saw on the blog that you had the clean up at the Motor parkway bridge, This is something where the car club would love to help out! )

Hope to see you soon!

From Smiles and Thumbs-Ups from the Great Neck South High School's Rebel Car Club Show

From Councilman Peter Zuckerman:

Members of the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society, officials from the Town of North Hempstead and local residents completed the initial phase of the clean-up of the Old Courthouse Road Motor Parkway Bridge. Check out Saturday’s wonderful clean-up. Check out the before and after photos for the amazing results.

If you would like to see more about this weekend’s Community Cleanup .

Big thank you to Howard Kroplick for helping to organize such a great event.

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

The old link, http://home.att.net/~berliner-ultrasonics/limtrpwy.html,ld now read http://sbiii.com/limtrpwy.html.  Sam, III

From The Complete 44-Mile LIMP Tour: Maps, Images and Videos

Great Mitchel Field aerials from Cradle of Aviation.

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

Sam the first car in the color photo of the ‘parade’ is a 1937 Buick series 80(Roadmaster) , the second (below), the black & white photo shows the back of a 1937-38 Buick. Sorry no 1939 Chrysler, my source is standard catalog of American cars 1805-1942.

From My Motor Parkway Story #3: Bob Valentine and the Williston Park Historic Marker

This could be a rear view of Roosevelt Raceway’s grandstand looking ENE in Westbury (E Garden City) showing Motor Parkway and its Roosevelt Field ‘highway’ bridge along the raceway’s southern perimeter. If correct, the roadway parallel to Motor Parkway should be Stewart Ave heading east, just before crossing over MSP (not yet built) and heading towards Salisbury Park’s entrance (Eisenhower Park). The houses in the foreground would be Mitchel Gardens (housing development for Mitchel Field’s personnel), still under construction in 1941. Great job at OCR’s bridge! A favorite LIMP spot, I’m feeling vibes this section could be the next major restoration project for the LIMP greenway thoroughfare. Staying tuned for PSE&G’s massive cleanup…..

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

From Jim Moran:

Howard,

The Councilman and I would like to thank you for getting together such a top notch team for the Community Cleanup and for all of your organizing efforts. It was a phenomenal event and the bridge looked so nice after our hard work. Can’t thank you enough.

Sincerely,
Jim Moran
Leg. Aide to Councilman Zuckerman

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

My revised answer for the bonus photo is it’s a cigar sticking out of the wall. Great optical illusion!

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

The photographer appears to be over Garden City with his camera pointed northeast toward Westbury. The structure in the background is the grandstands built for the 1936 & 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races. The train track is the LIRR Central Branch or A.T. Stewart’s old Central Railroad. In the center is the bridge over the LIMP connecting Stewart Ave. to Roosevelt Field (& raceway). The airplane is on the right side in Mitchel Field. The date is at least 1937 but might be a year or so later based on the finished condition of the buildings at Mitchel Field. Among the many events that took place hear are: Lindbergh’s 1927 solo flight; the previously mentioned Vanderbilt Cup Races; the R-34 Dirigible’s landing in July, 1919; Lindbergh’s homecoming celebration (6/16/27); Clarence Chamberlin’s first passenger flight to Eisleben, Germany; Chamberlin’s stunt flight taking off from Stewart Ave. in 1928; and the site of the first retail shopping mall in NY State (1956). The bonus photo could be a Civil War era “Minne” ball (bullet).

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

Hi Howard and crew!!  Great job!!!

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

I forgot to note that the Cradle of Aviation Museum has all sorts of great pix and maps, such as those at http://sbiii.com/limpmaps.html#mitchel and http://sbiii.com/limpmaps.html#WWILIMap , and SPLIA also has the Soils Map http://sbiii.com/limpmaps.html#soilsmap.  It would be great if you could get better shots of those.  Sam, III

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

Did Caterpillar ever REALLY make such a truck?  Sure looks like it’s cobbered up from a tractor and a Mack!  YAY - an Amphicar <http://sbiii.com/automot1.html#amphicar>!  {Lighten up, Ted!}  Sam, III
____________________________________________________

From Howard Kroplick

I believe it is a Mack truck with a Caterpillar engine.

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

Thanks, Bob.  There’s a little more on this ceremony at <http://sbiii.com/limpopen.html#wpkmarkr>.  By the way, the car turning left across Willis in Bob’s pre-WWII picture seems to be a 1939 Chrysler product (for dating).  Sam, III

From My Motor Parkway Story #3: Bob Valentine and the Williston Park Historic Marker

From Gary Hammond

• Location & orientation -  Mitchel Field, prior to becoming Mitchel Air Force Base, looking (l to r) from the north, then to the east, then to the south; taken from top of coal bunker

• Significant events – numerous events (see William K. Kaiser’s The Development of the Aerospace Industry on Long Island, Vol. III, A Chronology: 1833-1965, Hofstra Univ., 1968, for a comprehensive listing); including the Pulitzer Trophy Race which was held here in 1920 and 1925; the 1st “blind” flight by Jimmy Doolittle, Sept. 24, 1929; home to the Medical Research Laboratory and School for Flight Surgeons, 1919-26; (The school trained medical personnel in the specialized field of aviation medicine, and also conducted research to improve physical and technological problems experienced by fliers – today it’s known as the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine); numerous record setting flights took off or landed here; served as a major embarkation point for military flights overseas.

• Structure with 2 red arrows – Roosevelt Raceway grandstands

• Train track in aerial – former Central RR of LI, also spur going to coal bunker & alongside warehouses (later base PX)

• LIMP Structure – Roosevelt Field LIMP bridge

• Airplane – located in close-up G

• Year – winter of 1937/38?; after the George Vanderbilt Cup races; snow on ground; hangars have been doubled in size, but still retain checkerboard roof markings (so pre-WWII camo)

• Object in wall – Civil War lead bullet (Minie Ball)

• See attachments for cover & map from Sept. 1945 Mitchel Field Handbook with some of the buildings identified

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

Great teamwork from the entire crew. I really enjoyed helping out and seeing the results of the project. Looking forward to assisting with completion of the job in the fall.
_________________________________________________

From Howard Kroplick

Mike, I totally agree! Great teamwork and lots of fun!

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

Can’t stay away from here,there’s too much going on.What a fantastic job you all did,as always,keeping the Motor Parkway alive and known to all to see

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

Where did Courthouse end or lead too?
______________________________

From Howard Kroplick

Brian, Old Courthouse Road connected I.U. Willets Road and Shelter Rock Road (formerly call Highway to Mineola.).See above 1924 aerial.

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

The aerial looks like Mitchell Field Air Base looking north northeast. Major events were the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway Cup Races and the only 2 major road races held at Roosevelt Raceway.The air base held the National Air Races from 1920 -1925 and was a major hub for air defense during WW ll .The structure indicated by the red arrow is Roosevelt Raceway site of the 1936-37 Vanderbilt Cup Race. The railroad is the Central Branch of the LIRR Mitchell Field Sta. The Motor Parkway Structure looks like the Merrick Ave Bridge of the LIMP. In closeup g you can see a plane on the field.I think the time of the foto is late 1930s about 1935-1940 .The object in the wall looks like a lead bullet.

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