Vanderbilt Cup Races

I will guess the Thomas Flyer in 1908 in the Vanderbilt Cup Race…...the overpass/bridge #6 traveled over Newbridge Road. The spectators are watching the races in front of and atop the Newbridge Road Hotel.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Nice shot. This photo gives a good view how these bridges really looked and how steep they were. The only possibility here is the Newbridge Rd parkway bridge in Levittown, with railroad running adjacent and the left curve immediately following. We’re facing west towards Salisbury. Oct 24,1908 / 258mi. VCRace / #12 Thomas 110hp / Driver: George Saltzman / Mechanician: Blancard / finished 5/17. The Newbridge Hotel at Merillon Estates, located just off and east of Newbridge Ave (Rd) is no longer there.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Hello Howard,
Thanks for giving us an easy one for Valentine’s Day. That’s the Newbridge Road Hotel on the east side of Newbridge Road, slightly north of the LIMP in the Hempstead Plains, today’s Levittown. The LIMP bridge is going over Newbridge Road. My rationale (or research, or some would call cheating) is that it says so on page 90 of your “Vanderbilt Cup Races of L. I.”. The racer is the number 12 Thomas with George Salzman at the wheel during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race. The mechanician is Blancard (couldn’t find his first name).

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Newbridge Hotel on Newbridge Road East Meadow
Spectators watching from the hotel and grounds
LIMP bridge over Newbridge Road
#12 George Saltzman

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Motor Parkway East of Newbridge Road facing west, as the road turns north toward today’s Levittown, the building on the right was the Newbridge Hotel.  Vanderbilt Cup Race- October 24, 1908, The #12 Thomas driven by George Saltzman. I like this location today because it is a good place to park my truck and ride a bicycle east to Deadmans Curve in Bethpage.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Identify the building on the right and its location-

Newbridge Hotel, on Newbridge Rd on the North side of the LIMP

Identify the bridge in the photo. Provide a rationale.-

Looking West at the Newbridge Road ‘parkway’ Bridge in Hempstead Plains. (RR crossing sign on the left seen)

Identify the racer and the race.

The #12 Thomas heading East driven by George Saltzman during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 24, 1908. Next stop; the grandstands!

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

Newbridge Rd bridge of the LIMP.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: New Bridge Hotel on Newbridge Road- A Favorite Viewing Site for the Races

central island restaurant   was purchased 1n 1955 by the borrelli family   60 years later still BORRELLIS RESTAURANT
____________________________________________

Hi Frank, thanks for solving the mystery. I have enjoyed your family’s restaurant for many years!

From Amazing Aerials from the Cradle of Aviation: #2 1955 Mitchel Field and Salisbury Park Updated: 2/13

I could be wrong, but to help clarify the 1954 incident of the boy on the Central Av bridge, the bridge had already been “removed” by 1950. That leaves the assumption that only the center of the bridge over the LIRR was removed, leaving the north and south abutments intact, perhaps to be removed at a later date. The boy, living on Norcross, had climbed the north embankment nearest his home, where it collapsed and fell below, but not over the center railroad tracks. Any thoughts on this is welcomed.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Wow! It’s getting tougher to stump the viewers. Lol. Art: I’m surprised the reinforced concrete gave way as it did for the child. Bridge was less than 50 years old. Perhaps due from constant vibration of passing trains below over the years. Are those LIMP concrete posts securing the tracks by Central Av? Not sure if I see the three spiral wires attached to them. Brian: Those photos would be great to see. Definitely another parkway exploration to venture!  Best wishes everyone.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Good mystery, Frank. I’ll make a point of visiting my old high school this coming weekend to snap some photos of the original Brentwood schoolhouse. Quite a scary accident with the 11 yr old. It could’ve been worse.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

From Steve Beck:
First off, I love reading all the history and current stories from the site – great job.

Regarding the photo, I’m 99% sure this is the Central Avenue crossing in Bethpage, across from present day King Kullen HQ.

Ironically, when traffic is bad on Southern Parkway, my alternate route Westward to work takes me on Central Ave at this exact spot heading into Bethpage, passing by the southern approach of the very bridge from which the photo was taken.

My reasoning is:
• The shadow is on the left (north) side of the train, indicating a view looking easterly.
• There was a LIMP bridge over Central Ave and the LIRR that would yield this vantage point.
• The LIRR is 2 tracks at this location
• In the distance adjacent to the tracks, you can see a small railroad building on the right, which is still visible from Bethpage Parkway (my normal commute route)
• The RR tracks turn left in the far distance at Bethpage Junction – where the Hempstead line used to connect (west of Farmingdale)
• The telephone/signal wires are on the same side as they are today
• You can see an unimproved road on the S. side of the tracks.
• You can see a road in the upper left on the far side of the tracks running parallel to the tracks which is Central Ave, now Thone Dr east of the SOB Expressway
• The 1953 aerial from http://www.historicaerials.com shows this crossing oblique to the tracks and matches all the features mentioned above

See above images with text/arrows pointing out these items.

That was fun. 

Best Regards and keep up the good work !

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Identify this bridge and the orientation of the photo. Provide a rationale.
Central Avenue bridge, Bethpage looking East.  Train is going west with the wooden diamond crossing sign on the south side, along with the outhouse. 

Estimate the date of the photo.  June, 1949

Bonus for train lovers: Identify the train: G5s #25.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Wild guess - Central Avenue in Bethpage.  Where else did a LIMP bridge cross both a dual-track main line (the Central Branch) AND an at-grade road crossing?  If so, looking west.  But it doesn’t look right.  Passed this along to LIRR friends.  Can’t make out beans about loco or train.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Whoops - forgot area coverage at http://sbiii.com/limpmaps.html#mitchel .  So many other pages but Meadowbrook Club coverage at http://sbiii.com/lirrcrr1.html#slsbrypl , among those many others.  Sam, III

From Amazing Aerials from the Cradle of Aviation: #2 1955 Mitchel Field and Salisbury Park Updated: 2/13

This is the area I covered by helicopter in 1959 on my LIMP Central Nassau page, http://sbiii.com/limpcnas.html#roosvfld .  Immediately following that is an aerial analysis of the area in 1938 using an earlier one of your pix, http://sbiii.com/limpcnas.html#rfld1938 .  As to the warplanes on the tarmac, it’s hard to distinguish the smaller ones (possibly North American T-6 Texans) but there are a bunch of unmistakable twin-engined Curtiss C-47/53s (DC-3s) at the far left, with a few at right, a slew of twin-boom Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars at far right, and seven twin-engined North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers at right center.  What I’d hoped to see were the twin-fuselage P-82/F-82 Twin Mustangs.  Mitchells (two “L"s) and Twin Mustangs (no “L”) were a feature of Mitchel (one “L”) for me.  What the “L”!  Sam, III

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Amazing Aerials from the Cradle of Aviation: #1 1956 Mitchel Field

Looking east from the LIMP overpass over Central Avenue, Bethpage in June of 1949.
Locomotive 25 is pulling train 4227.  The gatekeepers’ outhouse is at the lower right near the crossing sign.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

My guess is that it’s looking east off the top of the LIMP Central Ave. bridge in Central Park/Bethpage.  In the distance on the right is the LIRR Tower at Bethpage Junction.  The LIRR train is probably a G5S Steam Locomotive pulling P54 “Ping Pong” Coaches, all built in the 1920’s.  Time period: late 1920’s -40’s

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

Photo of the original Central Avenue grade crossing in Bethpage over the mainline. This crossing has now been eliminated and the road passes under the tracks immediately next to the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway bridge. Photo is taken from the Vanderbilt Parkway bridge, facing southeast towards Bethpage interlocking.

Train appears to be a class G5s pulling a string of Ping Pong coaches.

Unsure of exact year, but the G5s was introduced in the mid 20’s, and the bridge was gone by 1953 according to aerial photos, so sometime in-between.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13

I believe this photo was taken from the LIMP bridge that went over Central Avenue and the LIRR main line tracks in Bethpage. I think we are looking east due to some shadows that are on the north side of a few of the visable structures. I also think that might be the LIRR “B” tower off in the distance. The photo was taken in June of 1949 and shows LIRR train number 4227 heading westbound having recently departed from Central Islip State Hospital.

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved:A View From the Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage Updated: 2/13