Vanderbilt Cup Races

Sounds healthy! Can wait to see how it runs!

From Restoration Update: Hear the 1962 Holman-Moody Challenger III Roar in the New Year

Howard’s nicely redone Black Beast garage floor work, photo of before.

From Mustang HoofBeats December 2021: A visit to Howard Kroplick's great car collection

Thanks to Al Prete for the cartoon reference - love that !  ( you have to understand that I taught art for 35+ years so this would be a treat to see!)

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

I find it interesting that even in the twenty first century, the elevations of these “mountains” are not definitively known.  I think there is no debate that Jayne’s Hill is the highest on Long Island.  As for OHEKA, a comparison of the 1903 USGS topographical map and the 2019 map shows that the hill the mansion sits on remains at 280’—not nearly high enough to claim highest honors and debunking the claim that Kahn elevated the hill.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

In regards to town cars, my dad had a Springfield RR P1 Riviera Town Car, which was in awful shape when he got it.  It was supposed to be restored (long story), actually was in a shop at the time of Hurricane Agnes with the shop being flooded.  Despite that, still a beautiful car.  Our family sold it off years later and I’ve no clue where it ended up.  But it supposedly was once owned by the founder of Time Magazine, though who ran it into the ground I don’t know.  It was a 1929, aluminum head engine, one of the most elegant cars, IMHO, that Rolls Royce of America ever produced.  But like any town car, it had that open front.  I don’t remember if there was a ‘removable roof’ available for the front or whether it had windows.

From Walt Gosden Article: A Vanderbilt Locomobile

Putting an FM radio tower like WALK on the top of a hill at high elevation is a no brainer - FM signals are line of sight and do not follow the curvature of the ground as AM signals do. 

If any large object (such as a mountain, tall building or even airplane in flight) were to block the signal, reception would be difficult at best, next to impossible at worst (it isn’t accidental that before the WTC, virtually every FM antenna (and later, TV antenna) were on top of the Empire State Building for that very reason. 

Hence, tower height above average terrain is critical for FM antennae, even more so than the actual transmitter output power. 

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Although this variation of opinions - perhaps even still somewhat of a controversy in this day and age - may not mean much in The Great Scheme of Things, it is a beautifully researched, documented, and written treatise on an interesting subject which probably has a large appeal to a limited audience both on and around Long Island.  To all those who contributed to this piece, thank you so much.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

It’s me again Al, lol - Your thoughts of Ruland Hill being in the vicinity is correct. There was a Mr. Ruland that owned properties around Bald Hills during the 1800’s. Couldn’t find any Ruland reference mapwise in Smithtown. Up until 1960, there was a Fire Tower Lookout on this hill, also referred as Telescope Hill. One could see for miles from atop. This location is now the Radio/Tower Station for 97.5 WALK FM. Below I marked a 1947 & 1970 Topo Map Overlay as best as possible, and a today view. When driving on Blue Point Rd at this point, it’s like a roller coaster. South Shore is visible.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

That’s the Nibbe farmway bridge in Central Park (today’s Bethpage) and we’re looking south because the direction of the various race courses that used this section of the LIMP after the bridge was built was counter-clockwise making the car heading north. Also, the distinctive tree on the right is visible in other photos of the bridge. In fact, isn’t that Peter Nibbe himself just to the left of the tree? The racer is the J-18 Chalmers-Detroit during the 1908 Jericho Sweepstakes with W. R. Burns driving. That would make the date October 10, 1908.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The J11 Chalmers-Detroit at the Nibbe Farmway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) on its way to winning the Jericho Sweepstakes

Al - Below I found a reference to Rulands Hill, Smithtown. From U.S. Coastal Geodetic Survey.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Does the Avanti belong to Rich Carlsen?

From Mustang HoofBeats December 2021: A visit to Howard Kroplick's great car collection

This is the Nibbe farmway bridge in Bethpage.  The photographer is facing south.  It is located after the second “deadman’s curve” and was created to connect the west and east sections of Peter Nibbe’s farm.  The racecar was the #J11 Chalmers-Detroit and was driven by W.R. Burns who finished first in the Jericho sweepstakes averaging 46.2 mph.  The photo was taken October 10th 1908.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The J11 Chalmers-Detroit at the Nibbe Farmway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) on its way to winning the Jericho Sweepstakes

The Brooklyn Eagle 1875 article mentions “Ruland’s Hill, southwest of Coram.” Was this another name for Bald Hill, which IS SW of Coram? From the veterans memorial on Bald Hill (next to the aforementioned amphitheater), on a clear day in winter, you can see both the Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay.

As a lifelong Long Islander I was always told that the highest point is Jayne’s Hill.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Frank - We couldn’t come to any conclusions about where Arlene and Carmine’s house is in relation to theirs.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

Im getting Harbor Hill as the highest point in Nassau at 348.0 ft., andJaynes Hill the highest in Suffolk at 400.9 ft. Oheka castle and West Hills are nearby the summit at Jayne’s Hill. Greg, I’ve heard of moving mountains but never elevating them. Prohibitedly expensive likely.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Been waiting a while for a bethpage photo.  Nibbe bridge looking south on the motor parkway.  Motor parkway sweepstakes. jan 11 1908.  #J11 Chalmers-Detroit was driven by W. R. Burns

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The J11 Chalmers-Detroit at the Nibbe Farmway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) on its way to winning the Jericho Sweepstakes

Looking South at the Nibbe farmway bridge during the Oct 10th, 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.

The #J11 Chalmers-Detroit was driven by W. R. Burns. Finished 1st in the Jericho Sweepstakes.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The J11 Chalmers-Detroit at the Nibbe Farmway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) on its way to winning the Jericho Sweepstakes

This information has been very helpful, thanks for sharing this post

From Searching for a Piece of a 1921 Crow-Elkhart Sedan to Honor Her Family

Bell Blvd. between 77th ave and Kingsbury ave., looking south. Rationale. I took that walk almost every day and it sure looks like the lay of the land.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The J11 Chalmers-Detroit at the Nibbe Farmway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) on its way to winning the Jericho Sweepstakes

I know there were actual Ski Jumps around Long Island in the past. Near me in Farmingville there was Bald Hill Ski Bowl ( now the location of Brookhaven Amphitheater ). Read that the bowl lasted until the 1980’s. The entrance rd is still named Ski Run Lane. 330+ ‘ ASL

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island