Vanderbilt Cup Races

That’s the “Parade Lap” at the first Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1911. From left to right are: the #21 National (Howdy Wilcox); #20 National (Charles Merz); #19 ALCO (Harry Grant); #18 Fiat (Eddie Hearne); #17 Buick Charles Basle). The ALCO is the same “Black Beast” that won the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

From Mystery Friday Foto #51 Solved: Head to Head Racing at the 1911 Indy 500

Howard, please invite award winning automotive historian Walt Gosden to your Open House. Maybe a lecture by Walt of the Walter M. Murphy Coachwork?

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Wow! I would have thought, on first look, that the formation of that bridge was the construction of a wood ships hull. The way the boards are lying there seems to take the shape of the start of a fifty or sixty foot fishing boat similar to the Ida May in Oyster Bay.
See you all in November. It is not raining here yet but within the next hour I can test my Rube Goldberg style repair on my passenger side windshield wiper arm. My method was a little bit better than chewing gum and string. I used hose clamps and modified found plastic for my third attempt at repairing modern machinery what do they say ….Fix Or Repair Daily!.

From Mystery Friday Foto #50 Solved: The Westbury Avenue Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge Under Construction

My grandfather Donato Lerario was a builder with a crew that specialized in cement and brickwork. In the late 40s and very early 50s he built a house on property he bought about two streets over from the then unused Motor Parkway. I was always curious about the location of this wonderful brick house built while he and his large family lived in Astoria Queens.
I asked my mother long before she passed away but all she could note was that he bought land quite in expensively while he was doing some sort of roadwork construction in the area very near what would become Grumman’s.
I spent a great deal of time with my brother and cousins hiking that abandoned motorway path with its dramatic banked turn. I also spent many happy years hiking the Parkway in Alley Pond Park and Cunningham Park with friends and then again with my son Gram who now actually works for Howard.
I’m near certain my Grandfather worked on the Motor Parkway. He also worked on the trillons greeting drivers on the Grand Central as they head toward the Triboro Bridge. It would seem his building career centered on some wonderful and historic Long Island roadwork. Very proud that this heritage is part of my family’s ongoing interest in the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Men Who Built The Motor Parkway (Part 1)

Enjoyed reading about Tucker # 1014.
Interesting story, worth watching the Jay Leno’s garage video
Hope to see Tucker # 1014 in person one day.

From Francis Ford Coppola's '48 Tucker Goes Across the Auction Block during the Monterey Car Week

When you mentioned that more research was needed on E. H. Brown, I decided to do a quick search on Ancestry. Elmer Hovey Brown (1876-1966) was living on the Village of Hempstead’s New Cross Street when the US Census was taken on April 19, 1910. He stated he owned his home, but had a mortgage. Elmer H. Brown was 33 years old, married 6 years with 2 children. Both he and his 26 year old wife, Grace, were born in the Dist. of Columbia. Daughter Marjorie was 2 4/12 years old, while son Elsworth was 4 months old. Also living with them was a 17 year old Polish female servant, doing general housework, named Apolovia Zaborouska. The most interesting thing was his occupation - Civil Engineer, Speedway - which one assumes was the L.I. Motor Parkway! There’s a lot more - U.S. & N.Y.S. Censuses, death certificate, Find A Grave entry with gravestone, etc., but I thought this was the most appropriate for the group.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Men Who Built The Motor Parkway (Part 1)

That’s a duesy!

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I will be there on Nov.2 with two guests, thanks again

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Greg O. , thank you for making clear what happened and why the name changes/locations etc. I am only seeing this now as i was away for over a week at the largest annual car event/show held every year in Hershey ,Pa.
Now to recover from that event - great time there seeing close longtime friends from Brazil, England and all-over North America. Some good guys who look at this forum - Mark Schaier, and several others.

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

Hi All. Though there’s only one photo of the Willis Ave LIMP Bridge ( thanks to Bob &Ruth; Valentine ) I believe this bridge had to also accommodate the same trolley line that continued west, then branched north on Willis Ave to Roslyn, From what I’ve read, most of these trolley lines fell out of use around 1925.

From Mystery Friday Foto #50 Solved: The Westbury Avenue Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge Under Construction

Yes I will be there with my wife

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Hi Howard. Myself and Don Wolf will be there.  Thanks for the invite

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Not Motor Parkway racing. Possibly Indy 500 racing on a wider track

From Mystery Friday Foto #51 Solved: Head to Head Racing at the 1911 Indy 500

Due to inclement weather, the Duesenberg open house has been postponed from this Sunday, to Sunday November 2, 2025.
Apologies for any inconvenience, but Mother Nature had other plans.
Greg O.

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Greg, Regarding the Westbury Ave. bridge, that was my first thought. What threw me off was that the photo shows only the construction of the Parkway bridge over the trolley line.  The Westbury Ave. bridge was a three span bridge similar to the bridge over Clinton Rd. Each span here had an opening of about 18 feet, one for the trolley (most northerly) and the other two openings for autos.  Any idea if the photo was cropped ? The bridge came down in January 1942. In the bottom left of the photo is a wheelbarrow on it’s side, I bought it at a Mineola yard sale a few years ago.

From Mystery Friday Foto #50 Solved: The Westbury Avenue Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge Under Construction

I was blessed to have been to his place in East Islip & to have me a wonderful man , & heard his stories. I met his daughter lovely. We also received a ticket from Marty from the toll booth. May he rest in peace . ????

From Marty Himes Estate Auction: Two special midget racers

At first I disregarded all LIMP trolley bridges.Trolley tracks never protruded above the surface, and never had railroad ties in their construction. Are there captions attached to this photo?

From Mystery Friday Foto #50 Solved: The Westbury Avenue Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge Under Construction

On the map I see Curtiss and Hazelhurst (later Mitchel), but not Roosevelt Field.
I am confused.

Thank you!

Chester-
Once in civilian hands, the Hazelhurst owners sold portions along the southern edge of the field and split the remainder of the property into two separate areas. Curtiss Field, a 300-acre (120 ha) airport on the original site of Hazelhurst Field, occupied half of the western portion along Clinton Road. Roosevelt Field occupied the remainder, consisting of seven hangars and a large parking ramp adjacent to Curtiss Field, and an east–west packed clay runway 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in length on the bluff. The area between Curtiss Field and the Long Island Motor Parkway, which ran north of and parallel to Stewart Avenue, became the Old Westbury Golf Course, while the area to the east of the golf course was used as the Meadow Brook Polo Field. Both areas are now completely developed.
Greg O.

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

Difficult photo, possibly looking mostly north. The tracks could be a temporary service track to assist in moving materials from a nearby LIRR track. I’d guess construction of the Newbridge Road bridge (Rt 106) in Levittown. 1% accurate. The photo was found in Art Kleiner’s Levittown collection

From Mystery Friday Foto #50 Solved: The Westbury Avenue Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge Under Construction

Hi, I will be there with 2 guests on Sunday. Thanks for the opportunity.

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage