About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
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Recent Comments
Sam, I never bothered to check out the details of installing expansion joints after the fact. Don’t think it was too hard to do, concrete then was not the concrete of today. More difficult I think, is how did they cut slabs of marble and granite 500 years ago.
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Al, I asked this once before in an earlier blog without an answer. How did they cut the paving in 1911 to install expansion joints? Mauls and chisels? No rotary diamond saws back then. Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Art, Re., the photo showing a completed section of the Parkway. Note the lack on any expansion joints. Even a 4 foot wide sidewalk has expansion joints and only 5-6 feet apart. Here his a 22 foot wide expanse of concrete with none. On the entire 8 plus miles of concrete there wasn’t a single expansion joint. How come ? In those days the joints, for the most part, were a narrow metal contraption with a felt like material centrally located. These were cemented in place. The story I was told was that the joints wouldn’t stand up to the pounding of the race cars, loosen up and become a danger to the racers. Not only that, the joints would be a concern on high speed curves and slow up the cars. That year one of the goals of the race organizers was to establish new speed records, ( which they did ). The Parkway contractors thought they could solve the problem of concrete expanding and contracting by adding the wire mesh in the concrete mix. It didn’t work, Sections of concrete started heaving almost immediately, For the 1909 and 1910 races, repairs were made where necessary. In 1911 expansion joints were finally put in place.
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Howard Kroplick
Al, great info!
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Just realized the slight left bend on Little Neck Pkwy is still there today, and the precise location where Queens County Farm Museum is located.
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Thank you to all involved to preserve history !!!
From Update: Restoration of a section of the Motor Parkway in Garden City
Neat, Art; thanks! All the above comments are of interest but none address mine that provision seems to have been made for a trolley line. Could the excess width be solely due to Crowell’s requirement for “materially increased” expansion room? Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Prior to the approval by Queens County for the construction of the Little Neck Road and other bridges in Queens, the President of the Borough, Lawrence Gresser, requested an “immediate investigation and report” from the Engineer in Charge, Robert R. Crowell. Here is the request and Mr. Crowell’s findings. Interesting read!
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
Similar to the Commonwealth bridge, the high voltage electrical lines are running just ~20 feet above the Motor Parkway bridge! How did they get away with that? The low voltage telephone line is running underneath the bridge. Maybe stricter safety measures were just beginning to take hold in NYC.
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
My comment above should have read: “How did driving on the left start?” which was answered in the link provided.
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
Mystery Foto #44B… This is the Long Island Motor Parkway bridge over Little Neck Parkway in Queens. This view is looking north from Union Turnpike. The bridge was different than the majority of MP bridges because when it was built in 1912, New York City required that the Parkway authorities use railroad-type trestle construction over any Queens public roads. This photo is post 1938.
From Mystery Foto #44B Solved: A 1942 Photo of the Little Neck Parkway Motor Parkway Bridge
I was superintendent of North Hills CC in Manhasset from 2002 to 2016. The post pictured is not original nor was the one it replaced. The road in question it marks out is too narrow to be the VMP. It is adjacent to the 13 fairway and it was an access road to an old dump that was abandoned when the Fairways condos were built. The club is about a mile north of the VMP.
From The Mystery of the North Hills Country Club "Vanderbilt Pkwy" Road Sign
Very interesting to learn, Al. Thanks for the update. I guess the LIRR (PRR owned them) didn’t foresee the threat that the internal combustion engine would be for the railroads in general. I am not saying it was good or bad. Obviously, it would have happened one way or the other. Looking forward, none of this has really hurt the LIRR, pandemic aside, or the mass transit business around the world. People have options.
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
Additional documentation from the Exec. Vice-President of the Queens Chamber of Commerce pertaining to the proposal for a monorail making use of the Motor Parkway’s ROW. From the files of William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and courtesy of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
From The Proposed Motor Parkway Monorail in Queens
Wayne, Regarding your comment .... LIRR first hint of involvement with the Long Island Motor Parkway, 1908. Actually, the LIRR could be considered one of the founders of the Long Island Motor Parkway. Ralph Peters, the president or the LIRR at the time, served on the five man Plan & Scope Committee and also on the original three man Finance Committee. It was surveyors from the LIRR, at no cost to the Parkway, that first began laying out the Parkway ROW, He also made his personal private railroad car available to the Plan & Scope Committee members, also at no cost. So fully committed to the Parkway’s success, the LIRR purchased $24,000 of the Parkway’s stock and bonds. Dollar wise, that was in the top five. On top of that, Ralph Peters, personally, bought $9,000 worth of stock and bonds. Broadly, the relation with Vanderbilt/Race/Parkway began in 1904.
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
Wayne - you’re right on. Excellent catenary sleuthing! See here ->
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_4_a_curve_on_the_motor_parkway
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
Garden City still possesses their own unique piece of ORIGINAL 45 mile automobile history dating back 112 years. Why now bury it with blue stone?
A generous donation proposed here to help restore this rare historical stretch of automobile highway. It’s unimaginable ANY village not accepting this offer. Garden City possesses a 1/3 mile stretch of Long Island Motor Parkway, still intact, with more on the east side of Stewart Field still being ignored. What’s going on in Garden City?
From Update: Restoration of a section of the Motor Parkway in Garden City
It would be nice if there could be a way to have a socially distant ‘ceremony’ of sorts placing the first post if it were to be approved.
From Update: Restoration of a section of the Motor Parkway in Garden City
This is an excellent way to retain a visual link to the Motor Parkway in that location.
From Update: Restoration of a section of the Motor Parkway in Garden City
How did driving on the right start?
Seemed to be when the Model T was coming off the production line. But here’s an answer two websites:
Google: The first law requiring drivers to keep right was passed in Pennsylvania in 1792, and similar laws were passed in New York in 1804 and New Jersey in 1813. Despite the developments in the US, some parts of Canada continued to drive on the left until shortly after the Second World War.
Allstate.com
https://www.allstate.com/blog/take-sides-the-history-behind-driving-on-the-left-or-right/
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
As I noted elsewhere, I actually can remember when road rollers were true STEAM rollers. Great find - thanks, Art! Kep ‘em comn’, please. As an aside - this post and the linked one remind me - when did right-hand driving become the norm in the U.S.? Sam, III
From Kleiner's Korner: Recently Found Motor Parkway Construction Photos
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