Vanderbilt Cup Races

Yes, that was close Greg. I’ve been wanting to simulate your OCR bridge photo for some time, but need a camera drone to snap the photo.. Anyone with a drone interested in such a project?

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Frank- I’m kidding, but it looks like that wide shoulder is still there to this day!

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Frank, Regarding your statement about the 400 foot plumbing run to the Meadow Brook lodge. I’ guessing Otto got a cesspool. Let me play the devil’s advocate here. I’m wondering if sewer lines were ever run on Merrick Ave. between Old Country Rd. and Hempstead Tpke. prior to say, 1945. Other than the lodge and the Salisbury Country Club there weren’t any other buildings in that stretch. Any one?

From Update: Greg O’s Discovery: The McCamish Family and Their Time in the Meadow Brook Lodge

Al - Yep, that’s it! Photo taken from about halfway point between Shelter Rock Rd and OCR. Thanks Greg. I’m almost convinced those bikes and riders are casting shadows all over the roadway, especially that bike on the right. And what’s up with that clean cut wide shoulder on the left? It almost appears like a rest stop for LIMPer’s.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Al, Frank, here is the full-frame of the OCR bridge. This is from the Petit Trianon postcard series. The caption describes it as looking west towards Great Neck.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Frank, If that is the case, we are looking west from the Shelter Rock Rd. bridge?

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Greg - I see your point! Now I’m not sure if those are shadows by the motorcyclist and their bikes, but the top photo by the Great Neck lodge clearly show shadows on that sunny day.

Al - the parkway just east of Old Courthouse has similar curves heading eastward; after the bridge, first a slight left curve followed by a gradual right curve. If memory serves, I believe Greg’s photo came with a front caption but with limited location info

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Greg, Your bottom photo, the one with 2 blue arrows and one black arrow on the left side of the photo, wasn’t that photo taken from the New Hyde Park Rd. bridge looking east ?

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Frank, the reason why I said it was possibly the Old Courthouse bridge looking towards the East rather than the West as you claim is the tree line, and what little we see of it. Below is my comparison photo of the OCR bridge looking (as we know from the cut-off photo caption) West towards Great Neck. My crude arrows point to trees that in my view match up but in the opposite direction. OCR bridge has some of the flattest embankments

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Art, Motor cycles, your post of the motor cycle toll ticket is a story in it’s own right. First, they are extremely rare, not aware of any motor cycle toll ticket in in private hands. secondly, Vanderbilt’s signature in script appears on the ticket making it even rarer. Originally the toll tickets had Pardington"s signature on them. After he left the Parkway employ, Vanderbilt’s name appeared on the tickets only in 1911. Thereafter, and until the Parkway closed, Kienzle was the signatory.                                                Note the ticket number is 50, that means only 50 motor cycles entered the Parkway from this entrance since July 9, 1910 when the Great Neck Lodge first opened.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 2 - Motorcycling on the Motor Parkway

Correction:
The “Long Straightaway on the Parkway” I agree with Al, Old Westbury Rd looking east towards the Newbridge Rd bridge in the distance (pre Wantagh State Pkwy bridge), with CRR on the right. But a longer straightaway could be between Universe Dr. and Dead Man’s Curve, on top the N Wantagh Ave bridge (Levittown) looking east towards the Hickville Rd bridge (1100 ft / 0.2 mi) with CRR on the right side.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Gentlemen, the first photo “Preparing for a Practice Brush” I believe is looking west with all shadows pointing north. The flat landscape better matches early Old Courthouse Rd than the high-treed landscape of Smith farmway bridge (Great Neck). Not sure but looks like a roadway (on the left) connected to the bridge, not a farmway bridge. Another possibility Jerusalem Ave bridge looking west in Levittown.

The “High Speed Stretch on the Parkway” could be just west of the Stewart Ave bridge (Bethpage), and looking west towards the Hicksville Rd bridge (Levittown) in the distance. The CRR is fenced off on the left side, and the Ground Breaking Ceremony site on the right.

The “Long Straightaway on the Parkway” I agree with Al, Old Westbury Rd looking east towards the Newbridge Rd bridge in the distance (pre Wantagh State Pkwy bridge), with CRR on the right. But a longer straightaway could be between Universe Dr. and Dead Man’s Curve, looking east towards N Wantagh Ave bridge (Levittown) with CRR on the right side.

The head photo on top looks like a belt driven motorbike at center. Great post Art

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

Hi all,

I was looking at the 1952 photo of the car, and was wondering since it appears to have the same style aftermarket hubcaps, if this could possibly be #1044 as well?

The only info about the photo I have is that it was taken in March of 1952 somewhere in North Hollywood, CA allegedly after being repainted by Eddie Muntz for sale on his used car lot.

From The History of the Tucker 1044 (1948-Present) Updated: 6/18/2019

From Art Kleiner:
Willie K. acted as “patron of motorcycles” by contributing the cups used as prizes for the race “for tricycles and two wheeled vechicles” at this event.  Kenneth Skinner of Boston won the event on his 8 h.p. tricycle against only two other competitors.  From “Bicycle World and Motorcycle Review”, Sept. 5, 1901.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Willie K's "Red Devil" at the 1901 Newport Automobile Races

Amazing info here, complimented with never-seen-before photos. The plumbing hook up to Merrick Ave from the lodge involved costly 400 ft of digging/piping, likely including sewage!

Very interested in the buried treasure at the Garden City lodge vicinity, The out house was likely located east of the lodge, secluded from any view. An out house location south of the lodge would put it in plain sight of LIMPer’s entering the lodge ramp (unacceptable). It seems now a brick driveway around the former GC lodge site, with a possible helipad included, just west of the former porte cochere. I would still want to meet Al’s friend from FL, for his knowledge and experience with the Long Island Motor Parkway.

From Update: Greg O’s Discovery: The McCamish Family and Their Time in the Meadow Brook Lodge

From Art Kleiner:
Good comments, Al and Greg - sounds reasonable to me!  Also like the two way conversation, Al - guess you’ve been reading my mind, as well as my blogs!. 

And about the motorcycles being banned on the Motor Parkway, as you’ll see in my upcoming Part 4 of this series I couldn’t find documentation after 1920 relating to races.  So the ban had to be the reason.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway

You would never think that an area that was known only for it’s potato farms would have a history right under it’s soil. I hazard a guess that you could probably still find old rusty railroad spikes along the LIRR ROW. Way back in the 1950s my dad was digging post holes for a backyard fence at our house on Grove Lane. On one hole he encountered a hard packed surface that would not yield to the post hole digger. He speculated that there must have once been a road in that area. Fast forward 60 years and I saw map that shows the Rowehl farmhouse just off Loring Road in the vicinity of where the Center Lane Green is. There was a circular drive that ran from Loring road to the house right in the area of Grove Lane. I wish my dad was still alive so I could tell him he was right. BTW, the Rowehl farmhouse was moved and is the center part of the Dalton Funeral Home. But then, most of you know that.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Long Island Motor Parkway and Levittown

Art, That metal object on the bricks is an automobile spring with a history. I remember seeing a picture of it in a 1908 automobile magazine as coming off of old 16 during a pit stop and replaced. Check with Howard, I’m sure he will make an offer for it.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Long Island Motor Parkway and Levittown

I have lived on Crocus la since 1975. My property in next to where the old parkway was. I remember digging up a piece of iron in my yard years ago that must have been from the stadium stands. You can still see part of the road way next door. Come take a look.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Long Island Motor Parkway and Levittown

Al, my thought was the Smith bridge as well, but surrounding foliage at the Smith bridge does not seem to fit the motorcycle photo. Also, why gather the motorcycles and not be on the LIMP?

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 3 - Motorcycle Races on the Motor Parkway