Vanderbilt Cup Races

Great photo and guesses. Is the white shirted man going to carry all those bridge guardrail posts by himself? He’s carried two to the roadside and back tracking for more.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Looking southeast from Jerusalem Avenue Levittown towards the snake turn at Bloomingdale Road.  Train holding equipment to build bridge or water pump station.  Joe Tracey in Locomobile road testing the new pavement.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Very interest article about a fun collectible.

From Special Guest Post by Meredith Jaffe: Boyd’s Crystal Art Glass Tucker Figurines

Sorry to seem to be demeaning of Boyd’s work but these cars look just like the hollow ones I remember as holding candy dots when I was a kid ca. 1940 (although they probably were NOT Tuckers).  Sam, III

From Special Guest Post by Meredith Jaffe: Boyd’s Crystal Art Glass Tucker Figurines

OMG!  I may not know as much as I should about the LIMP but I sure know a LIRR work train when I see one and look carefully at the enlargement.  Betcha that’s the 1908 PRR five-mile test electrification being erected east of Hempstead Crossing with 11,000 volt A.C. catenary, with 70# rail, and divided into 11 sections, with the first and last being for acceleration and braking (all per Art Huneke).  As to the auto, it’s unusual for being white and so may well be Willie’s 1900 23HP Daimler Phoenix “White Ghost” (see 02 Sp 2010 blog); the photographer’s usual car was black.  Can’t make out what’s on the horizon.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Great Image. Sorry to say I have no idea but the desolation Long Island when my father was a toddler is just so striking…

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Location - LIMP East Meadow( Levittown) looking east with the LIRR central branch
                  branch to the south
Purpose of train - Pennsylvania RR electrification test section used for
                  the electrification of Penn station in 1908.  The train appears to
                  be a work train possibly being used for installation of posts and
                  fencing for the railroad.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Not a clue. It’s not the LIRR Central RR in Fresh Meadows. It’s not the LIRR Oyster Bay Branch out of Mineola. It’s not a passby at Creedmoor Hospital. Maybe it’s near and next to the LIRR in Nassau Co., although I don’t see enough room for Stewart Ave between the RR and the Motor Parkway to be built. But what about the long U-bend in Nassau County heading east and west near the Central RR.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Great find Art. I like to see how properties have been acquired through the years.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

No ideas to contribute toward the answers…but I am excited to see more of these scrapbook photos…

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

We see the LIMP making a turn away from a railroad. The only place I know of such a turn would be looking east from the bridge over Newbridge Road in what is now Levittown. This is about a half mile from my home.

Several items in the image agree with this:

1) the turn from the LIRR (Stewart Branch) only occurs in two places: Newbridge and Dead Man’s Curve. As this is a gentle curve that rules out “dead man’s curve.”

2) The left hand side of the LIMP shows a building embankment for the Newbridge overpass. No such bridge was built at Broadway.

3) In 1908 the Pennsylvania (then owner of the LIRR) electrified the Steward line as a test track for the impending electrification of Penn Station in NYC.  These poles can be seen in an image of the Vanderbilt Race in 1908 on page 58 of “The Long Island Motor Parkway” (Arcadia) looking the other way.

Also see: http://arrts-arrchives.com/newpage1.html

The train is interesting. Looks like a work train, either installing or removing the trolley type overhead electric wire. From the timeline I would say installing.

I have no ideas about the car. It does appear loaded with several barrels, perhaps to support the LIRR work or some other inspection function. It may well be the photographer’s car.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Some of the adjacent railroad data: 

That was adjacent to the LIRR’s old Central Branch between Garden City and Farmingdale.  Here’s some info from Art Huneke’s LIRR Site Arrts-Arrchives.com.
The steam railroad chose this site to test future use of electric power on the LIRR and Pennsylvania Railroad here.  The test wires were probably being constructed in the photo in 1908.
—-
IN 1908 FIVE MILES OF TRACK EAST OF HEMPSTEAD CROSSING
WERE ELECTRIFIED WITH 11,000 VOLT A.C. CATENARY

THE TEST TRACK HAD 70 LB. RAIL WITH NEW TIES AND GRAVEL BALLAST AND WAS DIVIDED INTO ELEVEN SECTIONS.  THE FIRST AND LAST SECTIONS WERE FOR ACCELERATION AND BRAKING AND HAD WESTINGHOUSE STANDARD WOODEN POLE BRACKET CONSTRUCTION OF THE SINGLE CATENARY TYPE.
ON THE OTHER SECTIONS WERE TESTED A VARIETY OF STEEL BRACKET POLES, STEEL STRUT AND SPAN WIRE SUPPORT BRIDGES,  SINGLE AND SECONDARY CATENARY CONSTRUCTION WITH SINGLE AND DOUBLE TROLLEY WIRE.
ALSO TESTED WERE VARIETIES OF HANGERS AND STEADY STRAINS.  THE
TESTS WERE CONDUCTED FROM OCTOBER FIRST UNTIL DECEMBER FIRST.

https://www.arrts-arrchives.com/newpage1.html

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

John was a great guy to visit with - spoke with him several times at Briggs Cunningham’s museum

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Unique Watercolors Painted for Peter Helck from Fellow Artist John W. Burgess

Almost certain we’re in Levittown, descending from the Newbridge Road bridge heading east, with two LIACC hangars in the distance. The RR cars appear to be maintenance cars stopped on a siding off the mainline, with a stack of ties resting nearby. I believe this photo was taken sometime around 1930s with Levittown grandstand and press stand already taken down, and it’s an exact opposite view of Mystery foto 43 on Oct 28, 2019. Keeping my fingers crossed.
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_43_a_view_of_the_motor_parkway_in_1956

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

Brian, better make it late winter or VERY early spring; that brush “springs” up quite quickly.  How I wish I could join you.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The New Hyde Park Road Motor Parkway Bridge Abutment

I know I’m being an oodge but just WHEN was the roadway raised and (assuming I’m remembering correctly) when was if widened to its present width (i.e., almost to the mill doorsill)?  Still hoping you’ll be able to show us the actual lift.  Sam, III
___________________________________________

Howard Kroplick I

The roadbed was expanded by four feet around 1910. The entire lift last Thursday took five hours. We are working on a time-lapse video.

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

I think we’re looking east from on top of the Newbridge Road bridge in present day Levittown. The proximity to the railroad track along with the curve to the northeast seems about right. The car is probably the 1908 Buick model 10 used by the photographer employed by Spooner & Wells to document the LIMP construction. The train appears to be a work train of some type. Maybe it was delivering cement posts for the right-of-way or guard rails for the nearby curves. Since the grandstand was not far away, maybe building materials had just been dropped off.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

One would automatically guess Deadman’s Curve in Central Park (Bethpage).  However, this photo has no trees but an abundance of telephone poles which might indicate otherwise.  Possibly Salisbury area/Hempstead Plains/Stewart Ave. area looking east.  Well could also be Powell’s Avenue back in Central Park.  In any case, the train looks to be for frieght/construction material possibly hauling material to/from the brickworks further east in Bethpage. 

Since this is a construction photo, the auto had to belong to a Motor Parkway official, General Manager A.R. Pardington inspecting the progress.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

My guess is the photographer is standing on the embankment of the Newbridge Road bridge looking East. The Newbridge hotel would be directly to the photographers left but not seen in the photo. Also seen is the grandstands/press box far off in the distance.
This would be 1908 and that’s our famous photographers Buick and trusty assistant driving. I assume the train is bringing in building supplies of some sort.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: A Never Before Published Photo from the Newbridge Road Motor Parkway Bridge

I happened to come across this article from Newsday, of March 3, 1942 pertaining to Long Island Lighting’s purchase of 15 acres of Motor Parkway property from Nassau County.  I believe this would be the the southern border of the Links Golf Club.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown