Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks!

I don’t recall hearing ‘toy’ before.  But I’m used to touring cars and phaetons (I don’t know a definition, but in my experience phaeton’s tend to be more elaborate than touring cars, with some having a 2nd windshield for passengers).  FYI, my Packard 243 is a 7 passenger Touring car.

Anyone know when full size windshields became common?

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

I am under the impression the Meadow Brook (Golf) Club offered pro-bono memberships to officers at Mitchel.  Aside from being the right thing to do for our servicemen, there was no shortage of competition with other courses in the area, not the least of which were the Links at Salisbury, literally across the street on the other side of Merrick Ave. with four courses alone!  The prestige of having high ranking officers on their rolls would have been motivation enough.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, Some bits of trivia that might help. The Meadow Brook Club was established circa 1880, well before the advent of the automobile. So, I’m guessing the members for the first 20 years or so came out to the Club mostly on the CRR which was already there.  Stewart Ave was built around 1905-1907, prior to that the earlier automobilists came out by Hempstead Tpke. and or Old Country Rd., no ? The big change at the club came in 1917 when they acquired the property on the east side on the club fronting on Merrick Ave. on which a new 18 hole golf course was built replacing the 9 hole course built in 1894. I got a hunch a lot of dirt,  buildings, etc. was moved around at that time So far, unable to find anything on when the entrance roadway from Merrick Ave. was built or anything on bridges.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

The word “toy” used to describe the body was a term used in that era for a particular type of coachwork. Same as phaeton was used for a touring car later. (especially in the 1920s/30s.) Capacity and level of the style of the door line had a lot to do with it. Toy tonneau had a lower door line level, held only 4 people comfortably - other open 4 door touring cars would seat 5 ( 3 people in rear seat two up front) or 7 people ( 2 extra seats provided that folded down and were located behind the front seat, most of the times attached to it) .  A long article could be written about the nomenclature of motor car body styling over the decades . Articles in the era were written to make the readers clear of what was what and some terms were a carry over from the horse drawn coachwork to describe similar car bodies that had seen their origin on a horseless carriage.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Interesting 1903 timeline.  Presumably that bridge predates the extant trestle.  Do we know when the existing bridge/over/underpass was constructed?  I’ve never seen a cornerstone in any of the photos of it.  What became of the earlier bridge, only Alexander Stewart knows for sure.  And he’s not talking!

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Why ‘toy’?

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

This isn’t surprising. If you look at the prices of Classic and Muscle Cars at the Mecum and Barrett-Jackson auction lately they are insane! These plates are very rare and it appears that multiple buyers (probably including you Howard) wanted it. The value is just what someone is willing to pay.

From 1933 Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate sells for a record $4,434 on Ebay

Lee, The entire area on the east side of the Meadow Brook creek between Stewart Ave. and Hempstead Tpke. for the longest time was subject to “ponding” from the overflow of the creek. An article in the Feb. 7, 1870 issue of the B.D.E. states “on the west bank the ground is some 15 feet above the bed of the creek” Regarding your mention of a previous bridge….  an article in the Apr. 23, 1903 mentions “a bridge that spans the creek” Did the CRR build it ? What happened to it ?

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, based on the “1906 Atlas” map you posted above, the Meadow Brook creek RoW north of the two ponds shown, is indicated by a boundary line reaching the east side of the Club, likely requiring a bridge there for the CRR to pass over (the original “West Trestle #1”). Seems that manipulation of the creek occurred at some point to improve land use. This is also true for other points in Nassau, Queens, and the New York World’s Fair of ‘39

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Don’t know, except to say there were sources of water in the area adjacent to the trestle.  Water tends to find the lowest point.  As I recall, they had to make a minor adjustment of the route of Meadow Brook Creek to accommodate construction of the Parkway in that area.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Lee, I don’t think the Parkway needed any fill from outside sources. Check Greg’s post of the McCamish family photos of April 18, 2020. The first photo is of the Lodge, the view is to the east. Note the grade level on the left ( north) side of the photo, it is much higher than the grade level of the ROW and the lodge. My gut tells me once the height of the bridge over Merrick Ave was determined, the Parkway wanted the Lodge at the same grade level as the bridge for several reasons. Can you imagine what the grade of the Parkway entrance from Merrick Ave. would have been if they didn’t lower the grade level of the lodge…. I’m guessing about 10 feet. I wonder how far back west and south the Parkway went lowering the grade.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

When I first stumbled upon the CRR trestle in 1971, I recall there being a fairly deep gully on the South side of it.  My suspicion is that this may not have been a natural occurrence and resulted from the build up of grading for the Parkway.  Last I saw the gully, it was full of leaves.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

The cute, little 3 year old Marion Spooner, Frank Spooner’s daughter.

From Vintage Motorsport: Candid Cameras- The story behind Nathan Lazarnick and F. Ed Spooner

Frank, The Meadow Brook Club didn’t have access from Stewart Ave. until they acquired property north of Stewart Ave. in late 1929/early 1930 and built the new polo fields. At the same time the Club acquired a strip of land from Stewart Ave. south ( part of which I think is today’s Endo Blvd.), to the CRR.  This tract was used primarily by the polo ponies to and from the stable area and the new fields. Knowing the grade level of the CRR at that point, I’m guessing the Club built an underpass at the time ???

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Gary & Lee, My comment about the underpass… it appears from the two top photos of the bridges it wasn’t necessary to excavate under the CRR to construct the road from Merrick Ave. to the interior of polo grounds. The area around the underpass on both sides of the CRR is at the same level as the road surface. Also, it appears as if the CRR was built on fill thru that area, so in reality… the CRR ended up in “bridging” the polo grounds roadway.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Possibly Henry Austin Clark Jr driving what resembles a 1904 Mercedes at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum??? Photo appears to be looking west.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Just speculating but I always thought of the east access road as the service entrance for horses’ arrival to the Club, and the west access road as the main entrance from Stewart Ave.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

The driver appears to be Henry Austin Clark jr. ...................

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Fascinating story.  I have many of their photos of Walter Christie’s automobiles.  Another good photographer of the period was Ted Hansom, I believe.

From Vintage Motorsport: Candid Cameras- The story behind Nathan Lazarnick and F. Ed Spooner

Mystery Foto #6… I want to believe that that is Henry Austin Clark in a 1912 Simplex 50 Toy Tonneau but I don’t know the location.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970