Vanderbilt Cup Races

Stan- I have personally looked for your Dad’s helmet, but have not had luck as there are dozens and dozens of Cromwell helmets. The Himes family and I would love to return it to you and your family. Would you have a photo of it possibly, or maybe a description and I can look again?

From Update 10/11/25:Today: Saturday, October 11, 2025: The Himes Estate and Racing Museum Auction

Fascinating article! What a great piece of Queens history! Sure glad I didn’t live in one of those houses that border the track. That must have been noisy.

From InstaGRAM Report: Long Island's Lost Dexter Park Raceway

Here’s images of the Trolley Trestle, The last image shows the abandoned East Ramp of the Trestle. Some time after 1930 I guess.

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

Hi Al, There was a quite impressive Trolley Bridge/Trestle that needed to span over the Oyster Bay Branch. Built on each side of Searing Ave in Mineola in 1909. You’ll see some images of the trestle, trolley map, and some info about the construction.I obtained this information from an online book about Trolleys on Long Island. Don’t know how to attach the web link here, so I sent you an email with the website. I marked in red the Motor Pkwy locations - Westbury Avenue & Willis Ave.

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

Dexter Park—-pretty cool I never heard of the place’ From the look of some of the cars it appears to be a track that locals raced their street cars on sort of like drag racing but oval racing has just too many crunches to be an affordable pastime or sport plus the track like most race tracks of the day did not have enough spectator safety fencing and barriers.

From InstaGRAM Report: Long Island's Lost Dexter Park Raceway

Dexter Park—-pretty cool I never heard of the place’ From the look of some of the cars it appears to be a track that locals raced their street cars on sort of like drag racing but oval racing has just too many crunches to be an affordable pastime or sport

From InstaGRAM Report: Long Island's Lost Dexter Park Raceway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Tuesday May 30, 1911.  First Indianapolis 500.  Cars were started in order of entry.  The numbers were assigned in order of entry.  Each car must time at least 75 mph for a quarter mile flying start.  The cars in the photo are in turn one on lap one of the Indy 500.  #17 is Charles Basle driving a Buick.  He finished 34th with mechanical issues.  #18 is Eddie Hearne driving a Fiat.  He finished 18th.  #19 is Harry Grant driving a Alco.  Grant finished 33rd with bearing problems.  #20 is Charley Merz driving a National.  Merz finished 7th.  #20 is Howard Wilcox is driving a National.  He finished 14th.  Grant won the Vanderbilt Cup race 1909 and 1910.  Grant drove a Lozier in the 1911 Vanderbilt race.  He started first and finished 4th.  Interesting to note that each car carried a 12 inch disc on the rear end of the car with the car number.  The disc was colored.  One color for cars 1-10, another color for cars 11-20 and so on.

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

I donated my Dad’s helmet. Cromwell helmet. Stan Crowley Jalopy Champion Islip Speedway 1959. Like to see if I can get it back. Thank you

From Update 10/11/25:Today: Saturday, October 11, 2025: The Himes Estate and Racing Museum Auction

Brian, Your comments about the trolley line, any idea how the trolley line reached Willis Avenue, Did they bridge the Oyster Bay Line of the LIRR. ?

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

Thank you Gary for giving me a head start on E.H. Brown and James for your informative and interesting comments about you and your grandfather’s connections to the Motor Parkway.  I’m always glad to receive additional information about my posts.

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

Howard, I’ll be there, possibly with one of my sons. Thanks for rescheduling.
Rog

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

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