Vanderbilt Cup Races

A softball!

The entrance/exit ramps for the Rocky Hill Road lodge looking west. The Rocky Hill/Springfield Blvd bridge in the distance.
Below was the same location when Dee and I walked the Queens section in April.

From Mystery Foto #43 Solved: A 1996 of the Entrance and Exit Ramps to Springfield Boulevard at the Rocky Hill Lodge Site

David’s 1949 topo map (below) reveals the original bridge already removed (1944+), and shows space for a future straight bridge (just to the north) that will eventually be installed over Bell Blvd, to continue the bike path. It’s possible the bikeway in this construction site, was closed for up to 6 years to complete the modifications. I don’t believe the construction took that long, not in NYC. Any input is welcomed here.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

I see it now, Frank. My B image is viewing TO THE NORTH. There’s also the tree right next to the east abutment in the A image. The tree is on the opposite side of the bridge in B image. Now I need to flip my brain around : )

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Wow!! Super job cleaning up this photo-of-the-year. Approaching the Motor Parkway entrance with all signs in plain sight. NOW the parkway entrance is clearly visible!

One problem with the contract though. If the sign was installed 500 feet west of the MP entrance, it could not be located 800 feet east of North Hempstead Tpke (Booth Memorial Ave) as stated, more like 1500+ feet east of NHT. I wonder how that issue was corrected/resolved?

Lots of changes soon to come in this Pre WWII photo. With the world soon entering the war, Motor Parkway’s closure in four years, Nassau Blvd to transform into Horace Harding Blvd in preparation for the 1939-40 World’s Fair, the “Wizard of Oz” in color in five years. 

Mitch - The structure resembles a service station with three bay doors, the center door being blocked by a tanker truck. A great location to fuel up before heading out to Ronkonkoma. I guess it was tucked in that far off the roadway as to not encroach in the city’s 160’ RoW

Spectacular photo Howard!

From The Motor Parkway Billboard on Horace Harding Boulevard in 1934

Brian, in photo B above the CRR bridge was missing some railings and hazardous to cross by bike.

In David’s 1949 topo the CRR is indicated in pencil as “deeded”.

I’m guessing the plan to clean up this area and to construct the new overpass over Bell Blvd included the City’s purchase of this CRR segment, and wasn’t completed until the early ‘50s. Any thoughts folks?

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Top photo - CRR looking south from LIMP, 31Oct1928

Mid photo - CRR looking south at 75 Av’s stone wall barrier, 31Oct1928

Bottom photo - CRR looking north from Hollis Ct Blvd, 31Oct1928

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Thanks Chris for your comment - glad you enjoy these historical perspectives. 

And Sam, yes you might be right!

From Kleiner's Korner: The Little Known (until now) 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver: Howard Gill

Brian, photo B I believe is in opposite direction of photo A. According to the caption, photo B is with north up. Love these pics, the only photos of the bridge so far. I found more photos of the dirt CRR RoW underneath. Will post them later…..

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Frank, David - All this talk about the bridge sent me back to a past mystery foto. As much as I liked the photo, it was taken up so close that it was difficult to see beneath the bridge. Dated 1944, so likely prior to the building of the straight bike path & bridge over Bell Blvd today?? Do the below marked images look right to you?? Kudos on making out CAUTION on the bike path, David.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

I still don’t know why the school couldn’t have built an entrance and a parking lot off of Stewart avenue. There seems to plenty of property on the north side of the avenue. It’s amazing how both Nassau & Suffolk Counties don’t really care about the historical significance of the motor pkwy.I live in Queens county and that 3 mile portion of the LIMP is maintained and preserved for so many decades. Keep fighting Howard. Regards, Gene Perry

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

David, I see your point. The 1949 Topo also places Creedmoor Pkwy (Stewart Rd) directly in the center of the former CRR RoW, while Kingsbury Av today did get its slight bend northward as indicated.

The Topo however is missing key elements to help determine exact location of the original bridge, but allows estimation of its placement. I’m getting the bridge slightly to the east of Bell Blvd center, and the Wigmore map even more to the east.

I zoomed out of the 1951 aerial (photo below).
The CRR’s north and south RoW boundaries can be seen in white (Peck Av to the south, Underhill Av to the north). In various sections in Queens, Peck and Underhill follow the RoW. The line I had indicated earlier likely the center of RoW that had not yet been filled by overgrowth. 

The inaccurate tiling of online aerial photography, including NYC’s 1924 11C, has been an issue and need compensation for more accuracy when overlaying maps. I only use aerial photography and find their results more accurate than using maps.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Great shots! Anyone know what the structure was on the left? Looks a little like a service station.

From The Motor Parkway Billboard on Horace Harding Boulevard in 1934

While I share your sentiment, Frank - you can’t directly blame Josato.  As they had done with the property they had owned off of Crocus Lane, they sold the Heron Lane property n 2016 to the same developer they had sold the Crocus Lane site. The last time, 4 homes were built (2 with extremely oversized lots).  This time there will be 9 homes.  And both Josato and the new developer have been Motor Parkway friendly, at least in terms of permitting a few of us amateur historians to get on the property to look around.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Thank you Frank for pointing out the curve, and yes, my blue box should have more overlapped my Steward Road label. I think the 1949 Topographical (not Topographic as I wrote) Bureau from 1949 clearly shows the Central ROW across the former LIMP and Bell Blvd.

CREEDMOOR (Parkway) is defined by black dashed lines. The red lines define the future Stewart Rd. The Central RR ROW is the dot-and-dashed lines, the northern side of which has been highlighted by a green pencil. There is a slight bend in the green pencil line as it meets the former LIMP ROW (also highlighted in green), but the southern side has no bend. In any case, the original overpass must have fallen inside this ROW, thereby crossing the modern Bell Blvd. Note the (proposed) replacement overpass on this map.

Fred, I suspect the line you noted in the 1951 aerial is the southern edge of the ROW, if the line is related to the ROW. Taking a second look at the aerial, I notice a parallel construction path to the north that is separated by that line by a grove of trees. The two lines together likely define the ROW.

I have also posted a Wigmore Land Company map that shows the the ROW. The trace of the northern edge of Peck Ave bends inside the LIMP, at a point clearly north of the Bell crossing. This map shows how Hillside Park became part of Cunningham Park and a part of Busby Ave, shown on the infamous 1922 Hagstrom’s map, that was built. (Busby Ave can be seen about to be erased in the 1951 aerial picture.)

The 1909 Bromley Queens map shows an unequal widening of the ROW in the area that Fred circled. The north side of that widening is consistent to the northern edge green pencil bend in the 1949 survey map that makes the ROW edges non-parallel at that point. The unequal widening makes it hard to tell visually exactly where the finish of the railroad curve was.

Thanks to Fred, I have discovered NYCityMap segment 11c is presented incorrectly, shifted to the SW relative to the street map on the site. If uncorrected, that shift would make it seem that original bridge was not over Bell.

As a final(?) word, look at Howard’s bridge series #4 post dated 11 Aug 2011. The abutment seen matches well to detail that can be seen in segment 11c in the area that Fred circled, if viewed at maximum magnification. The first photo in “2011 Current Views” of that post shows remains of Peck Ave pavement on both sides of the path as well as the original LIMP angling off, as I tried to describe in my earlier post. Howard and Al found TWO things when they explored that area in July 2011!

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

Al, after doing some research for the mystery photo, I did come across a few articles that did state it was obsolete before even put into production, so I’m right there with you in my surprise as well. As far as the range goes, those darn Canadians have always been a threat to our national security with all those moose and beavers they have there, so maybe there was such a plan for a bombing raid in 1929. I’m actually a dual Canadian and American citizen, so I may have to get up to Ottawa to look into this possibility further.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway

Art, Greg,  Regarding your comments on the number of Condor B-2 bombers built. I’m surprised that beyond the testing prototype, that any were built at all. It did have a couple of innovations, it was the first of it’s type in that it was of all metal construction, no wood at all. Secondly, powered by two 600 HP engines, at the time it was the only aircraft of its type that could function at near full capability on just one engine.  But why did the Army Air Force purchase any at all ? They had a range of only 350 miles or so. So who were they suppose to bomb ?  .....Canada ?..... Mexico ?  Thirdly, the plane was equipped with water cooled engines with a water tank over each engine and a third tank centrally located above the two. This tank was a backup which could supply water to either engine in an emergency.  We are talking about a lot of water weight.      At the time other aircraft manufacturers were concentrating on and developing lighter and simpler air cooled engines                                     The B-2 Condor did have another unique feature. Look at the photo of the cockpit area. there are 2 seats….but only one wheel !!!.  The wheel is mounted on a single post between the 2 seats with a mechanism that allows the wheel to pivot in front of either seat. The plane had a crew of five, one pilot, three gunners and a bombardier who was positioned in front and below the pilot. In the event the pilot could not operate the aircraft the bombardier would move into the vacant seat, pivot the wheel in front of him,  and take control of the aircraft. For those who build model planes, every now and then a kit for the B-2 appears on EBAY, I think the manufacturer is a Polish company.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway

Disturbing Josato LIMP desecration underway with the back hoe lurking about in the shadows. This 0.83 mile stretch would’ve better served as a greenway for the community to thrive and enjoy

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

I have VIN 5S08C717xxx.
Does this sequence code 717xxx make sense?
I thought pre production cars #’s didn’t get that high?
Any comments would be appreciated.

From One of the Three Known Existing 1963 Pre-Production Mustangs Sold for $192,500 by Barrett-Jackson

What with the pandemic and politics and LIMP losses, this gets really discouraging!  Lotsa talk here (including great ideas) but what are the other readers doing?  I repeat, “I hope everyone writes to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR at The Garden City News as Rikki M. suggests, directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)”.  I already did.”  What else can I (now an off-Islander) and our other blog readers do?  Sam, III

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Mystery Foto #42… The plane is a Curtiss B2 Condor. Curtiss Aeroplane Motor Corp. did have a plant in Garden City and a field on Long Island where they were manufacturing JN-4 Trainers, Curtiss Hydroplanes and OX-5 engines. See attached photos of The B-2 Condor, info about the Curtiss plant AND a photo of a Free Flight Scale rubber powered model of the Condor that a friend of mine has built. I too build Free Flight Scale models of planes from all eras of aviation.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway