Vanderbilt Cup Races

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

The car is a1908 Buick that also shown on the cover of The Long Island Motor Parkway cowrote by Howard and Al Velocci, photo taken in Sept.1908.

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

It looks like the curve is in present-day Levittown, with the photographer just east of Newbridge Road, looking east. Rationale: Acres and acres of empty land, and further down the road, it curves again, to the right, which would be in the vicinity of present-day Orchid Road.

The car looks like a Renault (although the picture is fuzzy so it’s hard to tell). This very website has reported that Willie K. was a big fan of the Renault racecar and requested the manufacturer to build smaller versions of the car for him and his friends (http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/willie_ks_cars_6_the_1907_renault_vanderbilt_racer). o could that be the man himself?

The train looks like it’s loaded with prefab buildings, so I’m guessing that it was used to move lodges to the parkway.

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

Images of Kawika Sylva have been added.

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

Thanks Sam III, that’ll be a location to check out in early spring.

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

This is so bitterly frustrating, I could cry; my LIMP page 10 covered this in detail and ALL the pix, from 06 Jun 2001, are lost so there’s nothing to post - GAHHH!  However, here’s a glimmer.  I was able to recover two blurry thumbnails captioned as follows: “Then, crossing the NSP on LR S/B and swinging L onto Marcus Avenue and entering NSP E/B and getting off at the very next exit for New Hyde Park Road S/B but stopping about half way up the ramp on the N side just past the guard rail (you can easily see where; there isn’t much choice where to pull off), I did what I could to document the remanent abutment (it really is more like a wing wall than an abutment); the first two photos show it under all the trees and poison ivy (lots of that!), and where it peters out into the ground at the far right center, just beyond the last branch” (first pic.) and “Here’s a close-up of the last bit under that branch and another view of the top of the wall” (second pic.) .  It ain’t much but all I could extract (so far).  As far as I know, all that remanent structure should still be there, under the brush on the north side of the north guard rail on the S/B off ramp to New Hyde Park Road (red line on third pic).  Sam, III

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

Looks like the car is heading away from us eastbound toward Levittown from the Newbridge Road Bridge, as it seperates from the RR Central Line and meanders northeast to Pintail lane section and the grandstand in the distance. Since the road looks freshly poured it may be the surveyor photographing parts here and there in his Buick.  Have no idea what the train was pulling but it looks like temporary shelters with a chimney and a window, building materials and some railroad ties.

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

Also, at LNP/Union intersection, in 1931/2, in other photos from this series that featured the bridge in the background, there was a large pile of stones/concrete on all four corners and the same long, iron pieces at all four corners of that intersection.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #11 Little Neck Road Motor Parkway Bridge in Queens

Al is correct. That must be Shiloah at LNP. That cross street (with the sign too small to read) is way to close to the bridge to be Union at LNP.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #11 Little Neck Road Motor Parkway Bridge in Queens

I took shots of that in 1969.  You can still see it when you leave eastbound exit off Northern State for New Hyde Park Road south.  Exit straight part is using LIMP right of way on west side of NHP Road.

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

Thanks for the confirmation, Mark!

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