Vanderbilt Cup Races

Ed Cantrell seen by the 1940 Chevy woodie was very interested in boats, too. He started a marine electrical shop when the body factory closed. I understand he gave the family archives of J.T.Cantrell Co to the Huntington Historical Society in recent years.

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

Thanks for the informative J.T. Cantrell presentation.  As a Huntington resident I’m always glad to see interesting Huntington history, especially when it relates to cars.

Ken

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

You should receive top honors down south Enjoy

From Chrysler's Chrysler Heading South in March to CCCA Meeting and Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

This is so interesting.  In about 1972, I drove to Huntington Harbor to search for what was left of the JT Cantrell company.  I met JT’s son, who owned a marine electric company near the waterfront.  He was very nice, and explained that his father had dementia and was living in a nearby nursing home.  He recommended that I would probably not enjoy meeting him; that he was very ill.  We spoke for a while, and before I left, he gave me a souvenir: a copy of the Essex Terraplane woody photo you display here.  Thanks for the memories.

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

As stated in the article, Cantrell took over the T.F. Scudder shop on Main Street in Huntington.  However, that shop was not located at Green Street.  It was east of New York Avenue (Route 110).  It was replaced by the Bank of Huntington building, which is now Bank of America.  The carriage factory at Green Street was under different ownership.
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From Howard Kroplick

Robert, thanks for the correction.

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

This is the turf of my childhood…playing on the abandoned Creedmore Spur…icing through the edges of backyards as the spur tracked west, watching the bridge get dismantled as the roads got )relatively) leveled. I live four blocks from this intersection on King Street. Our street is a historic block for the town. Our (100 year old) house was owned by the “blacksmith” of the town who also functioned as the wrought iron fence builder for John Lewis Childs, the owner of the nursery that dominated the town.
The recent sign post on Emerson Ave (streets in FP are all named after flowers, trees and …poets!) and Jericho affirms the town’s position in the great heritage of the Vanderbilt race and parkway.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park Looking Towards the LIRR Bridge

In the photo of the couple with the model T depot wagon (8th photo down) is Albert Cantrell not Joseph. Compare the features to the photo of the two brothers taken in 1950, Albert is on the right. Same man in both photographs.
Really neat to see the photographs and images Walter McCarthy supplied, thanks!
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From Howard Kroplick

Good catch! Thanks.

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

When J.T. Canterll first learned the wood working trade he came to work on L.I. by boat from Upstate NY. He sailed and paddled it himself. By 1958 there was not much call for wooden bodies. They experimented with fiberglass van bodies. One of last Cantrell family members was a lawyer. He did most of the office work to close the company and went on to be a lawyer at Chrysler in Detroit.

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

Been there; done that -long since!

http://sbiii.com/chryslr5.html#powerwgn and

http://sbiii.com/longis-3.html#liautomf

Sam, III
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From Howard Kroplick I

Sam, thanks for the links!

From Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #2: J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington Part I

Was the Wheatley Hills Sweepstakes associated with the Golf Club?  The Motor pkwy does run right through it.
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From Howard Kroplick

Brian, the 1909 sweepstakes was not associated with the golf club which was founded in 1913. Wheatley Hills referred to an area of Long Island located near Old Westbury.

From The 1909 Wheatley Hills Sweepstakes Won by Ray Harroun in a Marmon

Thanks to Eric. His photos exhibit just how well these abutments stood the test of time. Being utilized in their current manner, the employees must check the integrity of the abutments from time to time.

From For the First Time in 34 Years: Photos of the Clody Farmway Bridge in the Melville Sand Pits

This photo was taken during the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race and shows the number 16 Packard “Gray Wolf” heading north on Springfield Road (now Springfield Blvd.) in Queens Village. The driver was Charles Schmidt (who also designed the car) and the mechanician was William McIldrid. They are crossing the LIRR mainline and are about to turn right on Jamaica Avenue (Jericho Tpke.) heading east into Nassau County. This section of the course was the only time any Vanderbilt Cup Race was ever designed to run in any part of New York City.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Approaching the LIRR Crossing in Queens

1904 race
Springfield Boulevard, Queens at the railroad crossing
Driver : Charles Schmidt
Mechanician: William McIllrid
Location was one of four sharp turns on course.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Approaching the LIRR Crossing in Queens

-Identify the year of the Vanderbilt Cup Race in this photo

1904

-Identify the racer, its driver and the mechanician.

The instantly recognizable #16 Packard Gray Wolf driven by its designer Charles Schmidt, and his mechanician, William McIllrid.

-Identify the location. What was unique about this section of the course?

Railroad crossing at Springfield Avenue in Queens. the only VCR that took place in Queens. -Thanks for the assist from my wife Dee who broke the mystery photo open for me! She recognized the 1904 NYPD uniforms.

Looking forward to hearing the history from everyone on John O’ Connor and his tavern/hotel, and the ‘then and nows’!

I also later found the mystery photo on an older video starting at 6:09…

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/sunday_december_6_2009_film_the_1904_vanderbilt_cup_race_course

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Approaching the LIRR Crossing in Queens

Identify the year of the Vanderbilt Cup Race in this photo:
• 1904; however, this may be a pre-race practice run since the driver and mechanician are not wearing the helmets and goggles visible in other race photos)

Identify the racer, its driver and the mechanician:
• #16 Packard, the “Gray Wolf,” driven by Charles Schmidt with mechanician William McIllrid.

Identify the location. What was unique about this section of the course?
• The LIRR railroad crossing at Springfield Boulevard, Queens, NY. 
• This section may be unique for other reasons but it is the only section of the course outside Nassau County.

From Mystery Foto #8 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Approaching the LIRR Crossing in Queens

Fantastic! It’s been a looong time. These bridges sneer at the test of time and continue standing. I wouldn’t have been able to hold the camera steady at this engagement. A SHOUT OUT to Eric!!

From For the First Time in 34 Years: Photos of the Clody Farmway Bridge in the Melville Sand Pits

Too tough for me this week, I can’t get the close-ups to enlarge.  But here goes:
  Identify the location
Old Westbury - Albertson - Roslyn
  What year was this section part of the Vanderbilt Cup Race course?
1906 - The race went under a railroad intersection as indicated on the accompanying map to be sent Howard. 
  What year was the photo taken? Provide your rationale. 
Mid-late teens. 

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park Looking Towards the LIRR Bridge

Eastbound Jericho Tpke. in Mineola just before present day LIRR crossing and Roslyn Rd.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park Looking Towards the LIRR Bridge

I haven’t had the time to do enough research for the last few mystery photos, so I’m going to have to go with one of my knee jerk guesses again…None of which have been working out too well for me lately!

Identify the location-
Looks like the railroad bridge over Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park. I remembered an old blog entry from a while back of the location.
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/friday_october_29_2010_then_and_now_the_1904_vanderbilt_cup_race_course_in_

What year was this section part of the Vanderbilt Cup Race course?
1904

What year was the photo taken? Provide your rationale.-
Judging by the visible car and the fact that 3 color traffic signals were invented in the early 20’s, I’ll guess this was in the mid/late 20’s.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved: Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park Looking Towards the LIRR Bridge

After Dario Resta retired from racing (photo # 9) he became the New York (Manhattan) dealer for the English Sunbeam cars. Many expensive European cars were imported into the USA via the port of New York, and minus any coachwork. They had bodies designed and built here as the lack of a body on an imported car   saved a lot on import fees.

From From the Gary Faules Collection: Drivers and Race Cars from the 1915 Vanderbilt Cup Races