Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks. Great info The road was asphalt with a lot of holes. I remember also a lot of sand. In the holes and along the road. In fact, I got my first road rash on this road, heading east on a friend’s Honda Trail 70. As I approached the end, the sand became deeper and binded the front wheel I spilled onto a mix of road and sand. The other end, I believe ended with woods. I’d guess this was around 1978-9. I also explored the slaughterhouse and church and of course, Drac’s Castle on Commack road.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Art - Thank you for your dedication and accomplishment receiving these FOIL documents. 400+ for this small area alone is amazing! I look forward to seeing them at our next meeting. The first survey has headings written all over it ensuring precise location(s), including a “triangular” monument installed in the southbound left lane somewhere, indicating the precise location where the LIMP eastbound curve once started. The only problem locating this small engraved object on the roadway is the 60+ mph traffic whizzing by. We’ll have to temporarily close the left lane to observe. Maybe someday, but for now I’ll stick with the old aerials. Great stuff guys and always something to learn here.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documenting the Motor Parkway in Relation to the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway

Brian, the SOB area they provided me went a bit north and then down south to the cloverleaf at Hempstead Turnpike.  Also many of the docs were very detailed construction plans regarding abutments, drainage, materials needed (even down to seeding and fertilizing).  Not being an engineer, they didn’t mean much to me!

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documenting the Motor Parkway in Relation to the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway

That’s a great photo, DJ. I’m no expert,but going by the size and canopy over the top, I’d say this was a 5 Ton Alco.

From Alco Trucks and the First Transcontinental Delivery

Thanks Frank. Suffolk County LRV has several years of old aerials compared to Nassau County’s few. You’ll enjoy the latest blog here ( Art’s Foil Request ).

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

I’ll deem these “works of art” : ) Enjoy how detailed the surveys are. They figured the Nibbe Bridge was railroad, boundary fence posts are noted, etc. These surveys and the Google map are alike. 400 pages for just this area, whew!

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documenting the Motor Parkway in Relation to the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway

Great maps Brian! I’ve overlooked the 1962, actually revealing the “before and after” effect DURING construction. Love all the cross-referencing. Can we get something similar for Rt 135 in Bethpage? I think we’ve all tried that already. There’s always something new to learn here.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

What’s with the Hayes roof line to the left of the northwest gable?  Is it really that saggy or is these artefacts of the pix?  Not saggy - see attached street view.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: A 1944 View of the Central Avenue/LIRR Motor Parkway Bridge in Bethpage

Hi Tony, I grew in Brentwood too. The few maps below shows the changing of the area after the LIE was built. The road you remember was the original LIMP. You won’t see the maps via ‘more recent comments’, only on this blog. You’ll see what I mean.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

The building to the right, correctly identified by someone as the former “Hayes Inn,” was home to Central Parks (Bethpage) first movie theatre, roller rink, and in the 1930s-1960s a well known brothel (according to men much older than me and now gone).

From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: A 1944 View of the Central Avenue/LIRR Motor Parkway Bridge in Bethpage

I enjoy viewing the images of the OBVR bridge over the years. Amazing clean up work by the LIMPPS back in 2011!

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article_2011/heavy_equipment_crews_visits_the_old_bethpage_motor_parkway_bridge

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #12 Bethpage #3

Hi Tony - I believe you had found the LIMP while biking back then! It was once located just south of the LIE service road eastbound (see photo below). About what year were you biking there and in what condition was the roadway concrete in? Last year (2018) Brian McCarthy, Frank Mendyk, and I set out to explore the area south of the service road but found just one small piece of LIMP roadway containing trap rock. There was also a large collection of concrete dumping that I believe was unrelated. The cloverleaf interchange just to the west was also examined with no findings of the LIMP there.
Here is a link to the full map.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1396j0_672hYkvbcNFJInbc1mXNJspD9f&usp=sharing

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

As I grew up in Brentwood and spent a Lot of my childhood exploring Pilgrim State and riding Mini bikes / Dirt bikes throughout, I find this type of stuff fascinating. As I read this blog, I was reminded of a very old road that used to continue back alongside the L.I.E. behind where the parking ride is. Could this road been part of LIMP? It’s long gone since the building of the ramps and the parking ride but, possibly could still be in the overgrown area.  I recall it ending in a lot of sand as you approached east towards Wicks Road.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

I’m stumped on this one. So with no support and just a guess, I’ll say Bob Burman and most likely with his mechanician Howard Hale during the 1910 VCRaces.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Wagner and Louis Vivet in the 1905 #6 Darracq

Thank YOU, Frank; you’re very welcome.  Many of the 2,200 missing images on my site are old LIMP pix; if I ever manage to extract them from old hard drives and JAZ cartridges, we’ll have a field day!  Sam, III

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #12 Bethpage #3

Mystery Foto #39, Correction…
This is to correct a typo in the answer I sent in an earlier comment. Next to last sentence should read…
“I believe that this is the 1906 race because Wagner had other mechanicians when he competed in 1905 and other years of the cup race.”

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Wagner and Louis Vivet in the 1905 #6 Darracq

Great photos of OBVR on your site Sam. Thanks!

From Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #12 Bethpage #3

Batman & Robin?

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Wagner and Louis Vivet in the 1905 #6 Darracq

This is like trying to identify The Lone Ranger with his mask on but I’ll try to connect the dots anyway. Since this photo is from the Helck collection, and since Peter Helck did some artwork picturing the 1906 V.C. Races, which driver/mechanician pair had decent moustaches in 1906? I’m guessing Gustave Caillois and Marcel Pouxe who were part of the Thomas Flyer team. Maybe the photo was taken on the grounds of Krug’s Hotel in Mineola, which was the Thomas Flyer headquarters.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Wagner and Louis Vivet in the 1905 #6 Darracq

Dunno about the clown in the duster with a fake mustache but that masked man in the rubber poncho is clearly Christopher Reeve - er, I mean Willie K. - look at that hairdo!  Antique car afficionadoes (not I) should easily identify the car by that odd lever in the foreground.  These blog posts so enliven Sunday afternoons (even with that strange, low, green thing somehow named for Australian bushfood)!  :·)  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Wagner and Louis Vivet in the 1905 #6 Darracq