Vanderbilt Cup Races

  The train is westbound at Bethpage on Track1 with a manifest freight of empty
cars or a few more deliveries in on the way in to Holban Yard. The locomotive is a
Brooks 2-8-0 and it served its days from 1928 to the end of steam power in 1955.
  The LIMP traversed over the LIRR at: 1/ Williston Park over to Roslyn, 2/Bethpage in this photo and 3/ Mineola to Carle Place.  #1./ is on the Oyster Bay Branch and the others are on the main line.  The year of the photo is probably the 30;s or 40’s.
The photographer is standing on the east bound side of the railroad.

Looks like the main line travelling eastbound from the Mineola Motor Parkway Bridge. The train is engine 112 and the only other choice i would have picked for a possibility would be the Central Ave Bridge but thats on an angle so this looks like its going from Mineola to Westbury. Guessing this photo is in the late 30s or 1940s as the power line tower is next to the bridge where it still is today.

This is the Motor Parkway bridge over the LIRR Main Line east of Mineola. The photographer is looking West and the train is traveling East. The high tension tower in the distance just to the South of the tracks and adjacent to the bridge correlates to current Google Earth views of the transmission towers. Indeed, there is a current road in that area south of the tracks named Vanderbilt Dr. I am sure that is no coincidence. Steam engine 112 is a class H10 2-8-0 freight locomotive acquired by the LIRR from parent PRR between 1928 and 1930. The lack of development along the ROW suggests that the date is pre-WWII.

The LIRR crossed over the LIMP in Albertson, Mineola, and at Central Ave in Bethpage.  The LIRR crossed under the LIMP at current day Bell Blvd in Queens.  Although, I do not believe it was ever active at this location. 

All three LIRR bridges over the parkway were accompanied by the power cables we see in this picture.  In both Albertson and Mineola the power tower seems accurately placed.  In Bethpage there is a tower north of the tracks, but I feel it is too far removed from the tracks.  But more importantly these power lines in the picture cross the tracks.  In Albertson they come from the north and turn at this power tower.  To me, that makes this picture the Mineola LIRR bridge of the LIMP.  The picture being taken from near Glen Cove Rd, looking west. 

-joe o

*Location & Orientation:  PRR Steam Engine hauling freight north & possibly east along the Oyster Bay Branch. Believe the train is just north of IU Willets Rd, Albertson NY.This Branch begins north from Mineola. The LIMP overpass with the transmission tower nearby is in East Williston.

*LIMP & LIRR crossings:  Central Ave, Bethpage - Mineola - East Williston. Trolley - Broad Hollow Rd, Westbury Ave, Mineola/Willis Ave.

*Date:  I’ll say 1935.

There’s so much to enjoy with this photo. (I had a Lionel train set as a kid with a locomotive that looked like this engine).  My guess is mid-1930s.  There are so many LIRR straight-aways (still exist), so could be anywhere: Mineola line heading out past Hicksville along flat terrain of center Long Island.

I’ll stay out of this one - too much commonality of interests - without cheating.  Wild guess would be LIRR Main Line in Carle Place looking west with OCR at right.  There are few places where the LIMP crossed the LIRR at a right angle.  But I am taken by an odd detail; the height (or lack thereof) of the telephone/telegraph poles to the left of ol’ 111.  Sure seems unlikely that the flatland on either side of the RR RoW would be at differing grades.  Sam, III

I think we’re looking east on the LIRR Mainline in Mineola between Roslyn Road and Glen Cove Road. I believe that’s the only LIMP bridge that crosses over two tracks at the same time. Not sure, but I think that’s a G5-S locomotive. Since steam service ended on the LIRR around 1955, I think this photo is a little earlier, maybe the year I was born: 1947. Near as I could determine, there were 17 bridges that went over the LIMP: Creedmoor; Smith Farmway; Old Courthouse Road; Wheatley Hills “Golfway”; Jericho Turnpike (Mineola); Old Country Road; Meadow Brook Polo Club; Roosevelt Field (Sheeps Pen Road); Stewart Avenue; Carman Avenue; Jerusalem Avenue; Bloomingdale Road; Nibbe Farmway; Powell Avenue; Plainview Road; Botto Farmway; Exekiel Smith Farmway (Maxess Rd.).

I think it is a train going east into HICKSVILLE with th bridge near mineola in the background

My guess

Howard,  Great mystery photo, never saw it before. Question, on the right side of the image there is a pole. At the top there is what looks like an arrow pointing straight up. Any idea if the arrow was movable and supplied the train operator with information?

Identify the exact location of the train, the LIRR track and orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale.
The train is west of the Motor Parkway bridge but east of the Nassau Interlocking in Mineola on the LIRR Main Line.  Based on attached photos (signal 203 is shown on the north side of the tracks, and the caption on the 1978 photo indicating looking east) the electrical tower would be on the south side.  As such I would say the train is going east and the photographer is looking west - the train is on Track #1.

Identify the train. HO 112
Name all the bridges that went over the Motor Parkway.
What was the approximate year of the Mystery Foto? Provide a rationale.  1940s

Location of train - A eastbound freight on track#2 Mineola/Carle place border just
                    west of Glen Cove Rd. at westbound signal 203.  The signal is
                    20.3 miles east of the Long Island City portals.  Mineola station
                    is 19 miles east of LIC.  Eastbound signals numbers are
                    displayed in even numbers and westbound in odd.  The
                    photographer is facing west towards Mineola and looking
                    at the LIMP bridge. You can see in the photo on the south side
                    of the tracks and bridge a Lilco high tension tower.
Train - westbound freight being pulled by engine #112, a 1916 Brooks/Alco H10

All bridges over LIMP -  Vanderbilt farmway
                          Smith farmway
                          Old Courthouse
                          Wheatly Hills
                          Jericho turnpike
                          Old Country Rd
                          Roosevelt Field
                          Polo field
                          Stewart Ave
                          Carman Ave
                          Jerusalem Ave
                          Bloomingdale Rd
                          Plainview Rd
                          Botto farmway
                          Smith/ Maxess Rd
                          Ruland Rd
                          Wellwood Ave
Year of Photo - early 1940’s the installation of the Lilco tower, installed after the
                close of the LIMP.  There is a lack of buildings as compared to the
                1950 my Nassau photo.
                 
Attached Photos #1 looking south along LIMP and a view of the Lilco tower on
                    the south side of the tracks.
                  #2 looking north along LIMP toward old bridge location and
                    the Lilco tower
                  #3 photo of sister engine # 110 a 1916 Brooks/Alco

I spent most of this weekend with what little time I had looking at the twin Roosevelt Field bridges and dint leave myself any time for this one, so I’ll just guess and go off some answers from a similar mystery photo from Feb 2016, of what looks to be the same model of train.

-Identify the exact location of the train, the LIRR track and orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale.

Way off in the distance to the left of the bridge and just above the back of the train, there appears to be a very faint image of some sort of transmission antenna. I know of one near the Mineola LIRR bridge over the main line tracks, so my guess is this is down the tracks East of the bridge with the photographer looking West down the tracks. I posted a shot of the bridge coming down in the 80’s with the base of that possible tower in the removal photo. If I knew where marker ‘203’ was located, I’d have the exact spot….

-Identify the train.

Looks to be the same as the 2016 mystery photo, so the guess would be a LIRR G-5 class ( 4-6-0 ) steam engine

-Name all the bridges that went over the Motor Parkway.

If by this, the question means ‘highway bridges’ meaning the LIMP went under the crossroads, the list would be West to East;  Creedmoor bridge, Smith Farmway bridge, Old Courthouse Rd bridge, Wheatley Golfway bridge, Jericho Tpke bridge,  Old Country Rd bridge, Mayan ruins, the twin bridges at Roosevelt Field, Stewart Ave bridge, Carmen Ave bridge, Jerusalem Ave bridge, Bloomingdale Rd bridge, Nibbe Farmway bridge, Powell Ave bridge, Clody farmway bridge, Ezekiel Smith farmway bridge (Maxess)....and I think that’s all of the ‘highway’ bridges.

-What was the approximate year of the Mystery Foto? Provide a rationale.

No rationale here except that It has a similar ‘feel’ to the 2016 mystery photo and will guess the same year as that and say 1949.

There were three bridges that went over railroad tracks on the Motor Parkway’s forty-five mile run; Oyster Bay-LIRR bridge in East Williston, Mineola-LIRR bridge, and the Central Ave-LIRR bridge in Bethpage (Central Park). Almost certain this view is looking west on the Mineola line (train heading east). Sunlight shadow below the head lamp is pointing north. #112 steam just passed the Mineola-LIRR Bridge and is exactly 1/4 mile east of it at the semaphore (today there is a lighted tower in its place). It continues to ascend towards the Glen Cove Rd trestle, just 400 feet west of it. Photo was taken before 1955 when steam was replaced with diesel. This type semaphore was still being used until 1962. Looking forward to this week’s answers. I love trains!
Below:
Oyster Bay-LIRR bridge, courtesy Ron Ridolph
Mineola-LIRR bridge, courtesy Ron Ridolph
Central Ave-LIRR bridge, courtesy VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Below:
Semaphore, courtesy PBase.com
Big Boy 4-8-8-4, courtesy TrainsAreFun.com

Sam - An amazing answer without even trying! I too saw the red flags on those low poles. I’ve witnessed them before in other sections of early Long Island. Great stuff!

I convinced myself this was the Oyster Bay Branch, and apparently I’m the only one who thought so : ) lol ! A tower is next to both the Mineola & East Williston overpasses. Similar bridge designs, and both double track. Thought the train was blocking the view of the 2 towers on the east side, the 3rd tower crosses to the west side before IU Willets, the towers continue north & west side of the tracks.