I was wondering if anyone knows the status of what was once August Belmont's private car, the Mineola, that he used to show people around the IRT. I know that the body was found in a farmer's field back in the 70's and is now at the Shore line trolley museum in Connecticut (ex Branford museum) where they have been trying to restore it for years. I was wondering if anyone knew the current status of it, I can't find any indication on the website how far they have come (or not). I suspect it is not complete, given the cost of restoration and the probably lack of party, but I am curious.

And if you want to watch fights between passionate transportation enthusiasts, you have to see some of the forums I ran across while trying to find out the above. These guys were practically ready to throw each other on a third rail debating whether as often rumored, Belmost used the Mineola to go to Belmont racetrack via LIRR tracks via an interconnect at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn (which as far as I know actually did exist, some parts of the subway were built to be big enough to handle standard railroad cars during the dual contract days, and one footnote in one of the books said that interconnect had been built with that in mind, and was taken out around 1916. But they were ready to come to blows when someone tried to make a logical argument that it had to have happened (there is no proof, in photos or written accounts, of him actually doing that)..

Which actually would raise questions, in 1904 was the LIRR electrified, and if so could the mineola run on it? Or would it need to be pulled their if in fact it did go there?

Last I saw it, it was sitting in a car barn at Shorline - didn't look like anything had been done with it.

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Which actually would raise questions, in 1904 was the LIRR electrified, and if so could the mineola run on it? Or would it need to be pulled their if in fact it did go there?

The first line to have been electrified on the LIRR was the Rockaway Beach Line which ran over Jamaica Bay to Rockaways and today, the route followed by the A train service. The first Electric trains operated from the then new Flatbush Ave terminal to the Rockaways in 1905. The LIRR had a group of electric mu cars known as Gibbs Cars. These were somewhat like the cars initially operated by the IRT for Subway service starting in 1904. When the IRT subway was extended to Brooklyn in 1908 I believe, a connecting track was established between the IRT tunnels and the LIRR at Flatbush Ave. So there was an electrified LIRR for the Belmont's "Mineola" to be operated on however the IRT and the LIRR never established any joint revenue service at this location.

Prior to electrification, The LIRR and the the Brooklyn Union Elevated railroad, established two connections in Brooklyn in 1898 to allow steam powered trains of both companies to operate Rockaway service with Manhattan connections. The Fifth Ave El in Brooklyn connected with the LIRR at Flatbush ave and these trains used the Fifth ave El through the Sands Street terminal in downtown Brooklyn and contined over the Brooklyn Bridge to Park Row in Manhattan, accross from City Hall. This service was suspended in 1904 and not restablished once the LIRR line to Flatbush Ave was electrified.

The Second connection established in 1898 was with the Jamaica Ave. El at Chestnut Street in East New York. Again, both companies operated the steam powered service from the Broadway Ferry in Brooklyn to the Rockaways over this route. In 1906, this service was electrified and when the Williamsburg Bridge opened in 1908, the service was extended over the bridge to Delancy Street in Manhattan and eventually to Chambers street at City Hall in Manhattan. This service stopped in 1917.

The Mineola is at Shore Line, but no work of consequence
has been done yet. One day, if someone with deep pockets
comes along, and enough volunteers make themselves available,
the project could begin. But at present, there are more pressing
issues facing the limited staff.

If more folks actually gave a few days a year, rather than ask
what someone else has done, work would be completed much more quickly.

Why not consider giving a few days to the museum? We have several members
from the New York-New Jersey area who come up almost every week. Others
from such far away places as Georgia and California come to Connecticut
and give perhaps a week of their time to the museum's efforts.

Note that Shore Line Trolley Museum is 4 words, just as the Shore Line Electric Railway was.

Lee