Anybody Remember Back When?

[ovrszd]

Originally Posted by 2LaneCruzer

It was also so the customer could see and verify that he was getting what he was paying for. Apparently, there was some paranoia going around those days

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I would not call it paranoid, how else would they have metered it.
The totalizing flow meter was not in existence, the glass jug with gallon markings made an easily visible and verifiable method of purchasing a liquid commodity. A simple hand pump to fill the measuring jug and simple gravity feed to the purchaser. Easy, simple, and reliable.

I didn't say they were paranoid, it was the standard method of measurement and the customer was able to physically see it. Winning situation.

Paranoia was what came next with the pump recording the volume while the impeller rotated in the glass globe in sight of the customer!!!

 

[blacklion66]

Large equipment like bulldozers and shovels had Pony Engines for starting motors and attachments were cable operated rather than hydraulic. Start the pony and get it warmed up, popped the clutch and turned over the main engine until it started, usually had to give it a whiff of ether. Then warmed up the main engine and get to work. Sometimes an hour process. Cold days created a new problem, multi viscosity oils were not made yet. First thing start a fire under the engine to warm up the oil and water, a tarp over it speeded up the warm up, then go through the start up process. This could be 2 hour process. Sent the flunky out to do the warm up while we sat in the warm shed/tent and drink coffee. When I enlisted in the Seabees in 1954 we were still using some those.

Ron

Nice to meet someone older than I. Dad had a small sawmill when I was a kid and as I was always underfoot I know
of what you speak. Somewhere I have a photo of me & Dad with a big old steam tractor he used to power his mill with in the early 30's

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Is that the same as "drip" gas; i.e. condensate from the natural gas lines? I remember Dad saying he used to collect it and burn it in his old Star automobile. There was a gas line running through Grand Dad's property, but it was all under ground. Wonder where he got it?

Yes it is a condensate recovered from natural gas from the well head to transportation lines. It is found many places in the processing of oil and NG. They sold it cheap to get rid of it as back then it was a waste product like hydrogen. Another name was "natural gasoline". It was not processed any further except to remove the water. This info is second and third hand so it could be bogus. Have no idea what they do with it today. Where are our TX oil men?

Ron

 

[dragoneggs]

Thank you to you ole 'geezers' for making me feel young again! :laughing:

I learned a few things here about pony engines and 'bunt' plugs. Thought that was a misspelling. :ashamed:

I'm in the same era as Moss I think. I can remember gas in the mid or higher thirties and my mom collected all of our glassware from the local Gulf station. Friday night gas up on our way to the cabin my dad built. While they 'serviced' our station wagon, my sister and I ran across the street to spend our allowance we were just handed. I spent it on football cards and tootsie rolls... the big ones. Either was 5 cents.

 

[oosik]

As a kid in the 50's, I was fairly restricted by my parents. We never went to the drive-in hamburger joint. Both my parents though food prepared at home was much better for me. I was only allowed to have candy at very special occasions - and very little then. When the family rode together in the car - kids were to remain silent. Heck, it was that way, all the time. A child never spoke unless asked a direct question. Us kids would leave the parents in the living room - sneak into another room where we would talk to each other in whispers. There was never any yelling or shouting in the house. You always used your "inside" voice.

First day after school let out - mom would buy me a new pair of Levis & high top tennis shoes. They had, darn well, better last all summer. I ran around most of the summer bare foot.

Us kids knew exactly when each meal was prepared every day. Better be home & washed up or - no meal. We were NEVER allowed to have a carbonated beverage of any kind. There was water & milk.

We knew when the parents said something - that would be the very first/last time the parents would tell us. We darn well better do EXACTLY as told.

On EXTREMELY RARE occasions, as a kid, the phone call was for me. My dad would grill the caller - who was this, what do you want to speak to Johnny for/about. If the caller passed the grilling, and remained on the line - I was always told - "keep it short".


Heck - in those days - even the parents were not as "liberated" as the kids are today.

Do I remember back when???? H**L YES - a tour in Alcatraz would be hard to forget, also.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yep,that was the primary purpose. It worked even in stations without electricity.

We farmed outside Craigmont, Idaho from 1939 to mid 50s. REA (rural Electric Authority - IIANM) didn't come through the country until about 1948 and th ere were stationst still using the handpump then.

We had three stations in our little one horse town; I suppose because they serviced not only the population of the town...maybe a few hundred, but the surrounding farmers. We had a Co-op and a Texaco, and a small independent that had the hand pumps. He was elderly, and had operated the station for many years. This was about 1953 to 1957. He sold enough gas to stay in business, and us high school guys would fill up there just for the fun of pumping the gas into the jug.

 

[jerrybob]

We had three stations in our little one horse town; I suppose because they serviced not only the population of the town...maybe a few hundred, but the surrounding farmers. We had a Co-op and a Texaco, and a small independent that had the hand pumps. He was elderly, and had operated the station for many years. This was about 1953 to 1957. He sold enough gas to stay in business, and us high school guys would fill up there just for the fun of pumping the gas into the jug.

Those were the days...I remember 29.9 a gallon. Had a 58 chevy….my two buddies and I would pull into a station and everybody would empty their change...end up getting like $1.31 worth of gas....heck...we'd run a couple nights on that! I have a gas pump outside my shop...it only goes up to 99.9.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just before self serve showed up, the norm was a two bay service station. You would drive over the bell hose and the owner or mechanic would stop what he was doing, wipe his hands on the rag in his back pocket, fill you up, check the oil and wash your windows.

 

[MossRoad]

Just before self serve showed up, the norm was a two bay service station. You would drive over the bell hose and the owner or mechanic would stop what he was doing, wipe his hands on the rag in his back pocket, fill you up, check the oil and wash your windows.

What's this "service station" you speak of?

:laughing:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Those were the days...I remember 29.9 a gallon. Had a 58 chevy….my two buddies and I would pull into a station and everybody would empty their change...end up getting like $1.31 worth of gas....heck...we'd run a couple nights on that! I have a gas pump outside my shop...it only goes up to 99.9.

What a small world...we did the same thing! On Saturday nights if we didn't have a date, the guys would go to town, pool their change, buy a couple bucks worth of gas and go to the drive in in Enid. Fifty cents to get in to the movie, a coke and a hamburger was about fifty cents also if I remember correctly.