Old gas stations

[2jakes]

Wine stop.

 

[LizzieMaine]

He's out of motor oil, too.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Looks like they're digging someone out from under that streetcar.

Rob

 

[tonyb]

Nice to see a Corvair, which got an awful rep thanks to Ralph Nader. But the Corvair was a rear-engined car, and was air-cooled like the VW Bug; so what's the deal with the radiator? It looks like it was propped there for the pic -- the hood couldn't close with the radiator in place.

Damn near died in a Corvair, a '66 Monza version, when I got T-boned on the driver's side by an uninsured clown who ran a stop sign. Spent that night and the next 11 in the hospital.

 

[Fading Fast]

In the street car pic above, notice the "Spick and Span" store of some kind or another. Wonder if it was related to the origins of the cleaner (I know the cleaner today spells its name "Spic..." but that stuff can evolve) or just a small store of some kind using a common phrase?

Same pic - is that "Wine" sign early neon?

In Jake's second picture, what's with the "?" price?

And in the third pic - RE motor oil, good one Lizzie.

 

[2jakes]

Can you spot one big detail on the 2nd photo?

 

[Benzadmiral]

View attachment 85900

Rob

Anything New Mexico catches my attention, so I looked up Glenrio. It's a ghost town now, but existed straddling the NM-TX line for a number of years: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-glenrio.html The site says, "A post office was first established on the New Mexico side of the community, but, the mail arrived at the railroad depot located on the Texas side." I guess this pic must be of the post office they mention. However, they also say, "There were no bars on the Texas side of the community, since Deaf Smith County was dry, and no service stations on the New Mexico side because of that state's higher gasoline tax." But this appears to be both a bar and a service station, and (if the post office is any clue) on the NM side.

 

[BlueTrain]

Damn near died in a Corvair, a '66 Monza version, when I got T-boned on the driver's side by an uninsured clown who ran a stop sign. Spent that night and the next 11 in the hospital.

The only people who run stop signs and red lights are uninsured clowns. That is, except where I live, where practically everyone runs red lights.

 

[2jakes]

The only people who run stop signs and red lights are uninsured clowns. That is, except where I live, where practically everyone runs red lights.

This is very common across the border too.
I asked the taxi driver about the street signs with the
word “ALTO” at each intersection and what it meant.
(I had an idea, I was curious what he would answer)

He replied, “ Oh that means "stop”, but as you can see señor,
there’s no oncoming traffic...so why stop?”


Somehow it made sense.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In the street car pic above, notice the "Spick and Span" store of some kind or another. Wonder if it was related to the origins of the cleaner (I know the cleaner today spells its name "Spic..." but that stuff can evolve) or just a small store of some kind using a common phrase?

"Spick and span" was a very common phrase in the first half of the 20th Century, and long before, and the cleaning product was named after it -- they presumably changed the spelling to "Spic n Span" to make it a registerable trademark. The phrase itself meant something along the same lines as "ship shape" or "squared away." I can't read the rest of the sign, but the name would imply that it's clean and tidy and not a roach-ridden greasy hole in the wall.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Spick and span" was a very common phrase in the first half of the 20th Century, and long before, and the cleaning product was named after it -- they presumably changed the spelling to "Spic n Span" to make it a registerable trademark. The phrase itself meant something along the same lines as "ship shape" or "squared away." I can't read the rest of the sign, but the name would imply that it's clean and tidy and not a roach-ridden greasy hole in the wall.

Thank you, great color. Like you, I was frustrated that I couldn't enlarge it enough to see the rest of the sign.

 

[BlueTrain]

This is very common across the border too.
I asked the taxi driver about the street signs with the
word “ALTO” at each intersection and what it meant.
(I had an idea, I was curious what he would answer)

He replied, “ Oh that means "stop”, but as you can see señor,
there’s no oncoming traffic...so why stop?”

View attachment 86004
Somehow it made sense.

Is that Moon Mullin's taxi?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[2jakes]

Is that Moon Mullin's taxi?

No, but I can see why you would think that.

His taxi license photo bears a strong resemblance.

 

[BlueTrain]

Didn't California used to be part of Mexico, not to mention a few other states?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[2jakes]

Didn't California used to be part of Mexico, not to mention a few other states?

Not sure of the other states.
Check with my friend Lizzie.
She is a wealth of knowledge and
can set you straight.

I need to get back to the gas stations.
Ghostsoldier just drove up with a bakery
truck at Gulf!

 

[2jakes]

Remembering the "Fulton" exterior sunvisors.
I installed one on my '46 truck.
Had to take it off.
Was a little difficult to view the traffic
signal located above.

The only time it was convenient was
on an old street that still maintains
the traffic light signal on the side street
corners instead of hanging above.

My first "tv news" vehicle was a station
wagon similar to the one above.
Practically was my 2nd home in a way!

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Hot rodders who run those visors use traffic light peep mirrors that clip to the roof drip rail, or stick to the windshield using suction cups, especially if they have chopped roofs.

I've got one around here somewhere.

Rob

 

[2jakes]

Hot rodders who run those visors use traffic light peep mirrors that clip to the roof drip rail, or stick to the windshield using suction cups, especially if they have chopped roofs.

I've got one around here somewhere.

Rob

At antique swap meet.

Stop light on '40s truck is only on the
left side along with the license plate.
It's small.
Besides seat belt, I added this:

The interior rear-view mirror is a joke.
I added long exterior rear-view mirrors for safety.