Probably the oldest gas station in Sarnia, long outta business and barely standing.
Remembering Service Stations of the Past
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old Supertest on London Rd in Sarnia
White Rose gas station on Russell St. in Sarnia,, still there but not a gas station
Another White Rose station on Bluewater in Sarnia around the time it was first built I'm guessing seeing as it looks empty and the lot isn't paved yet
ovrphil
Well-known member
Brings back childhood memories - the gas stations were a place to go and hang out, watch the cars come in, be serviced and learn something about the machines that made the area I grew up in. We sure have come a long way in gas stations...Race Trac now has super stations that encourage buying overpriced food, treats, and drinks. They seem to be flourishing, even though, here, you pay at least 8% more for the same things you can buy down the street at the grocery store.
I miss the old stations. We have one in downtown Cumming,Ga that's restored, but not working; have you seen it, Brent?
Good thread!
I miss the old stations. We have one in downtown Cumming,Ga that's restored, but not working; have you seen it, Brent?
Good thread!
Brent, Dad traveled seven and a half states in the southeast, from Norfolk to New Orleans, mostly out on Monday afternoon and back on Friday evening, but some trips were two weeks, like when he went all the way to Miami, first week was down the east coast and the second week was back up the west coast. Cars had between 90 & 95 thousand miles at the end of two years when they were traded. They were well maintained and looked almost new, but back then, you could not put as many miles on a car and still expect dependable service as you can today.
ovrphil
Well-known member
Sinclair Station in Cumming -
Brent - here it is and the town is growing, but not to my liking with the new jail in the downtown area! huh?
Sinclair Stations had the dinosaur (I had the inflatable one for a long time) and still have a Sinclair Gas Station sign.
Stations used to look so cool and were all so different.
Brent - here it is and the town is growing, but not to my liking with the new jail in the downtown area! huh?
Sinclair Stations had the dinosaur (I had the inflatable one for a long time) and still have a Sinclair Gas Station sign.
Stations used to look so cool and were all so different.
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danemodsandy
Well-known member
We Still....
....Have Sinclair stations here in Waterloo, IA.
They're not the Sinclair stations of old; they're "pumpers," meaning all self-service, with their convenience stores making up the bulk of their business. They're also vastly behind the times; the one at Falls and Ansborough Avenues doesn't even have card-reader pumps.
But hey, Dino's still on the sign, and that has to count for something, right?
....Have Sinclair stations here in Waterloo, IA.
They're not the Sinclair stations of old; they're "pumpers," meaning all self-service, with their convenience stores making up the bulk of their business. They're also vastly behind the times; the one at Falls and Ansborough Avenues doesn't even have card-reader pumps.
But hey, Dino's still on the sign, and that has to count for something, right?
ovrphil
Well-known member
Still have Sinclair with Dino on the pumps? Ah, cool! I love that. What it means, in today's gas prices-change-by-the-second world, isn't alot.... but I like the old stations. One station, I mentioned before perhaps, that I loved to use was in Perrysburg,Ohio. The station was just outside downtown Perrsyburg and really like the old stations. Unfortunately, the guy sold it and the new tanks and pumps went in. Time just took over the decision making - tanks were out of regulation safety, etc.
There were some old stations along Route 66....but that was on my out to California in 1970...will never forget those, but circumstances didn't allow me to stop at any of them and take pictures. Sorry, now, that I didn't take those photos.
Ok, I said too much already.
There were some old stations along Route 66....but that was on my out to California in 1970...will never forget those, but circumstances didn't allow me to stop at any of them and take pictures. Sorry, now, that I didn't take those photos.
Ok, I said too much already.
We had one Sinclair station here years ago that was just one pump for self service. Regular Dino gas was .28 a gallon when I got my licence. Dino Supreme was .32, memories I wished I had back. There are only a small handful of what we called real service stations left around here. Now they are all self serve pumps, mostly Irving, with Circle K convenience stores everywhere.
promotions
I remember those inflatable Dino's and bugging dad to go there to get one.. and the Texaco kites and the Esso tiger tails
I remember those inflatable Dino's and bugging dad to go there to get one.. and the Texaco kites and the Esso tiger tails
ptcruiser51
Well-known member
Tiger Tails!
OMG, I had forgotten about them!
Think about whose brain-fart THEY were? You slammed the tail on your gas-fill. Then drove around while it was absorbing fumes/fluid. One encounter with a stray cigarette or lit match and FOOM! I'm surprised we didn't hear more about this!
Then there were the Arco (or was it Sunoco) give-aways that were styrofoam balls with "streamers" attached, that you put on your radio aerial so you could find your car in a parking lot. Nice idea, but there were often 100's of them in the lot.
My ex and I loved the Shell glass give-aways. The little bubble-shaped smoked glasses with (I think) football logos. Then there were the "beer king" glasses, big globes with narrowed-down feet to get a grip on. There were also 12-oz. smoked-glass tumblers that we collected.
Remember when we had to be "enticed" into buying gasoline?
When I started driving, a gallon of gas was 33 cents, the same as for a pack of Winstons. How far we've come...
OMG, I had forgotten about them!
Think about whose brain-fart THEY were? You slammed the tail on your gas-fill. Then drove around while it was absorbing fumes/fluid. One encounter with a stray cigarette or lit match and FOOM! I'm surprised we didn't hear more about this!
Then there were the Arco (or was it Sunoco) give-aways that were styrofoam balls with "streamers" attached, that you put on your radio aerial so you could find your car in a parking lot. Nice idea, but there were often 100's of them in the lot.
My ex and I loved the Shell glass give-aways. The little bubble-shaped smoked glasses with (I think) football logos. Then there were the "beer king" glasses, big globes with narrowed-down feet to get a grip on. There were also 12-oz. smoked-glass tumblers that we collected.
Remember when we had to be "enticed" into buying gasoline?
When I started driving, a gallon of gas was 33 cents, the same as for a pack of Winstons. How far we've come...
And Gulf had the No Nox high test gas and gave orange horseshoes to stick on your trunk. My father went only to a certain Sunoco station he liked and they gave out "Sunny Dollars" you could match together and win and I got them. I won a Presidential coin set that ended with Lindon Johnson. Guess alot of time has flown by. Wonder if its worth anything now.
warmsecondrinse
Well-known member
i lived across the street from a Sinclair station when I was very young. We were renting at the time and my dad had an opportunity to buy the house for next to nothing. Mom refused to live across the street from a gas station. I don't remember Dino Gas, but I do remember my green injection molded plastic Sinclair Diplodocus bank!
Jim
Jim
brib68
Well-known member
Memory lane
Reading all these great stories and looking at the great pics has got me thinking--trying to see if I remember all the gas stations in the small town in Ohio where I grew up...
On the north end of town, there was a Sohio (still there as a BP-Lassus Bros. Handy Dandy) and a Gulf, also still there, but I don't think it's still Gulf--might be Marathon. The Super Walmart (new in the last several years) has gas pumps, too. Up close to downtown there was a Certified (still there) and Sinclair, which I think was also an Arco at some point. That one's a used car dealer now. On the west edge of downtown was Bonded with its rotating sign (became a Family Video in the 90s). The Texaco across the street closed in the 70s and a bank branch was built on the spot, which is now a government office of some sort. A few blocks west of that was a Clark station, which i think recently closed. I think there was another gas station in the neighborhood, but it was long closed and was a Bunny Bread store when I was a kid. West of there was a Marathon (closed) and there was a Sunoco a block away, next to Burger Chef. By the 80s, it was just an off-brand station. When I was in high school, a Marathon went in out west of town with a big store/ice cream shop that the owners converted from a sit-down family restaurant.
On the south side, near the shopping center, was a Sohio (Later, BP, now a buy-here-pay-here car lot) and a station that has been Gulf, Unocal 76, and is currently Marathon. Also south, across from the fairgrounds, is a Shell that's been Shell forever. My Dad owned it back in the 60s. Out east, there used to be a Marathon (closed in the 80s or so), and Short Stop, which I think didn't get pumps until the 80s. There was a tiny, old-fashioned station where the old Lincoln Highway made a 2-block jog north before going back east. I don't remember what brand it was. It's housed everything from a plumber to the pizza delivery that's there now. Close to that was a larger station. I can't remember that brand either, but I think it was the last place to have old-fashioned gas pumps from what I recall. Where Lincoln Hwy turned back to the east again there was a big modern (60s/70s) Mobil station and garage. It's been packed with old cars since the 80s--I don't know if it's a business or just a landfill.
Reading all these great stories and looking at the great pics has got me thinking--trying to see if I remember all the gas stations in the small town in Ohio where I grew up...
On the north end of town, there was a Sohio (still there as a BP-Lassus Bros. Handy Dandy) and a Gulf, also still there, but I don't think it's still Gulf--might be Marathon. The Super Walmart (new in the last several years) has gas pumps, too. Up close to downtown there was a Certified (still there) and Sinclair, which I think was also an Arco at some point. That one's a used car dealer now. On the west edge of downtown was Bonded with its rotating sign (became a Family Video in the 90s). The Texaco across the street closed in the 70s and a bank branch was built on the spot, which is now a government office of some sort. A few blocks west of that was a Clark station, which i think recently closed. I think there was another gas station in the neighborhood, but it was long closed and was a Bunny Bread store when I was a kid. West of there was a Marathon (closed) and there was a Sunoco a block away, next to Burger Chef. By the 80s, it was just an off-brand station. When I was in high school, a Marathon went in out west of town with a big store/ice cream shop that the owners converted from a sit-down family restaurant.
On the south side, near the shopping center, was a Sohio (Later, BP, now a buy-here-pay-here car lot) and a station that has been Gulf, Unocal 76, and is currently Marathon. Also south, across from the fairgrounds, is a Shell that's been Shell forever. My Dad owned it back in the 60s. Out east, there used to be a Marathon (closed in the 80s or so), and Short Stop, which I think didn't get pumps until the 80s. There was a tiny, old-fashioned station where the old Lincoln Highway made a 2-block jog north before going back east. I don't remember what brand it was. It's housed everything from a plumber to the pizza delivery that's there now. Close to that was a larger station. I can't remember that brand either, but I think it was the last place to have old-fashioned gas pumps from what I recall. Where Lincoln Hwy turned back to the east again there was a big modern (60s/70s) Mobil station and garage. It's been packed with old cars since the 80s--I don't know if it's a business or just a landfill.
mrb627
Well-known member
Union-76
We used to have a Union-76 down in Florida and a Hess station. U76's are all gone in South Florida and the Hess stations are BP now, I think.
Malcolm
We used to have a Union-76 down in Florida and a Hess station. U76's are all gone in South Florida and the Hess stations are BP now, I think.
Malcolm
whirlcool
Well-known member
Nowadays with the way things are for gas prices I don't think many people really even care what brand of fuel they use anymore. Oil companies have all but stopped advertising their fuels.
I know in my X5 I have to be careful in the summertime what fuel brand I use. I I use fuel from the corner store, Raceway, or Stripes the car will be very hard to start on a hot day, especially after it's been run for awhile. For example. It's 95F outside and we drive to the grocery store. We shut the car down and go inside.
We are in there maybe 30-45 min. When we come out the car just does not want to start. When it does, it stumbles and trembles and dies out as soon as you put it in gear. It takes maybe 3-5 minutes before it runs properly. But if we use Exxon, Citgo, Murphy or Chevron it doesn't do that at all.
I think the problem is that the fuel injector lines run over part of the engine block. The cheaper brands of fuel may not have enough anti-percolation chemical in them. The gas is actually percolating in the gas lines from the heat of the engine. The brands that don't do this have enough of the chemical.
this is a common occurrence in fuel injected aircraft engines too. Sometimes you'll run your battery down trying to get the damn things started on a hot day. Sometimes the only thing you can do is wait it out for the engine to cool down.
I know in my X5 I have to be careful in the summertime what fuel brand I use. I I use fuel from the corner store, Raceway, or Stripes the car will be very hard to start on a hot day, especially after it's been run for awhile. For example. It's 95F outside and we drive to the grocery store. We shut the car down and go inside.
We are in there maybe 30-45 min. When we come out the car just does not want to start. When it does, it stumbles and trembles and dies out as soon as you put it in gear. It takes maybe 3-5 minutes before it runs properly. But if we use Exxon, Citgo, Murphy or Chevron it doesn't do that at all.
I think the problem is that the fuel injector lines run over part of the engine block. The cheaper brands of fuel may not have enough anti-percolation chemical in them. The gas is actually percolating in the gas lines from the heat of the engine. The brands that don't do this have enough of the chemical.
this is a common occurrence in fuel injected aircraft engines too. Sometimes you'll run your battery down trying to get the damn things started on a hot day. Sometimes the only thing you can do is wait it out for the engine to cool down.
Sounds like
A type of vapor lock!
Common among old carbureted cars. (When its hot day) this new gas doesn't help either.
If the fuel get hot enough to turn into a vapor, the there is no liquid for the pump to move. Just have to wait for it to cool, and turn back into a liquid
A type of vapor lock!
Common among old carbureted cars. (When its hot day) this new gas doesn't help either.
If the fuel get hot enough to turn into a vapor, the there is no liquid for the pump to move. Just have to wait for it to cool, and turn back into a liquid
