Old gas stations

[Fading Fast]

I've never seen this type of parking before.
I was about to ask you how it's done.

But thanks to the "search engine",
I found this:

What's lost in this video (it's very cool by the way) is that in real life, there usually are rows and rows of these elevated lifts in one parking lot and, since most people come in and out at rush hour, the wait times can be ridiculous.

 

[2jakes]

What's lost in this video (it's very cool by the way) is that in real life, there usually are rows and rows of these elevated lifts in one parking lot and, since most people come in and out at rush hour, the wait times can be ridiculous.

My Explorer engine stalled at the pay exit window at a hospital parking lot.
It was late so there wasn't much traffic behind me.
The attendant called security.
They managed to get the engine to start.

Found out there's a button in the middle
of the car inside on the right side where you have options to put drinking cups.
There's also a flip up compartment.
Inside, there's a small opening with a button screw that with a phillips screwdriver
will unlock the system to start the engine
again. (automatic system 2003)
Pushing the screw in and a small push forward of the car, activated the engine
to unlock and start again.
The guy said that coming down the parking lot steep ramp must've triggered the kill switch to the engine.
I have no idea if this is true or not,
all I know is he got the engine to start again!

 

[2jakes]

 

[3fingers]

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I assume Sloan/Hall is a professional office of some sort. God bless their endeavors since they kept the flying red horse.

 

[2jakes]

I assume Sloan/Hall is a professional office of some sort. God bless their endeavors since they kept the flying red horse.

You assumed correctly!
Also, God bless the city of Alamo Heights that
insured this facade stay intact.

Many retail shops have come and gone, but
that neon pegasus still remains flying and
lit at night to scare the bejeezus out of little
gals from California to LizzieMaine.

 

[Fading Fast]

Have we seen this one before? If not, great sweep to the Deco porte cochere (and fun to have an opportunity to use "porte cochere" not in a Jane Austin novel):

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Speaking of Pegasus...

Rob

 

[Fading Fast]

Speaking of Pegasus...

Rob

A Holiday Inn, Rexall Drugs, little girl in cowboy custom, car pulling trailer, what looks like a church sign (center picture deep) and a couple of gas stations - whole lot of America of a certain period in this one.

 

[2jakes]

This is one nasty cat that has gobbled up earlier photos, so it’s fine with me if I see them posted again!

 

[2jakes]

 

[2jakes]

“Eat and get gas”

 

[David Conwill]

A new discovery from the Lawrence O. "Hughie" Hughes Auto Racing Collection via the Northwest Vintage Speedsters.

It appears to be a Chrysler agency, but hey, there are gas pumps...

 

[David Conwill]

How about another? This one is in Reedsville, West Virginia. The photo was taken in June 1935 by Walker Evans.

I got the photo from Photogrammar.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[David Conwill]

Just today I came across the phrase "Soconyland," in relation to Socony/Socony-Vacuum promotional activities in the 1920s and '30s. There was even a radio program!

Wait, radio? Vintage gas stations? I'll bet I know who to ask about this...

(we were long ago a prime part of "Soconyland")

So, @LizzieMaine , what can you tell us about Soconyland?

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[LizzieMaine]

Just today I came across the phrase "Soconyland," in relation to Socony/Socony-Vacuum promotional activities in the 1920s and '30s. There was even a radio program!

Wait, radio? Vintage gas stations? I'll bet I know who to ask about this...



So, @LizzieMaine , what can you tell us about Soconyland?

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Soconyland was simply the region where Standard Oil of New York had rights to use the Standard name, or derivations of it -- basically New York and New England. "Soconyland Sketches" was a radio program that originally dramatized bits of local history of this region, but gradually involved into a situation-comedy oriented feature dealing with the inhabitants of the fictional "Snow Villiage." The leading actors of the Sketches were Arthur Allen and Parker Fennelly, two young stage veterans who specialized in playing old rural types -- Fennelly, who was born and raised about fifteen miles from where I grew up, later went on to play Titus Moody for "The Fred Allen Show" and still later became the Pepperidge Farm deliveryman in endless TV commercials.

The Sketches ran from 1928 to 1935, when they evolved into "Socony Sketchbook," a musical variety series featuring literary interludes by essayist Christopher Morley.

Socony remained the company's trade name in the original Soconyland region even after the "Mobilgas" brand was rolled out for the rest of the country, and you could still find Socony stations in the region right up until the company's 1956 rebranding to "Mobil."

Socony wasn't too vigilant about protecting its rights -- Standard of New Jersey snuck into the region with its Esso brand and operated without opposition until some bright bulb realized that Esso is phonetic for "S. O." or Standard Oil. By then it was too late to do anythiing about it other than negotiate a settlement. Jersey Standard bought out a New England company called Colonial-Beacon Oil as its agent for the region, and because of Socony belatedly asserting its rights to the Standard name, they weren't allowed to hang up the "STANDARD ESSO DEALER" signs they used elsewhere: all New England Essos were "COLONIAL ESSO DEALER" until the 1950s.

Now, of course, Jersey Standard and Socony are one and the same. Gradually the Rockefeller Oil Trust is reconstituting itself, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to find its stations here in Soconyland. All our Exxons disappeared about fifteen years ago and we lost the last Mobil we had in town last year.

 

[LizzieMaine]

ExxonMobil's IP department now is a lot sharper than it used to be -- they keep their old trademarks alive by slapping them onto one or two of their more obscure products. Which is why "Socony Oven Conveyor Lubricant" is still a thing you can buy if you have an oven conveyor used in the manufacture of fiberglass or particle board in need of lubrication.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

I don't remember any of this, but Pepperidge Farm does. [emoji14][emoji16]

Rob

 

[David Conwill]

ExxonMobil's IP department now is a lot sharper than it used to be -- they keep their old trademarks alive by slapping them onto one or two of their more obscure products. Which is why "Socony Oven Conveyor Lubricant" is still a thing you can buy if you have an oven conveyor used in the manufacture of fiberglass or particle board in need of lubrication.

Sounds like the railroads with their heritage equipment.