I'd put my bets on the date being in the mid to late 40's maybe 1950 at the latest. The car looks like it might be a Ford Model A from about 1929. Standard Oil did not let their franchise stations get too antiquated, or the the owners lost their franchise. The station owners had to update at their own expense, possibly getting a loan from Corporate. They were also required to sell a certain volume of gas every 30 days or lose their franchise. Maybe there were regional differences in the rules, but Corporate did play a heavy hand. There were also quotas for sales of TBA (tires, batteries, accessories) that had to be met each month.
In the early 60's I worked for Conoco Oil corporate as a part time job in college. They had stolen the book from Shell Oil, who had stolen the rules book from Standard Oil. From my perspective, Standard Oil had been the leader in creating the "sell or die" rules, and there was an established history. Part of my job was to assess whether a station owner was keeping his place clean, presenting the pump attendant in proper clean uniform and corporate hat, double checking the monthly gallonage (to see if the operator was buying and selling some loads of "no-brand" gas), and to assess the station's repair shop honesty. We also had to do traffic counts, including left turns, straight throughs, and right turns for all 4 traffics coming together at the intersection the station was located at. They also counted total traffic on the main road, and the side road the station was located at. The traffic counts were put into some formula to determine how many customers should be coming into the station, and how many gallons should be sold.
Nostalgia is great, but by the end of WW2, corporate was a very mean task master. A lot of good mechanics and honest station owners were put out of business because they did not sell enough. It was all about $$$$$.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Show Coverage: Central Illinois Strawberry Festival - by Cindy Ladage and Janna Seiz. Every year the coming of summer is highlighted by different events for different people. For some, it is heralded with the end of school, tilling the garden, or completion of the planting season. To us, connoisseurs of find food, antique tractors, farm toys, crafts, and downright fun, the annual Strawberry Festival means summer is here. Every year, in Carlinville, Illinois, the Macoupin County Historical Society and the Macoupin Agricultural Antique Association team up to fill th
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.