Bankhead Highway in Colorado City, Texas up in the pan handle. It is undated. The Bankhead Highway was a precursor to both the National Highway System and Route 66.
Post-WWII- such a classic time, so free wheeling. I simply cannot believe anyone will look back at today as being anything classy or classic. Cookie cutter, sanitized, lackluster. No real personality to most common use vehicles and buildings.
I couldn't believe the number of people who sat in lines for over an hour with their engines running for the air conditioning and ran out of gas before they ever reached the pumps. Then they had the gall to ask for someone to push them to the pump.
Except for that little Honda at the pumps, everything in this pic got less than 15MPG!! Unless you coasted down the hill.......
My old 69 Newport could get 23 MPG highway - but it ran half on gas and half on pure inertia. 4150 lbs of American steel and drum brakes the size of the wheels on today's small cars. But man that thing was fun to drive!
You'd be surprised how many cars back then got more than 15mpg! Mileage simply was not a selling point. The problem is, and especially amongst those who weren't there, is nobody really paid attention because prior to these phony shortages, gas was dirt cheap.
Yes. I worked for Mobil for many years. I well remember the Pegasus emblem. Mobiloil, Mobillube, Mobilgas and such, which were on the buildings for many years. Then became simply "Mobil" in the mid-1960's. So, this building could have been in use until as late as the 1960's. It could even have been the change to "Mobil" which precipitated ending it's commercial service. I saw pumps such as those in use well into the 1970's, including the Shell in my old home town.
"gas shortage" Funny how today we still have plenty! And I watch three oil trains a day roll thru Kent, Wa here!
The last shortage we had was immediately after Hurricane Katrina. Most stations were bone dry, and even those with a little gas had no electricity for the pumps. Then word got around that a station was getting a tanker load. That station had a portable generator to run one pump. He dispensed 10 gallons max to each car regardless how many containers the driver brought. The line ended up being three hours long, and he ran out before the end of the line. One guy from the end of the line ran up offering to pay $100. The station owner told him to get lost which brought cheers from the crowd.
I still often see people of all ages sitting in vehicles in parking lots in all seasons with engines running while someone is inside a nearby store shopping. In most cases I see this as I walk in and as I walk out, i.e. they sit like this for 20 minutes and more. Such a waste of money and resources, and someday when fuel prices rise, they'll complain.
The old Texaco station, Post Office and general store in Ottine, Texas about 1973. One of the pumps still worked. Some friends and I were camping at Palmetto State Park next door and dropped in for some supplies. I just love the smells of very old buildings like that. That was an old Coke billboard painted on the side.
True. But that was an interruption of the supply chain, rather than an actual shortage of petroleum and byproducts.
I generally don't sleep well, so took advantage by taking each of our cars to the gas station at 2:30 to 3:00 AM for several weeks. There was gas and I was often the sole customer there. I was amazed to find the local bars were packed on weekday nights at this time. I adjusted my drive time so that I was not on the road when the bars closed …...
More gas lines. Detroit in 1945. Don't know what brand it was but it was cheap and apparently available. Check out the guy doing maintenance on the street light in the upper right. And a bonus, another image showing a railroad tank car used to deliver and store gas.