Model A gas station

[Eccentric Old Guy]

Notice the number of gallons is in reverse order so you can measure the gallons from a full glass downward to the remaining gas when the car is full.

I missed that, and it's a significant observation, GB.......good catch!

So, it would seem that when a customer drives up, he can either say "fill it up" or "give me five gallons".....(or any specific number of gallons).

If he wants five gallons, the attendant will pump five gallons into the glass globe, and give him all of it.

If he wants to fill up, the attendant will fill the glass globe to the top, and then subtract what's left to determine how much it took to fill up. The indicator tabs eliminate the need for any math calculations in that determination.

So, how does the transaction proceed if the customer asks for a buck fifty's worth.....or, six bits worth....????

As Ursus said: His grandpa would avoid stations that didn't have shade, which leads one to believe it was common to have gas in the glass globe left over from a previous sale. The photo in this thread suggests this, too!

eog

 

[KR500]

The Gilbarco pump I own has a standpipe in it which inside the pump housing you move up and down and the gallons are marked inside the housing. You opened the door and if the customer wanted 5 1/2 gallons you set the standpipe to the correct height. Then no matter how many times you pumped the handle to fill the upper chamber only 5 1/2 gallons remained in upper globe. You then dumped the fuel in upper chamber till empty. My father told me the same tale about not buying fuel that was exposed to the summer sun.

 

[Eccentric Old Guy]

The Gilbarco pump I own has a standpipe in it which inside the pump housing you move up and down and the gallons are marked inside the housing. You opened the door and if the customer wanted 5 1/2 gallons you set the standpipe to the correct height. Then no matter how many times you pumped the handle to fill the upper chamber only 5 1/2 gallons remained in upper globe. You then dumped the fuel in upper chamber till empty. My father told me the same tale about not buying fuel that was exposed to the summer sun.

Thanks for adding to this information, KR500.....

Yes, that would be another way to do it. There might be other ways to dispense gasoline accurately, as well. I suppose patent law would probably mandate that there were other methods of determining a specific amount of gas, and different types of pumps to accommodate that need.

I'm still a little puzzled as to how a specific amount of money's worth of gas could be dispensed, instead of a specific volume of gas. Just as today, I'm sure it was not uncommon for someone to only have a certain amount of money available for gas......so, how was that transaction handled?

Example: Say someone has only $1.17, and gas is .19/gal. I'm sure this was not uncommon back in the day. These pumps, or the attendants, must have had some way to handle a situation like this without getting out the paper and pencil.......or not!

So, how does the transaction proceed if the customer asks for a buck fifty's worth.....or, six bits worth....????

 

[GeneBob]

EOG - That's easy, just get out a calculator....
Once upon a time people had to be able to do math, I guess.
I worked at a gas station as a teen and ever since that time I have been amazed at how few people know how to make a cash transaction without a computer involved.

 

[Jemelton#]

Or how to make change with out the register telling them how much to give the customer.

 

[updraught]

Sydney here had wood block roads because bricks were noisy apparently. They are still under the asphalt in the inner city. I think they just liked choppng down trees too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhiYG6rnNL8

[FONT=&quot]"In heavy trafficked areas the stone surfaces were subject to cracking and frequent wear and tear. As an alternative, woodblocks proved superior. They reduced noise, looked attractive, minimised dust, were durable and easily cleaned, plus Australia had an ample supply of suitable hardwood timber.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Woodblocking of roads had developed in England and the US in the 1840’s but had not been successful, possibly because the higher rainfall made the wood rot more easily and because softwoods were used."[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2012/05/sydneys-woodblocked-streets.html [/FONT]

 

[katy]

It looks like the woodblock street in Sydney has the grain of the wood horizontal, when I was a kid in Winnipeg, circa 1954, I remember seeing a street of wood blocks that had the grain vertical. They were ~ 4" square. It was a back street, not well used. It was the only woodblock street that I have ever seen. The reason I know that the grain was vertical is because there was a break at one spot and a few were missing. Also, they were treated w/creosote.