Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana "Let`s see your..." shoe box pumps

I have not seen any "lets see your..." threads lately so I thought I would do one. It has been a while sense the new shoe box bodies that Paul Bell is making have been out so hoping there is a lot of pumps being topped off. Please share your pump, shoe box lenses, bodies and/or shoe box holders. If your pump is not complete we still want to see it. If you do not like dealing with or have trouble posting pictures please send them to me, I will post them. My email is in my profile.

The first shoe box pumps were designed for the Tidewater Co. (Tydol). They are a little shorter and wider than other pumps of the time period. They have a stair stepped or raised center top that is finished off with a shoe box globe. They also have vertical moldings. The pumps that followed these are standard production pumps with a shoe box holder made to fit that model of pump and vertical moldings. Some of the first Tidewater pumps were sold only to Tidewater and some were available to any oil company. The Bennett 155 is a example.

I will start off by sharing my Wayne 60T`s. The 60T is may favorite of all the shoe box pumps. My original plan was to restore them. One orange and black (regular) and the other cream and black (ethyl). I started messing with the red one to give me an idea what it would look like. I then decided not to restore them so the as found look of the red one is gone. The green one got a shoe box globe, holder and signs. Other than that it is still in as found condition.

I haven't posted here in a long time, but I wanted to contribute to the tread. These are my 2 shoebox pumps. I love Matt's 60Ts and I hope to get a 60T, but until then I am happy with the 2 I have. I am still in need of an ID tag and orange and black Tydol ethyl shoebox lenses for the Bennett 155 and the correct red and black Tydol ethyl shoebox lens for the 39-TW.

Here is Tom Schilling`s collection of shoe box pumps. He has a very nice collection of restored and unrestored pumps. First is a Tokheim 39TW, second is a very rare Bennett 145 display, third is a Wayne 60T, fourth is a Bennett 155, fifth is a Tokheim 36B TW, sixth is a Bennett 646 TW (this is a porcelain model), seventh is a Neptune 855 and last is a Wayne 70 (not sure if they used a T on the 70).

Wow. Great thread Matt.

All are flying a or tydol. Is that the only company that used these pumps??

Yes, only flying A and Tydol used shoebox pumps, although any of these pumps could've been rebranded to any brand after they were done being used at a tidewater station. In Wayne Hendersons book "100 years of gas stations" there is a photo of 3 bennett 155s that were at a station in Maine with Texaco shoebox globes. Based on the station design and it being in ME I would be willing to bet they made Texaco lenses for the shoebox globes when the station was rebranded from Tydol to Texaco

Some of the pump manufactures made their Tidewater designed pumps available to other gas and oil companies. Gilbarco made a model 89 that is a redesign of the model 86. It was available to any company. There was two versions of the 89. There was a version with ad glass in the top and no vertical moldings for any company and the Tidewater version that had no ad glass with vertical moldings. If you still have your two 89s it would be nice to see them here.

This is my Bennett 155 "Tidewater" pump. These pump are prone to rust in the tops due to the design. The top is welded together and the cast iron air separator is in the raised center section. Dirt and moisture collect in between and cause rust. There is an early and a later version. The early version has a narrow raised top section and a computing clock unit like Tom`s blue 145 Tidex dislay pump posted above. The later version is like mine with a wider raised top section and a Veeder-Root computer. The Bennett 145 and 155 was available to any oil company.

I added a winged Bennett door emblem to my Bennett 155. That is not correct but there was something that went there. I noticed in the pictures of Jack`s book but thought it was just in the artist`s renderings until I came across this picture on line. The seconnd picture was sent to me.

For a guy who likes Shell you have a lot of Tidewater running through your veins and garage(s)! Nice pumps all. Rarely seen stuff way up north.

Here is a bulletin that would have been sent to sales dealer. It would have gone in a counter binder. Also pictured is the letter that was mailed with it. The third picture is of the cover of a "Flying A news" magazine. I included it because it has 39TW pumps.

Here are some 39-TW pump back in the day at stations.

This is the third shoe box pump in my collection. It is a Gilbarco model 89. It was originally a any brand model with a ad glass top and no vertical moldings. I converted it into a "Tidewater" model by changing the top to a ad glass delete top, added the vertical moldings and a shoe box globe. The lens and decal design are from around 1942. Cream and black or silver and black were used on Ethyl pumps around this time period and back into the 30s. Orange and black was used on regular pumps.

The Gilbarco 89 "Tidewater" version must not have been a popular pump. I have only come across one old station photo with one in it and not too long ago there was one in a farm auction.

Here are a few photos of shoebox pump that I have stashed away.

Here a photo of a Gilbarco 96 with TW trim and shoebox holder in the wild. It is the only photo I've seen of a 96 with this trim.





Here was a 36B TW that was incorrectly restored in shell and has been since rerestored in flying a super extra. It is not mine.





Here is a cool old picture of some shoebox pumps. I really like the color of the regular grade pump.