Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Want to Buy Petroliana Richfield Beacon gas pumps and weathervane

Hello!
I'm trying to locate two pumps used at the old Richfield Beacon stations of Northern California and Oregon. They're an unusual pump with a very boxy design, Craftsman/gothic.
I'm also trying to determine exactly which weathervane was used as the photos I've seen do not match what people claim to be original weathervanes.
Thanks for your help! I'm restoring one of these stations!

I have a friend named David Cole from Santa Maria, CA that did a book on the Richfield Beacon Stations and as I recall what is shown in your photo was a surround that was built around the gas pumps and not an actual pump. The pump inside was a clock face model. I believe I have a rendering of it on a map, but I will need to dig it out and scan it so I can post it for you.

Curt; it is fantastic to see a post from you!!!!

Merry Christmas!

How do you know it's me?

Thanks Bob! Great to be back. Merry Christmas to you too!

Here's a shot of a station...photo courtesy of Jeremy Gilmore

Holy cow!!! Look at that. Is that an airplane and a race car on the tops of those pumps?!
Thank you guys all so much for your help so far.
Looks like I may have to build replicas.
I may have found the original letters for the tower... ;-)

Best I can do on the weathervane...

Mr. Craig , I tend to agree with you ! I have seen decent photos of these pumps and I like you believe these were Stucco surrounds . My guess is pumps were probably Boyd Dayton Aero's without the moveable skins . Since Boyd Dayton was a Los Angles manufacturer at the time , it would make sense .

LostRichfild-This is very interesting to me and I (and Im quite sure others, too) would really like to see some pictures of your station. We had a well respected Oldgas member from southern California that would have easily identified your pumps, but sadly he has passed. I dont claim to know a ton about pumps, but my guess would be Bowser- Sentry. I think that visi is Bowser and it looks like you can see the side reset through one of the windows in JR's closeup. Thanks for these pictures, guys.

Jim , I bet yer referring to Dick Bennett . Dick used to phone me . We would talk at length as I'm the one who did all of Scott Anderson's research which he ripped me off on during that book he did back in 1983 . I never forgave him , never will .....

You guys are amazing and I'm sorry for your friends passing. I do appreciate all of your help and shared knowledge.
I cannot find measurements for one of these pump's clock faces. How tall are they?
I'm trying to determine how big they would have been. They seem huge.
I have a lot of mysteries on my hands. Is it proper to post them here or should I go to another area of the forum? For instance; there's a sealed bung hole to the left of the front door. I think it's for oil waste, could anyone confirm?
The street lamps around the perimeter of the property; does anyone know the manufacturer? I only have two posts but I do have all of the bases and all of the cement is in restorable condition (!!!).
The quality of it's construction and current condition is absolutely amazing. I've never seen a building (that was meant to be heavily used) last this long and end up like this.
It feels like it's only fifteen or twenty years old.

You guys may also enjoy this little tidbit.
The site is 6.5 acres and the station is in the middle of the road frontage.
Richfield planned on building a hotel behind this station in the English-Norman design but the Great Depression haulted those plans.
I'm looking for the original plans for that style of hotel by Richfield's architect.
Who knows? Maybe it will get built.

This shot shows the sides of the pump covers and an access panel. Also details like the tiled look on their base.

Almost look to be build ins, Jenny , Milestone,sharmeter.

Pumps are Bowser Xacto Sentry's...

Here's another shot of that station, with the tower in it...

Ha. Those are the same guys from the earlier posted pic. Perhaps the same time as the pic that I posted. I wonder if they were from corporate...

This weathervane was made by a Calif. collector 20 years ago. Supposed to me made to spec, except he had the Eagle powder coated. All milled brass. Quite pretty. I have seen a original, with black painted Eagle. I had my son make a base so I could display it.

I believe that this design is from later stations. You can clearly see the airplane on the earlier stations.

If you guys are on Facebook I've been posting pics of the station there in the group "Richfield Beacons".

Layne Chrishenson screened these for some of us years ago when he was restoring signs, as I had done in the eighties, I gave him a original plain black eagle and got what you see in the photo back. I never put mine up on the roof, this is a good way to display one in doors....Tom

Does anyone have any dates for these pictures?

Bowser made at least three pump models, each of which they called the "Xacto Sentry." Which model do you think they are?

The history of gas pumps is that they always got shorter, because the car kept getting lower, if there are dials in those round holes it appears they would be very hard to read from the front seat of a car. Was there possibly a dial somewhere lower?

Jack Sim

I believe they're all from 1929 or 30.