When this gas station was released in 1955 it bore the designation of GO-3, but a year later it would be released in the more colorful two-piece box defined by the number 1800.

In 1967, the number was changed to 1909, but the box was identical to the earlier 1800. However, this release boasted a design change that came to be known as the "Cheltenham Variation." See below for details about this variation.

Another version that is difficult to find is contained in a poly bag that was designed to hang from a dealers rack and was issued under the number 5800 in 1963.

Gas Station Parts

  1. Rear wall
  2. Roof
  3. Right Side Wall
  4. Left Side Wall
  5. Upper Sign Rear Section
  6. Upper Sign Cap
  7. Upper Sign Left Side
  8. Upper Sign Right Side
  9. Gas Pump Island (2)
10. Gas Pump Island Oil Rack(2)
11. Window Insert
12. "Regular" Gas Pump(2)
13. "Hi-Test" Gas Pump (2)
14. Front Wall

The window insert (No. ) is what is most often missing from this kit. A reproduction of this is available. The gas pumps (No. & ), island (No. ), and oil racks (No. ) are also often missing and there are no replacements made for these parts. Sometimes a car was included with this kit, but the vast majority of these gas stations did not have this car.

The Cheltenham Variation

When Bachmann released the 1909 version of this Gas Station in 1967, they had redesigned the front wall and replaced the Plasticville markee with a flat area that was designed to accept a decal that said, "CHELTENHAM SERVICE CENTER." Additional decals were provided to be placed along the front edge of the front wall (note the arrow in the picture to the left). This is a difficult version to obtain, especially with the decals intact on the original sheet (as is shown to the right).

Front Wall Vulnerability

The front wall on this gas station is prone to breakage where the upper front portion of the sign meets the main body of the front wall.

Note where the arrows are pointing in the picture to the left. Because there is no replacement for this wall, we’ve often found examples where it has been glued back together at this point.