SS Texaco North Dakota
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 3:07 pm
When I was a kid, my dad usually bought his gasoline at a local Texaco station. Of course, way back then, all stations were full-service and usually had several men doing the work. Monroe Corbin, a WWII vet like my dad, bought it from its previous owner, Bertis Robertson and we stopped there a lot. In 1961, Texaco sold a promotional toy ship replica of their own tanker, the SS Texaco North Dakota, built in 1953. The replica was a 1/250 scale copy made by Wen-Mac a subsidiary of the America Machine and Foundry company. Here's the AI description:
The most iconic Texaco tanker toy ship is the 27-inch motorized plastic replica of the SS Texaco North Dakota, issued as a holiday promotion by Texaco dealers in 1961. Manufactured by Wen-Mac Corp, this detailed, battery-operated model was designed for both water and land use, featuring functional steering and sometimes arriving with delicate, easily broken radar dishes.
Key Details of the 1961 Texaco Tanker Model:
Manufacturer: Wen-Mac Corp (a subsidiary of American Machine & Foundry Co.)
Subject: Modeled after the SS Texaco North Dakota, a real tanker built in 1953.
Promotion: Sold for $3.98 at stations in 1961 with a gasoline purchase.
Features: Motorized, operated with "C" batteries, included a working rudder, and featured, semi-concealed wheels for floor play.
Details: Included intricate details such as functional deck equipment, though often missing fragile parts like radar masts today.
I received one for Christmas, probably in '61. I was 8 years old for most of that year, having a December 29, '52 birthday. I had a lot of fun with it and often took it out to our farm and let it sail around the stock ponds. One could set the rudder angle and it would just cruise around in big, lazy circles! Over time, like most of our toys, it got "outgrown" and eventually relegated to storage above the joists in my parent's garage. There, a rubber-like dinosaur lay atop it and finally melted into the ship in our brutal Texas summers. Today, it's hanging in my toolroom here at home, but it will eventually be taken out to display it in our cabin. It is pretty bad shape as absolutely no effort was ever made to preserve or save it, and it looks it! I took these pics a few years ago as it sat on top my son, Carson's Sonoma hotrod truck's tonneau cover:
Damage here from some sort of Martian heat ray!
Specifications:
And a photo gleaned from a Facebook discussion about the history of these toys, the Texaco North Dakota underway with quite a bow wave :
And here's one in almost like-new condition, with the original box, from the same FB discussion:
The most iconic Texaco tanker toy ship is the 27-inch motorized plastic replica of the SS Texaco North Dakota, issued as a holiday promotion by Texaco dealers in 1961. Manufactured by Wen-Mac Corp, this detailed, battery-operated model was designed for both water and land use, featuring functional steering and sometimes arriving with delicate, easily broken radar dishes.
Key Details of the 1961 Texaco Tanker Model:
Manufacturer: Wen-Mac Corp (a subsidiary of American Machine & Foundry Co.)
Subject: Modeled after the SS Texaco North Dakota, a real tanker built in 1953.
Promotion: Sold for $3.98 at stations in 1961 with a gasoline purchase.
Features: Motorized, operated with "C" batteries, included a working rudder, and featured, semi-concealed wheels for floor play.
Details: Included intricate details such as functional deck equipment, though often missing fragile parts like radar masts today.
I received one for Christmas, probably in '61. I was 8 years old for most of that year, having a December 29, '52 birthday. I had a lot of fun with it and often took it out to our farm and let it sail around the stock ponds. One could set the rudder angle and it would just cruise around in big, lazy circles! Over time, like most of our toys, it got "outgrown" and eventually relegated to storage above the joists in my parent's garage. There, a rubber-like dinosaur lay atop it and finally melted into the ship in our brutal Texas summers. Today, it's hanging in my toolroom here at home, but it will eventually be taken out to display it in our cabin. It is pretty bad shape as absolutely no effort was ever made to preserve or save it, and it looks it! I took these pics a few years ago as it sat on top my son, Carson's Sonoma hotrod truck's tonneau cover:
Damage here from some sort of Martian heat ray!
Specifications:
And a photo gleaned from a Facebook discussion about the history of these toys, the Texaco North Dakota underway with quite a bow wave :
And here's one in almost like-new condition, with the original box, from the same FB discussion:
Apparently, later versions had a brighter red lower hull. The original, darker red, seen on mine too, is more like the real ship, I've read. 
That '56 Pontiac was a runner, too. Once on a day trip to the Highland Lakes around Austin, my dad got into a "race" with someone he worked with and who happened to see him driving along when he blew past us in a brand new Chevrolet. Well, dad took the challenge and the race was on, except it wasn't much of a race. That ol' PonTon pulled away from the Chevy in no time. I suspect that we were going as fast as the speedo would show. My mom's mother was in the backseat with me! 
I had lot's of stuff that came from the Green Stamp store. Those were the days!