The army had nothing better to do than to render strikes vain, between WWII and the conflict in Korea. It must have been them who hauled the railroad tanks to their destinations
There is a lot going on in that picture, a street light being worked on from a lift truck to the right, and as you said the rail tanker delivering fuel, I think that is Michigan Ave on the border of Detroit & Dearborn as I think I know were the Firehouse is across the street in the picture. I am not sure if there is a railroad side track there or not.
That would be another scene to model in HO scale, with the rolling hills, the Coca-Cola billboard, the trolley...I'd be willing to bet there's a set of Burma-Shave signs within a few miles of this place.
A log Cabin gas station in Pontiac IL, near the eastern side of route 66, but this station was there before there was a Rt 66