Came across this article earlier in C&VG Issue 76 (Feb 1988). Looks like a fun place to explore.
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Earlier this year a unique collection of old arcade machines was sold off. Great games and great names going under the hammer. Tony 'Takoushi, C+VG's Hot Gossiper and arcade addict, visited this palace of delights before it was lost forever. Here's his tear-stained report.
Earlier this year the largest and longest established supplier of arcade machines was due to have a huge clearance sale of old arcade machines and oddments like boards, controllers and the like.
The company concerned is Ruffler and Deith, I know the company, from my own dealings (remember my six arcade machines at home?!!) and I felt I had to see this piece of history before it disappeared forever.
I arranged to go up to their warehouse in Hartlepool and get the atmosphere and look of the place in early May, just before the sale.
I feel greatly privileged lo have seen all those machines and boards before they disappeared forever.
What you are about to read and see in my pictures is a piece of history, every arcade game I could remember (and more) were there, assembled in one place tor the very last time.
The four hour journey to Hartlepool is tiring to say the least The town is a curious mixture of the old and the new with a swish shopping precinct flanked by buildings that would fit comfortably into a Charles Dickens Novel.
The Warehouse is actually a three-storey granite building and is situated in comfortable sight of the coastline.
My main haunt was the basement where the old arcade machines were buried after they died. Here many of them had been stripped to the bare frame and anything useful had been removed for stores. Others were lucky and they were simply laid to rest intact.
Most of the equipment was covered in dust, and a lot of it was not even marked. Still l delved through it eager to find the classics that had given me so much joy in previous years. I was not to be disappointed:
Invader, Pac-man, Galaxian. Defender, Stargate, Crystal Castles, Mach 3, I Robot the list goes on and— they were all there.
The boards were simply piled into boxes and many boxes were three or four feet in height. It was a strange feeling pulling out the boards covered in dust, and my hands were frozen! There were boxes full of ROM chips and processors just lying around. Just imagine the number of hours that had gone into designing and building those games.
Monitors from the machines had been neatly stacked in a corner of the basement, again they were covered in dust peppered with bits of boards and controllers.
The basement was strangely arranged with little alcoves littered around out of reach of the two main lights. I tried to look in them but it proved too dark (and quiet!) to see what secrets they held.
I also found a pile of stickers and facia boards (around three feet high) which I hunted through to find some real gems, There were panels from classics like Frogger, Amidar, Galaga. Stargate, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Pengo and Zaxxon. I bought many of these back with me to be framed and put upon my wall at home —this is history.
There were also boards from pinball machines lying around and many glass covered art logos from the machines. Some of these were stunning, they must have taken many, many hours
to create the originals.
I went upstairs to investigate the other floors. It was an Aladdin's Cave! Everywhere I looked there were banks, some 12 deep, of arcade machines lined up. Some very old, some very new. 12 Konami WEC Le Mans had arrived that day and were waiting for shipment out, other machines were simply waiting for repair. The very top floor was dedicated wholly to fruit machines, it was a weird sight all these machines in lines thirty deep, covered in dust and strapped together.
Despite my wandering on the upper floors I ended up back in the basement. I had found new entrance to it and also found a new corner lo investigate. There were half a dozen cabinets - bunched together and many of the draws were bulging with papers just begging to examined... WOW! Here were ALL the technical manuals tor the machines, EVERYTHING, manuals, memos from the manufacturers, schematics. The works!! They were all referenced by manufacturer and then by game title in alphabetical sequence. There were even confidential memos from the manufacturers as to the potential faults in the machines.
I have to say thank you to all the staff at Ruffler and Deith who were a tremendous help to me that day. Hope you have enjoyed sharing this little bit of history with me.
dj_yt2015-10-04 22:13:35
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Earlier this year a unique collection of old arcade machines was sold off. Great games and great names going under the hammer. Tony 'Takoushi, C+VG's Hot Gossiper and arcade addict, visited this palace of delights before it was lost forever. Here's his tear-stained report.
Earlier this year the largest and longest established supplier of arcade machines was due to have a huge clearance sale of old arcade machines and oddments like boards, controllers and the like.
The company concerned is Ruffler and Deith, I know the company, from my own dealings (remember my six arcade machines at home?!!) and I felt I had to see this piece of history before it disappeared forever.
I arranged to go up to their warehouse in Hartlepool and get the atmosphere and look of the place in early May, just before the sale.
I feel greatly privileged lo have seen all those machines and boards before they disappeared forever.
What you are about to read and see in my pictures is a piece of history, every arcade game I could remember (and more) were there, assembled in one place tor the very last time.
The four hour journey to Hartlepool is tiring to say the least The town is a curious mixture of the old and the new with a swish shopping precinct flanked by buildings that would fit comfortably into a Charles Dickens Novel.
The Warehouse is actually a three-storey granite building and is situated in comfortable sight of the coastline.
My main haunt was the basement where the old arcade machines were buried after they died. Here many of them had been stripped to the bare frame and anything useful had been removed for stores. Others were lucky and they were simply laid to rest intact.
Most of the equipment was covered in dust, and a lot of it was not even marked. Still l delved through it eager to find the classics that had given me so much joy in previous years. I was not to be disappointed:
Invader, Pac-man, Galaxian. Defender, Stargate, Crystal Castles, Mach 3, I Robot the list goes on and— they were all there.
The boards were simply piled into boxes and many boxes were three or four feet in height. It was a strange feeling pulling out the boards covered in dust, and my hands were frozen! There were boxes full of ROM chips and processors just lying around. Just imagine the number of hours that had gone into designing and building those games.
Monitors from the machines had been neatly stacked in a corner of the basement, again they were covered in dust peppered with bits of boards and controllers.
The basement was strangely arranged with little alcoves littered around out of reach of the two main lights. I tried to look in them but it proved too dark (and quiet!) to see what secrets they held.
I also found a pile of stickers and facia boards (around three feet high) which I hunted through to find some real gems, There were panels from classics like Frogger, Amidar, Galaga. Stargate, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Pengo and Zaxxon. I bought many of these back with me to be framed and put upon my wall at home —this is history.
There were also boards from pinball machines lying around and many glass covered art logos from the machines. Some of these were stunning, they must have taken many, many hours
to create the originals.
I went upstairs to investigate the other floors. It was an Aladdin's Cave! Everywhere I looked there were banks, some 12 deep, of arcade machines lined up. Some very old, some very new. 12 Konami WEC Le Mans had arrived that day and were waiting for shipment out, other machines were simply waiting for repair. The very top floor was dedicated wholly to fruit machines, it was a weird sight all these machines in lines thirty deep, covered in dust and strapped together.
Despite my wandering on the upper floors I ended up back in the basement. I had found new entrance to it and also found a new corner lo investigate. There were half a dozen cabinets - bunched together and many of the draws were bulging with papers just begging to examined... WOW! Here were ALL the technical manuals tor the machines, EVERYTHING, manuals, memos from the manufacturers, schematics. The works!! They were all referenced by manufacturer and then by game title in alphabetical sequence. There were even confidential memos from the manufacturers as to the potential faults in the machines.
I have to say thank you to all the staff at Ruffler and Deith who were a tremendous help to me that day. Hope you have enjoyed sharing this little bit of history with me.
dj_yt2015-10-04 22:13:35
