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Beautifully done, the artwork.

I have the Double Diamond version, and the artwork looks good...

Until the light comes on!

is it from the sixties?

I think nearer to 1970

My compliments paul

Now the top glass is finished the wording is clear, and it is interesting in its own way. A 5/- token, but only to be used in that pub, so with Red Barrel being a little under 2/6 at the time you got two pints - not too bad a prize really for a 6d play, although of course, the 2 pints didn't cost the pub that much, so it could be considered a good deal for both parties. Interesting that you didn't get the 2 x 6d usually paid by the first barrel if you won a token.

Finally found time to finish this machine, and it's as good a machine as I expected. I made two new glasses, sprayed the case with a special can spray I like to use that gives a good impression of a powder coat and serviced the mech. everything works at it should including the lights and the solenoid powered token payout. one new lock to fit and it's finished, you just have to love that particular set of reel strips. As good a late bandit as there is in my view.

Well that’s looking good ! Well done, enjoy it

thanks Hans

great restoration Paul!

I love your machine. My memories of Watney's Red Barrel aren't good.

Haha, My dad worked as a driver and drayman for Watney's... He originally worked for Steward and Patterson's in Norwich before they were taken over by Watney's.
During the summer holidays as a 7 year old... I used to sit in the middle of the lorry cab while my Dad did 20 pub deliveries around Norfolk and Lincolnshire. so it was from Norwich to Spalding... What I do remember is on these journeys, and many years after that, my dad and his mate would take the barrels down into the cellar and once finished the delivery they would get half of beer and a packet of fags each... Well my dad did not smoke so our cupboard under the stairs was full of cigarettes and when my dad needed a favour... it was his go to place to make it happen... but on the down side my dad drove his lorry and did 10 pints of beer every day... Can't believe that would happen today...
The reason for typing these memories are that last week I went into a bar in Manchester at the Oxford Road railway station and they still had an original Watney's barrel on the bar... Have not seen one like this for years...
All the best... Dicky

Great memories of times spent with your dad.

Hi,
I represent Nottingham Industrial Museum.
We are trying to acquire a Bell Fruit machine manufactured in Nottingham at the recently closed Leen Gate factory. I wonder if someone could confirm the manufacturing location of this machine?
https://pin.it/2wE6rZH
The vendor has sent me an additional picture which indicated the model is 7-T Bell Fruit Serial No. 602419.
Help appreciated!

Yes, I believe that bandit was made at the Leen Gate factory. As I understand it, they didn't have other facilities until the 1980s.
See http://www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Bell-Fruit-Article.pdf

Here's one I have recently acquired.




I've not long returned from a trip down North to visit a good friend, fellow collector and a forum member.
Turns out the first two were out at bingo so I was stuck with the last one.
Taking the opportunity to revisit the private pub in his garden and gaze upon his machines, I was also there to pick one up.
A Bell Fruit 1960s Bandit
For this post I shall protect his identity and refer to him as Wilbur, that's not his real name of course. His real name is Heath Breckenbridge.

If you've ever been to visit him you'll already know that whichever direction you sail in from it's the final 5 miles that gets you. Unlike Rome, no roads lead to Wilbur's house. On this occasion even the woman who lives in my dashboard threw in the towel.
I'd just exited the bypass around the red light district when her despairing voice wailed out “GPS signal lost” Which in itself is a quandary when you consider that you're currently at 1,214ft above sea level. Any higher and you'd have to duck so the bloody GPS gizmo missed your head on its next time round.

As a consequence I missed the turning opposite the “The Flat Cap & Whippet Emporium (Clogs & Hobnails a Speciality) ” and had to go on to where the cobblestones end and the bridleway commenced. Luckily I was able to turn in the car park of the pub named after the famous Yorkshire Cowboy “Tex the Piss” and try again.
20 minutes later and I find him in his garage sanding side vendors, we haven't seen each other since Parkhurst and retire to his garden pub where it isn't snowing to catch up.
For any of you who don't know him, he's a name to watch. His standard of restoration is to be seen to be believed. In my opinion he has an eye for detail that can't be faulted, he puts it down to his OCD.
It wasn't an easy decision for him to sell me the Bell Fruit. He describes it as his first bandit and was his Father's.
Like everything he does if it needs something doing he does it.
In this case the whole of the front door and other parts have been rechromed, and the graphics redone. The metal case expertly sprayed.
It's always good to see him, especially has he has another bandit I covert ...




Finally for any of you who don't know, these machines have never really been very collectable. I think that's probably due to them not being very popular with arcade/fairground operators. The business model that supported their manufacture was the licensed trade/clubs/pubs which itself lasted only a few years before those industries took charge and created their own sub divisions to supply and control AWP machines.
So it's easy to see how many have missed out on appreciating such a superbly engineered 3 reeler based on a Watling Mechanism with a rotary escalator, and in the case of mine a goose neck coin entry!

BP