- credit
- Harry Williams — Design
- ipdb.corporate_entity_name
- Bally Manufacturing Corporation
- ipdb_id
- 2143
- ipdb.image_urls
- ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/2143/image-1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/2143/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/2143/image-5.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/2143/image-4.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/2143/image-6.jpg"]
- ipdb.manufacturer_trade_name
- Bally
- ipdb.model_number
- 9
- ipdb.notable_features
- 10 balls for 5 cents. The object is to shoot balls into the Score Runways to be advanced when another ball falls into the Signal hole. Two-tone natural wood cabinet is 46 inches by 22 inches. Operates on four 6-volt batteries. Has a bell.
- ipdb.notes
- This pinball machine is one of the first to have a tilt mechanism of the type consisting of a ball resting in top of a post, inside a cup, mounted within the player's view. If the ball was shaken off of the post during play, then the score was considered invalid. Originally referred to as a "stool pigeon". This type of tilt appeared earlier on Gottlieb's 1933 'Brokers Tip'.
An earlier style of tilt mechanism appears on K & F Specialty Company's 1933 'Whirls Fair'.
The signal gates are semaphore signals, common railroad signals of the time, the flags signaling traffic during the daytime and the red and green lights at night.
According to Russ Jensen's interview with Harry Williams on March 18, 1978, Bally bought the rights from him to manufacture and distribute some of his designs in the Mid-West and East USA territory, while Williams' company, Automatic Amusements, retained control of the Western USA. 'Signal' was one of these games. The agreement required Bally to credit Harry Williams as the designer in their advertisement for the games.
Interestingly, one of the Bally-sponsored ads shown here pictures a game with the card holder bearing the printing "Automatic Amusement Mfg. Co." This is the only Bally ad we found with this apparent mistake.
The Senior model precedes the Junior model and was advertised as 46 inches by 22 inches. The score card holder is larger than the Junior model and the tilt cup appears on the left side of the apron, above the card holder. Both models indicate only the single word "Signal" in the upper playfield.
See also Bally's 1934 'Signal (Jr)'.
- month
- 9
- player_count
- 1
- technology_generation
- electromechanical
- theme
- Railroads
- theme
- Trains
- theme
- Transportation
- theme
- Travel
- year
- 1934