Bowling at King-Pin Lanes (Funky Model A) 

It was called double outside ball return....I did bowl on that type in Hamtramck once or twice. Its weird you had to keep an eye on your ball and you'd have to walk over a few lanes to grab your ball. I was told by the old ones it was used because of all the posts and supports that held up a large bowling lanes ceiling way back in the day. I did see drawings of it in the Brunswick sales catalog.

One thing I noticed at the beginning and end of the video is the high-pitched whining sound coming from the pinsetter. It reminds me of where my grandparents used to bowl until the mid 90's when it went out of business. It had the original Model A's that made the same sound, only it would sound like a constant hum when all 24 lanes were in use by a league. The sound is both nostalgic to hear yet annoying to be constantly enveloped by it for the entire 3 hours that you're there. The only difference with those pinsetters is that the sweep came down a split second before the table, but like the ones at King-Pin Lanes, they came down to clear the deck so quickly that a pin that might have fallen if given more time would stand little to no chance of falling before either being picked up or swept away.

1958 masking. Gold Crown series. The above ground ball return is a lot less troublesome. Take it from a retired mechanic!

This place is like time travel back to the 1950's! Thanks for sharing.

This place is similar to Palmyra Bowling Center in Palmyra NY. The ball returns are that way because that's the way it was with pinboys before automatic pinsetters. The machines are Brunswick A from the late 1950's. Very historic.

I've never seen a Brunswick pinsetter lower the table BEFORE the rake. I can only imagine the damages that might have happened had they not changed it, though. There have been instances of rare accidental pinsetter activation while the ball was on the way to the pins, and luckily it hit the rake, not the deck or the pins in the deck.

I bowled for 2 seasons at kingpin…. I can tell you there’s a workshop behind lanes 1-4, so you can get to the back of those pinsetters. 5-8 are flush against the building foundation wall, so no a direct access to the back of those machines. Ball return on the far left side is for 1 & 2, 3&4 ball return is in the middle as is for 5 & 6. Ball return for 7 & 8 is on the far right of the area.

I have never bowled on model A Brunswick machines but plenty of A2s but very nostalgic nonetheless.

The place is old and ancient but their minor problems, pinsetter issues and no mechanic to save your bowling balls, and dry oil pattern, everything else is crazy amazing

6:02 great timing for Mario Kart to kick in lol

That machine sounds like it’s in pain lol. Never seen a model A do that!

Woah that’s funky! I’ve never seen 90 degree over travel on the first ball like that, I almost wonder if somethings messed up with the machine that’s causing it to act like that. Plus you can really hear that gearbox belt screaming back there! The machines definitely look a little worse for wear, but overall not a bad place. Nice video!

There's 12 lanes of these machines in a bowling alley I used to maintain in DePere, Wisconsin, which is currently awaiting the bulldozer. The problems illustrated in this video are all relatively simple repairs. The problem is that nowadays, no one knows how to do anything besides poking at a "smart" phone.

I remember the four-lane bowling alley in New Effington, South Dakota had the same ball return setup back when they had pinboys... it was way cool. Also, I have never seen a model 'A' pinsetter sweep behave like that on the first cycle, only the second. VERY strange indeed.

I think my motiv would maybe make it halfway down the lane before it would take a massive turn into the gutter. 😅

Looks like the old Canadian 5 pin bowling version of the A51 setter, based off the A2 pinsetter, it operates in the exact same way 🎉

I was told those classic units were still active somewhere in upstate New York about a decade ago. Hope their still alive.

I think in to many cases at a small center the owner figures he or she can be the mechanic. But if he or she were smart they would hire a pinsetter maintenance company such as SBI to take care of his or her equipment it is well worth the $$$.After all the idea is to fix it before it breaks NOT after it breaks.

I am thinking there is part missing from the rake cam follower so the over travel shows on first and second ball. .Interesting. The pinsetter clearly needs oil can in many places.Also little lane oil too. The squeeking sound could be that the spring inside the rake springtube is broken the spring is rubbing the inside of the tube. I recall that sound when i had spring break on model A2 springtube.

Looks like the triangle display for the pins between 2 and 3 looks like it may have come from the "Bard Masking Units"---possibly from Marzano's Miami or Clearing Bowl from Chicago IL.

the curved shoe is out of adjustment causing the rake to not come down at the same time as the deck on first ball...also the rake pattern is way out of adjustment.

They're not "Golden Years" masking units. These are known as the single-lane Gold Crown masking units.

I believe this is a 1959 "A" unit.

LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE BACKGROUND SOUNDS 1:11

I mean is kinda great pinsetter and it's still working and i wish i see Brunswick a2 series is cool

You are bowling on wood lanes with minimal oil. Even a plastic ball will be a hooking monster.

The pinsetter looks like it's getting ready to fall apart

That's a weird delay with the rake part. Is there other lanes that is operational or not?

That pin would have stood up on that 2nd shot in the 10th. Physics.

Did they update anything like the ball return masking unit or oil there lane yet?

I would love to see how the ball returns actually work with the lay out the way it is.

It’s a funky wink junky model a

6:07 What’s up with the Super Mario 64 music suddenly coming on? And the Mario Kart Wii sounds earlier?

Geez that Rake is annoying, not because it came down late but the Rake Board height is so low that its literally rubbing the Pindeck

I would like to buy a pinsetter

Quick question how does lane 2 and 3 ball return work?

Have you checked out any bowling alleys in Minnesota?

So you can't bowl on lane 2? Because there's no open ball return?

Wow weird Brunswick model A setter

I’m just wondering why the sweeper stays there for like 10 seconds

Workers were not allowed in the back? So what if you had an issue?

Those machines aren't getting the love they need and derserve. Messed up overtravel and messed up rake movement.

did bowlero buy this alley? 🤣

I'm surprised that this place is still USBC Certified.

No oil

Hey

ᵖʳᵒᵐᵒˢᵐ

That is very weird and that place is old

Sad that they ran this place to crap. Could be a nice time capsule, but its been in disrepair for so long. McHenry county sandbaggers (people who want a low average for handicap tournaments) bowl league here, or used too anyway.

It sucks that you can't use your own balls at a bowling center but I HATE BONE DRY LANES YOU CAN'T GET ENOUGH TRACKSON. And the Lends pins are ok. But they sound terrible when knocked down. And you had the center to yourself again lol

Quit moving the camera so much

Workers not allowed back there 🫤