1956 United Bowling Alley

Description: Bowling Alley, United, 11/56, United's first ball bowler, four 3" balls, 14 foot length so the flyer says (but 11 footers exist), ball does not hit pins but instead travels beneath them (separated by a piece of glass between the bottom of the pins and the lane) and hits lane switches. Note game does *not* have gutters, so kids really love this game (no gutter balls, the ball can bounce from side to side). Adults of course find this less challenging.

United Bowling Alley also has a unique feature where the game does not deliver a ball to the player until the game thinks it should. This is done using a gate system at the top of the return lane (under the pinhood). The game gives the player a ball for each shot in a frame. If the player needs a ball he can press a button next to the coin door to release a ball. This system has the advantage of keeping the balls so they don't walk away in a tavern situation. But just about every United Bowling Alley I have seen has this ball release system defeated and removed (allowing the game's four 3" balls to be delivered to the player just like any other ball bowler).


This is the rarer 11 foot version of the United Bowling Alley (coin door area repainted):


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