:: HISTORICAL & TITANIC BULK BUY / Road Trip' :: The Duke Of Lancaster

[DarthNuno]

PROLOGUE

by Oliver 'Alpha1'  

Back in 2009 I was made aware of a link to an urban exploration website. For those that don't know, this is a pastime where people break in to old abandoned buildings and explore, taking pictures along the way.  They call is urbex. (the original link to the urban exploration pictures are here).
 
Whilst looking at this site I found myself suddenly looking at some arcade machines, and well, you know me! The hunt was on.
 
I spent 8 months trying to contact the owners of the place I could see the games in. I phoned the council, I phoned the post office (yeah I really did!) in the town and phoned everywhere, each time getting another clue in the puzzle that would lead me to the owners of this place that had the games in.
 
I finally contacted the owners in January 2011 after going through the said local councils, local shops (you name it) and finally got in contact with a family member. This family member put me in contact with the owners and we started talking. Two things came out of that.
 
1. The arcade games are for sale
2. I can go and see them
 
So in February 2011 myself and 2 others, Rav and P-man, drove for what seemed like forever until we reached our destination, and the destination was pretty magnificent. People, this was the most magnificent story that could ever be told.
 
It was a beached ship.
 
This ship is the Duke of Lancaster.

Before going further on our 'Belgium side' of this historical story, check more details about the background/preparation of this adventure on the UKvAc board    


[click on picture to jump in the Oliver's part of the story]

You can find more details about the ship on the net, but let me gather the information here (sources : wiki/dukeoflancaster.net) :


HISTORY


The TSS Duke of Lancaster was a railway steamer passenger ship that operated in Europe from 1956 to 1979.



Built at Harland & Wolff, Belfast and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the Heysham-Belfast route) and as a cruise ship. In this capacity, the Lancaster travelled to the Scottish islands and further afield to Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
From the mid-1960s, passenger ships such as the Lancaster were gradually being superseded by car ferries.
Rather than undertake the expensive option of renewing their entire fleet, British Railways instead began a part-programme of conversion. In order to maintain ferry services whilst these modifications took place, the Lancaster's duties as a cruise ship ceased. On 25 April 1970 the ship returned to service, having had her main deck rebuilt to accommodate vehicles via a door at her stern. The ship now provided space for 1,200 single-class passengers and 105 cars, with a total cabin accommodation for 400 passengers.



The ship (with her two sister ships "TSS Duke of Rothesay" and the "TSS Duke of Argyll")  continued on the Heysham-Belfast route until the service was withdrawn on 5 April 1975. It was then briefly employed on the Fishguard-Rosslare crossing, before becoming the regular relief vessel on the Holyhead–Dún Laoghaire service until November 1978. The ship was then laid up at Barrow in Furness, Cumbria.

The Lancaster was sold to Liverpool based company Empirewise Ltd, who intended her to be used as a static leisure centre and market. She arrived at her new home at Llanerch-y-Mor, near Mostyn, on 10 August 1979  


[click on picture to see the video]

The ship was brought into a permanent dock and the hull was sealed. The reason the ship was beached was to get around the rule of no shops or trading to be open on a Sunday. John Rowley in his brilliance had found a loop hole - ships were not bound by this law, and the law did not state where the ship must be - whether it be at sea, at dock, or indeed beached on land - and thus the "Fun Ship" was born.



Conversion for use as a 300-room hotel did not appear to go beyond the preliminary planning stage. Its use as "The Fun Ship" was relatively short-lived and it was subsequently closed to the public because access to the ship is via a bridge under the North Wales railway line, which is too low for emergency vehicles.



Over time, the vessel has become increasingly derelict. The ship was later used as a warehouse by its owners Solitaire Liverpool Ltd, a clothing company registered to the same address as Empirewise Ltd



Despite rumours that the ship would be scrapped, the company stated that they have no plans either to sell it or to restore it. Since then, 'left to rot'...



We now can confirm the ship will be scrapped very soon!

So me must act now and save all these games!

A "unsinkable" plan?

That UKVAC Bulk Buy opportunity came in ears of selected collectors in may 2011, although Oliver was working on the plan for longer.
And what a plan!   more than 100 machines (games, pinballs, kiddie games, fruit machines...)...coming right away for the golden age of video game!
Making a such bulk buy a success was a terrible nightmare for Oliver... a real poker game!



...price negotiation... keeping that location a secret... trusting all the persons involved in the bulk buy... I won't give all the details here, but they were a lot of 'down' periods during these last months... even at certain points, that bulk buy was almost death! But thanks to the perseverance of Oliver, for most of us, we kept the hope. We wanted our ticket to history!  



We were a little bit worried when we heard that the BBC television would broadcast a documentary about the boat, in December 2011. Perhaps it mentions the presence of games? And so reveal the precious secret? Fortunately not! That short documentary didn't focus on that   But since I'm involved in that story, I had to see what is the content of the documentary, and so I ordered the dvd show!  



Here's the interesting segment    



And after months of hope..the issue has come through this Oliver's message  

Posted: 25 Jan 2012 at 5:48pm
OK EVERYONE, THE DATE HAS BEEN SET AND FINALIZED TODAY....SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4TH. THIS IS NOT THIS WEEKEND, BUT THE WEEKEND AFTER, PLEASE START BOOKING YOUR VANS!!!!

Hurray!!! We got our ticket!!!!   This video resumes all    



Hell Yeah!  

[DarthNuno]

NO SLEEP 'TIL HAMMERSMITH LIVERPOOL

So the meeting point is now fixed to the 4th of February... 8:00am ... at Mostyn [North Wales], close to Liverpool, at approx 1000km from my house!
Too bad, I can't have a day off at my job the day before!   So it means that we will have to drive right after a day of work, all the evening/night long, without sleeping... and hope to be on time for the 'big boat party'   It's gonna be rock'n'roll...

Friday, the 3rd of February / 5:00 pm

Because the boat is located in the middle of nowhere...



...a serious preparation is required! This time, my usual 'road trip' stuff won't be enough... and what a great opportunity to use back boots like this    



I have not worn them since more than 20 years! This road trip gonna be historical in many ways I think  
OK, all I need is ready    



The weather forecast here in Belgium is not too good...and I don't even dare checking the forecast in UK   ...but we have no choice! We must drive to that ship at any cost!
Temperatures are really low since few days : -12 °C during the night, -5 °C the day...



The final destination is the ship! Here's the travel to do    



Remember, we are Friday the 3rd of February, 5:20PM and we must be over there at 8:00am tomorrow! Ok, no time to lose! Ready for departure...


(clock is not correct on my car, it's really 17:27 at the moment)

Fortunately, I won't travel alone during this adventure... Chrischris is also a lucky member of this 'Bulk buy'. He's in charge to rent the truck. I just will use my car to go to his place. From there, we'll use the van. So I set my Nav Car to 'ChrisChris' home...



Ok, 185km... 1h49 min driving estimation time... piece of cake, for the smallest travel 'segment' of this adventure...  

While I'm on the road to the ChrisChris's home, I got a phone call from him. Remember, he has to pick up the van at the rent car company, located at 35 km from his place.
He's stuck in the traffic jam because of the snow! The rent agency closes at 6:00pm. He called their office to ask them to wait a little bit over 6:00pm, because he's so close from their office, but unfortunately stuck. The guy over the phone says : NO... because he must leave as soon as possible, he is also worried about the snow  
Chris explains him how important having this truck is... but the guy doesn't really agree! Chris called him 4 times!!! every 10 minutes... imploring his help! Also by offering an extra €€€... but the guy has to quit the office on time  

Damn it! What to do with no truck? We don't want to miss a such adventure! The B plan would be to go there anyway with my car, and using the Chris trailer... in that case we can bring back only two cabinets   ...but a least, we will see the boat! Ok, that will be the B plan!

Chris calls me once again, and ask me If I could convince him. So I call the guy.... and ... with some kind of magic, the guy says : "OK men, I stay here... take your time... I wait for you...'   There must be arcade Gods with us today   YYYEEEESSSSS !!!
The reason why the guy changed his mind : he had a concert planned tonight, but because of the snow that paralyzed all the country (a total 1600 km of traffic jam in Belgium!!!), he (and his wife) decided not to go there... so no more rush for him   ...and the truck for us!

For information, the truck rental company is located at 35 km from Chrischris home... and he drove for two hours and half to go there!!!

Snow? 1600km of traffic jam? It's very quiet for now, in south Belgium  



One hour later... opppss  



Damn it! Why the road trip is scheduled this week end... nightmare condition for driving  



My trip to Chrischris  should take less two hours, and I finally arrive after 3h30 min! Our timing was already very tight, we did not need 'any delay' in addition!  

Ok, let's be positive! We have the truck...it's gonna be a great adventure...



ChrisChris will be the first to drive...



It's 9:19pm ...



...and we must be at Calais before 0:15am for 'Le shuttle'. In my road trip plan, I calculated a 'bonus' of 2-3 hours in case of delay, so we are still in schedule for now. Here's the rest of the trip to do ... before tomorrow morning!  



We have now approx 2h30min to drive in order to reach the Eurotunnel. No problem during the first hour and half... but when arriving at Lille 



Stuck in traffic!!! 

TWO HOURS LATER!!!.... It's now clear we missed the scheduled train!!! We are now OUT OF SCHEDULE!!!
Worst than that, I don't know what is the schedule for the next train. During daytime there is a train every 30 or 40 minutes I think, but in the night, maybe one train every two hours?!!! DAMN IT!!! 



...and few hundred meters further... same chaos!  I use that wasted time for taking some rest... coz I'll be the 'driver' in UK...



30 minutes later...



...it looks like the end of the world here! I know it's 2012 this year, right?! But...

"Listen, God of the Arcade...it's something like my 50th road trip so far...and I never had such problem? WTF today?"


"That day on the Galaxian Theater, what did I say to you? What were my words to you? Maybe it was your time to lose. You didn't think so."


[raging] "Lose? I don't lose! I win! I win! I'm a Road Triper'! That's my job, that's what I do!"


"I rest my case."


And the nightmare continues...



So much troubles everywhere... the Chrischris Nav' Car goes mad... each red square means accident... 



Holy Jesus... see the clock   



After spending more than 3 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES for few km driven, the situation starts to change now... better late than never!
And you know what was the problem? The snow of course, yes... but the true reason is ... the trucks!!! The officers directed trucks on a single way, which paralyzes the entire highways for hours 
Our last hope now is to catch a train around 4h00am! But I'm not sure what are the train scheduled during the night to be honest 

At least, we arrive at the Eurotunnel...



Let's put my credit card and see what will be our the departure time...



...  ...


...  !!!

In short : You're too late for your initial reservation! Next departure available... 07:20 AM ...07:20AM??? ...07:20AM??? ...and of course, please add an extra fee : 63€

ChrisChis : "So what Bruno?"

Me : "..."

Eurotunnel : "Do you copy Mr Bruno? The next departure will be 07:20AM... I repeat ... the next departure will be 07:20AM!"


ChrisChis : "What does it means Bruno?"


Me : "We just lost the Moon boat..."

[DarthNuno]

At this time, I can assure you our enthusiasm was close to zero! 

Taking 'Le Shuttle' at 7:20 am means two things :

- wait 3 hours starting for now (it's about 4:00am) inside our truck!
- arriving at the boat after the 'party'. Remember, the meeting is set at 8:00am UK time! And we may arrive close to 1:00PM !!!

Well, there's a last chance to get a train *before* the one suggested at 7:20am!

I know 'by experience' they wait the last moment before closing the train door. Practically, we are too late regarding boarding procedure, and that's the reason why the ticket machine propose us the next train... but the previous one may be still here, ready to go? Let's hurry! That may be our chance  I've done this successfully few times... let's pray this will be the case this time too....we need to save this road trip 

HELL YEAH!!! 



The Arcade God is back! Let's use the crossing time to take some rest and some check up ... we are in a 'rush' mode since the beginning of the road trip 

Inside the truck, very cold... see 



Chrischris eats some chips...



...while I'm waiting for a Burger King that may never come...



...but at least I've my favorite and official drink   



I'll need it, coz now I'll be the driver in UK 

OK, arriving in UK ... out of schedule, but not too much... it's 3:47am UK time...





Thanks to some CD I got with me, it created a kind of 'time tunnel' that lead us in no time to the famous Dartford Crossing...



I didn't know the crossing is free during the night by the way...

6h51, the first 'refuel' stop...



Fuel prices are really expensive in UK 





To be honest, we really start to be very tired at this point... we are awake since more than 24 hours... and, expect chips/chocolate, we didn't eat something serious 

What's this?! Oh Noooooo   



Let's cross the fingers we will avoid a new major delay because of the weather...

After an other 'time tunnel', here we are ... in daylight ... that will help us to stay awake 



Because we are still 'out of schedule', we decide to put priority to the boat... we'll eat l8ter... except of course things like that   



Driving without sleeping can twist your mind... I see a roller coaster now   



Some objects look 'over sized'   



Damn! That must be difficult to drive such truck... see the action of the wind 



Strange trailer? What to do with that? 



Huge accident on the other side of the road...



Close to Liverpool? Manchester? Never been so far in the Mordor ...



ONE HOUR TO GO... coool   



Almost there...



Almost there ...



MOSTYN... 3 miles to go ... 3 minutes to go...



There is a contest between Chrischris and I... Who will see the ship first? ... who'll shoot it first?

Chrischris is the winner... picture by the courtesy of him   



Can you spot the Fun Arcade Ship 

 

[DarthNuno]

Ok Chris, I can see it too...



What a monster!   I cannot believe we are here!  



Amazing... I spent so much time these last weeks to see pictures of it... and now, the boat is in front of me...



...but how to reach it? There's no way around?  



Let's call Oliver 'Alpha1'... we need to know how to reach the DUKE   Ok... there's a very small (and very dangerous) way to get no too far ...



...no problem so far ... Opsss! BEWARE the precipice    



...boat on sight?!


THE BOAT! THE BOAT!



Now gentlemen, be our guests inside the truck for the final approach in this video  


[click on the picture to watch the video. Be sure sure watch it in HD]

The approach in a different point of view 



Yes! This is our truck... as seen by Muerto, located on the top of the ship  




Hey, look at this big yellow mast of the boat!




That's no mast, it's a huge crane!



'Parking' the truck... it's around 10:00am UK time.



"Oh, and you'll need a crane, that's a pre-requisite to the deal" - the seller

I guess using a such big  crane is a *world premiere* for a road trip   



See it's big! 



Reallllly big!!! 



Do you believe us now ... it's as huge as the TITANIC      



Where are a little bit late, but fortunately not too much... we just missed the crane installation and the first games unloaded.
So there are already 'men at work' :
 




You can easily understand the unloading procedure. Guys are loading games on the trailer...



...and the crane brings the trailer onto the ground...









By now , a major part of the gamed are already unloaded from the boad and loaded inside the new lucky owner's truck 

Amazing pictures...the games... the boat...the collectors ...







Muerto and I... wondering if this is a dream or not? 



Chrischris is inspecting one of his new game.... can you name that 'red cab', mhhuuuu?   



Hey, see what's coming from the truck 



It's the 2nd Starhawk from this bulkbuy. It's not mine. Mine has been already unloaded. Here it is   



I was looking for that cabinet for a loooooooong time, but that one is a very rare one! I'm really happy to finally found it 


"Hey Bruno, are you sure it's yours?"

HELL YEAH!!! It's my name  It's miiiiiiiinnnnnnnnneeeeee   



Oh, a note about the clothes : it was supposed to be as cold as the Hoth planet here...



...with as much rain as the Kamino planet...



...and much wind than LV4-26 planet...



...that explain why most of us are 'over' dressed 

[DarthNuno]

Hey, I spot an other of my cabinet on the deck ...



No! Not close to me, I said on the deck... Right here!!!  



Yes, there!  



...now on the trailer. Can you name it?  



See! The now 'legendary' helicopter...ready to fly into a new home in Belgium...



When Crane & Arcade unite...

Now watch on this video how to win cabinets with a crane    


[click on the picture to watch the video. Be sure sure watch it in HD]

In pictures  









So did you recognize it?  



Not easy huh?   ...it's a Phoenix boot ...

...made by Sidam ...

...its CONDOR  

And here's on the ground the new Chrischris toy    



THE GHOST SHIP...

Oliver is calling us... It's now the moment we were dreaming about since the beginning of this story... entering the ghost ship 



Chrischris is following me...



...while I'm following Oliver ...



...under the flashes of our camera  Afraid in the dark?



I'm wondering how many people walked on these stairs?



Who used these chairs?



Being here is just amazing... you can feel the history of the place... simply amazing!



Dozen of games were originally located in this main corridor...



... who were the kids who played on these games? Probably 'old' guys like us now  ... strange feeling...

On the deck, against the four winds! Nothing else than happy moments for us   



...few minutes for us...



It wasn't easy to come here... no matter the cold, the tiredness...no matter to be hungry... we are here and we enjoy the moment...





OK, back to 'work'  the trailer is waiting on the deck for more games   



Oliver on approach...
 




This one will need some work :



This cabinet has been 'untouched' since the 80s... 'til today 





Amazing Arcade Life Style scene   



Hey, two girls on the ground?



What? Ah ok! They take the food order for all of us? Thanks Muerto! (no easy to understand him speaking to us, he is on the ground while we are still on the deck)...



Still on the deck, let's shoot my Condor... great condition as you can see   

[DarthNuno]

A strange feeling ... all that space empty and lifeless for decades...



I feel like ...  a forbidden place ... it's like I need a permission from ...someone?



I had to find a thing or a person?... and he was there, behind the door  



Thanks One-Eyed Willie... I promise that the games that you have kept so long are now in good hands.



I feel better now! He let us playing on his ship few more minutes... in peace   So rock'n'roll  









The picture NOT to miss!!!    





I need some coins please    



What? You're closed? Ok, I'll wait on this chair until you open... no problem    



We wanted to stay on the boat longer, but it was not possible. Anyway we are already extremely lucky ... thanks for your help on this -once again- Oliver  

Back on the ground, I'll check my Condor for the first time... I'm really happy about its condition  



On the negative side, there's no pcb.





Let's hope the Chrischris helicopter will fly again very soon    



Almost all games are now unloaded from the 'Fun Boat'...



Some truck are really *full* of games, great to see that  



An impressive 2 players cabinet : SUBS    



And a real collector item : the jukebox who was located in the main arcade area!!!    



While the games entertained kids, that jukbox entertained ears! Let's see the songs list  



Hey, here is the first food I eat since more than 36 hours. Thanks Muerto    



An other piece of history from this ship    



Almost all games are now loaded in the trucks...



It's more than time to load our games too  



(the one in the middle 'Midway Boot Hill' is your, Ully   )

Loading of my Starhawk    



I also take off this TakeOff, for parts ... the cabinets and internal parts are the same than my Condor  



This is it... we all have our stuff inside our trucks... the picture that will be a major & historical one in the 'contemporary' arcade collecting scene    



(picture by Rav' ...so unfortunately not pictured here)
 

[DarthNuno]

Before to leave the place forever, let take more pictures of the brave Duke...









Laying on the ground, a poor power supply brick...



Most of the collectors are gone now...



...but we cannot leave the place with to do a last farewell to the Duke...



...and for a brief moment, I can say : "I OWN THE DUKE IN MY HAND"  



A last farewell from Chris...



...to the ship that won't be exist in less than few months   ...



...so we really watch it 'for real' for the really last time...



...bye bye, Duke ... Duke of Lancaster...



Of course, I do this a last time    



Around the boat... pieces of junk...



...and soon nothing more then the Sea...



Good bye Duke...

This isn't the last dance...

It's 12:47 UK time when we leave the ship...



...and it's gonna be a new long trip to way back... see the distance to drive back to the Chris home... and It will be ever worst for me   



Chris 'Red Bull' powered...



Again, we need fuel! Also time for few pancakes, made by Darth Nunette   



Hey, did you notice? AdBLue... only £10.99   



"This pancake looks like the Space Invaders moon"... guys... we really need some sleep at this level 



Chat, chips, jokes, listening music... time flies...



I guess it's the Dartford Crossing here   



No sleep 'til home...

...and we finally arrive at the EuroTunnel.



The initial plan was to take some rest, somewhere in an hotel, after unloading the games from the boat (remember, still no sleep for us so far since the beginning of the trip), but it's not too late after all, and we are not so far from home at this point.
During a long road trip like, you have alternatively up & down times... we got the decision to continue to travel -without stopping for sleeping- during an 'up time' moment 
But when I reserved the Eurotunnel tickets, I thought we would be back Sunday morning, not now (Saturday evening)... so, once again, we are 'unattended' at the €uroTunnel... please pay a an other extra fee  Do you want to continue YES/NO ...



OK, Willy ... Because you offered us a great story...and also because you don't really have the choice.... Money Talks!

This time... customs are really curious about our truck...Drugs somewhere?




We don't drink, we don't smoke, we don't do drugs. We play video games...

"Hey... Space Invaders! Nice!" said one of them   



Once inside Le Shuttle, the usual inspection...



Ready to leave Le Shuttle... welcome in Europe! 



Gimme fuel, gimme fire Gimme that which I desire...

Yes... once again ... fuel stop...



Arriving at the Chrischris town... I thought it would never happen  ...



My initial was to unload one of my games from the truck, and bring it with me but I'm just too tired... it's late ... no sleep ... it's cold ...



See, it's 0:36am ... -10° C ... I just want to go home now... and sleep for two days   



...so the games will stay on the truck this nigh, and ChrisChris will store them a couple of weeks... thanks for that, man! 

And after a quick good bye, I leave my teammate for the last run of this journey! 2 hours to go before my bed... I see dead ships everywhere ... on the roads   



And here I am ... Home Sweet Home   



My wife was so worried about me that she waited my return... ... It's Sunday, 2:38am  This road trip is officially ended! 

At the end of this Journey :

Belgium > France > UK > France > Belgium
1835 km driven on the road
100km under water (EuroTunnel)
Total elapsed 'road trip' time: 33h07min
Total elapsed time without sleeping : 43h30min
Willy 'one eyed' games we got back from the Fun Ship :

Starhawk / Cinematronics
Condor / Sidam
Take Off / Sidam
Space Invaders / Taito
Kiddie Helicopter ride
Cheeky Chics
Boot Hill / Midway
DECO/Data East Tomahawk 777

...but most important, a part of the "DUKE OF LANCASTER / FUN SHIP" history 

[DarthNuno]

Sunday, the 5th of February / 5:00 pm

At the Chrischris place. Time to unload the games...



Shame on me, I'm even not there to help him   Fortunately for him, someone else will help.

Here's the Take Off I got for parts only (similar than the Condor cabinet)



The ChrisChris 'Arcade way of life'... when arcade and apartment unite    



Hope you still have free empty space for more cabinets?    



Obviously yes    



...and it's time for Chris to bring back the van to the rental company, but also to give a bottle of champagne (or wine) to the employee who was waiting for us last Friday evening after his business hour.  



Cheers!



 

...and two weeks l8ter...


Wednesday, the 22nd of February, in the afternoon

Hi Chris! Please enter the Nuno's area   



Let me guess what's inside the trailer? 



Hell Yeah! He brings me my two games (and half) : Condor, StarHawk and all the internal parts of the 'Take Off'   



Let's unload the Condor first...



Just need a good clean ... and the board (still at Rav's place for examination of the board).



Holy smoke, where to put that one...  ... ok, one more cabinet inside the family house (WAF=WAF+1?  ) 



Let's continue with the 2nd one : StarHawk...



A good old beast!   



Massive, heavy, and not easy to move... welcome to the world of the first arcade games built! 



That one will be too big for the house, after a terrible puzzling of few cabinets, it should be possible for my game room to 'host' that one too  ... magical moment... StarHawk entering the game room   



OK, while we are here, let's plug few games for Chris 





Thanks to Chris for hosting these games until today, but also for bring them back directly at my place... you rock guy! 

What an adventure... few months ago, I watched the games pictures waiting on a ghost boat, and now they are here! 

Ok, next step will be the complete examination of the cabinets... I'll open a dedicated topic for each of them.

[gyruss]

Yeah! Bring it on! 

[Muerto]

I think i can all ready say:

[Superully]

oh no, bring on those pics! i'm literally dying here ...

[Etienne MacGyver]

Yeah, show the pics !

This is so cool !

[funkycochise]

My god, what a teasing. As muerto said, this journey appears to be already classified in the legendary topics of "arcade life style".

Can't wait, I'm still speechless.

[DarthNuno]

Crazy pictures & video are coming  ...but due to the historical nature of this story, I prefer to write a nice story for you, instead ton of pictures with no comment at all 
So please be patient a little bit more 
ps : more stuff in the first 'slot' 

[kroustibat]

wow incredible tease and story 

keep refreshing