Gottlieb’s Cross Town

We’re looking at a legendary Gottlieb Wedgehead! These single player machines are highly regarded among the pinball fraternity and are known for their awesome game play and interesting themes and design. Made in the ’60s to ’70s and named for their unique tapering backbox, they are sought after and quickly snapped up when they come to market. The owners of this one purchased it at an estate sale and we’re on the scene to witness it getting a little TLC soon after being brought home.

We’re hanging with Gary Makota, a veteran pinball tech, who’s been there, done that and wrote the guide book. He’s here on a service call and as we’ve done many time’s before, we’re documenting the action.

It’s super interesting stuff even if the ratings for these posts is never that high. Still, thanks to the owners for allowing it to happen…thanks to Gary for allowing it happen…and thanks to you for reading.

This is Cross Town from 1966. The machine overall is pretty nice and just needs a little adjusting, tuning and a good cleaning. This is easy stuff when compared to the mechanical nightmare that some of these old machines can become on account of deferred maintenance. Fortunately this one, in the hands of who ever owned it before, showed signs of being reasonably cared for. Given its age and all, it could be much worse and we’ve seen some hellish examples.

Gottlieb was one of the big three makers from the golden age of electro-mechanical pins. Along with competitors Williams and Bally (both gone), they called Chicago home, therefor making the city at the time the epicentre of the pinball universe. Gottlieb was in business from the early 1930s to the mid-1990s and are best remembered for their EM machines, made up to the late 1970s. They seemed falter afterwards on going electronic.

There was just under twenty eight hundred Cross Town Pinballs made (a reasonable sized production run for the day). The theme here is a ride on the subway. There’s a sister machine from the same year that differs a bit in play but otherwise is pretty much the same in art and theme, that instead of awarding replays on reaching a certain score(s), would put additional balls into play for the game in progress. In some jurisdictions a replay was seen as something of value, so playing was gambling and to sidestep this rule, an add-a-ball feature like this was implemented. This was Gottlieb’s Subway with about thirty two hundred produced.

Since they were single player games, a wedgehead was mechanically simpler than those that allowed up to four. At the same time, the rule set could often be more creative and with this comes the reason they’re so revered. Gottlieb’s multi-player games used the traditional (and larger) squared backbox, given more space was needed for all those additional scoring mechanisms.

The layout of the playfield is pretty traditional. There’s a nice mix of rollover lanes, pop-bumpers, slingshots and other scoring features. A central stand-up target is where the big points happen. A wide flipper gap along with two out-lanes means the ball is easily drained and so high scores a real challenge. Shorty flippers are typical of the era and seem to require more finesse to play than the longer ones that came after. This pinball (Subway too) has a manual ball lift (to put it into play), the last such games coming from this firm so equipped. Later it’d all be done automatically.

Cross Town has some backglass elements that are recessed giving a clever three-d effect. Also, there’s a backglass animation and hitting a big score will cause subway doors to open, showing the riders inside. Things like this always heightens the experience. Why didn’t we get a picture? I know!

There’s some scribblings on the back of the machine that tell us it was once on site somewhere in Vancouver in the late 1960s. That’s an interesting bit of provenance as often there is none.

Now it’s onto the work to be done. The tech, Gary, who is no stranger to those of you who read our pinball pieces (all four of you – haha) quickly attends to the problems at hand. There’s some sticky switches and a general sluggishness, all issues easily tackled. Gaps are adjusted, contacts cleaned, dead bulbs and worn rubbers replaced and things lubed and waxed. It’s a literal maze of wires and switches yet he know where to go and what to do. The man’s been fixing pins since like forever and is the go to tech for those owning older machines, arcade games and even vintage jukeboxes.

Speaking of jukeboxes, we once shadowed him as he fixed one. You think this pinball is complicated inside? You’ve haven’t seen anything yet. Here: Keeping the Faith.

A little elbow grease, some tightening of this and that and it plays pretty close to new. The paints a little worn in places, on the playfield and backglass, and there’s signs of some backbox damaged that was repaired too. Machines lived a hard life and were no strangers to being knocked around, but for the most part this one is not all that bad. The art can be fully restored to new but many people choose to live with minor cosmetic issues and see it as character. Of all the Cross Towns made, it’s be safe to say only a small percentage are left and this one a fine example.

This was our first and only time playing this machine (it was a little before our time) and first impressions was that it is a drain-monster, one were the ball is easily lost. Plus we’re not all good to begin with. No high scores for us, not even close. Still, it was fun up the wazoo.

We take in all the little details in the art, stuff most people might not notice, but quite charming and often humorous if you take time to look close.

It was a blast hanging with Gary and getting to see the inner workings of this pin. How in the world anyone can figure out these huge, complex mechanical computers, is beyond us. Then it’s a class photo and we’re soon on our way. We know we’ll all cross paths again.

That table and chair set – dear Lord, how my Mom would have killed for it. Deep wood tones and bright red fabric, soft and cushy? And made of barrels? Yup, that was her kinda thing. It also came from the same estate sale as the pinball.

Thanks for taking the time and we’d love to hear what you think!

Search “Garry Makota Pinball Repair” on Google should you need a machine repaired in the Calgary area.

They’re saying…

”Always very interesting and well researched.” Peter Kroeger.

Dedicated to the silver ball…
William Deluxe Pinch Hitter – a vintage “pitch & bat”.
YEGPin 2018 – we’ll be back!
Pinball Art – overdeveloped ladies are a reoccurring theme.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date of Adventure: October, 2019.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: Internet Pinball Database, Gary Makota Pinball Repair.

It came from the coast.

It’s got the shorty flippers of the era.

These little details.

Chicago was centre of the pinball universe.

This is Cross Town.

Shadowing an old school tech.

Been there, done that, wrote the book.

These skilled hands.

Dear Lord, my mom would have died for this.

A playfield plastic.

Part of a “pop” bumper.

A good cleaning/waxing.

Backbox shows signs of a repaint.

This machine dates from the 1960s.

Gottlieb was one of the Big Three back then.

Can’t wait to knock this around.

A good tune up and it plays nice.

The inner workings.

One of the last with a manual ball lift.

About 2800 Cross Towns were made.

There’s a subway theme here.

Backglass displays a 3D effect.

Nothing more collectable than a wedgehead.