Abandoned Arcade Workshop Rescue! - The Legacy of Automatic Services

This is the workshop of Automatic Services, an arcade specialist during the golden age of gaming. When the owner sadly passed away his family invited collectors, museums, and enthusiasts to help to sort through the old barn and workshop.
It's damp, mouldy and dangerous, but there are hidden gems to be found in here. Accompanied by my good friend Tony Temple we dove in to see what we could save, and to help the family reclaim the space while ensuring the legacy of Laurence Shepherd lived on in arcades up and down the country.
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[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks for watching Arcadians, please take a moment to subscribe to my channel for future videos Also check out Tony's arcade blog here: arcadeblogger.com Alex

[@SebsPlaceYT]

End of the video bought a tear to my eye, what a great tribute to Mark by letting us all share this barn rescue. I could've watched 3 hours of this. Brilliant.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Bless you, It bought a tear to my eye editing it 😞

[@D__T_____]

Your respectful approach to the family and a man's life work is a credit to your community Alex, well done to all involved on the day

[@TheArcadeArchive]

What a lovely comment, thank you 🙏

[@thetwistedsock3253]

Very nicely done Alex. All of the salvage team did the rescue very conscientiously. A fitting tribute to Mark and special thanks must go to his family, friends and colleagues. What a lovely video.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you so much

[@nopenopeandnope7050]

Aww, man. that picture of Mark made me choke up a little. Looks like a really lovely guy, and must have been if his family are as cool as they seem to be. Well done in rescuing this gear. Some of Mark will live on in the things that he worked on being enjoyed by more people rather than go to waste. Good on ya!

[@rasberrycast]

You are doing an amazing job in keeping this tech alive. May Marks life be celebrated in these cabinets providing enjoyment for many for years to come.

[@NorthWay_no]

I would love to get a cocktail cabinet sometime - they have an aesthetic that appeals to me and fits well as furniture too. The pinball I'll silently pass on for now...

[@basedr1ver]

Bless you Alex and team. My father just passed before Christmas and it would have been a great comfort to know that his legacy could have continued through the next generation. Sadly I am the only one who can do so and try my best I shall. This video warmed my heart, knowing that Mark's years of dedication shall continue to shine through the Arcade Archive. Sending love to you all and to Mark's family 💜

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks that’s very kind of you ❤

[@NivagSwerdna]

Very cool. Sorting that collection must have been totally overwhelming for the family so to have you all step up and sort is just amazing.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you 🙏

[@mrt.7146]

teared up just a little bit 😢

[@d1btd3265]

They seem like a lovely family. Great video.

[@dishmanw]

OMG, I played some of these games in my childhood.

[@MrButtonpresser]

Modern day Howard Carters exploring King Tutankhamen's tomb.

[@_DML_]

It's a beautiful thing seeing such historical electronics being restored and getting another chance to entertain people.

[@rmrepairs]

Lauren very kindly sold me a few faulty pcbs. That video got me properly choked up at the end and I too will be labelling these boards up.

[@Rob.Coleman]

I read Tony's blog this morning so it was great seeing his words come to life in this video. My thoughts go out to Mark's family and friends and hope they will find a lot of comfort knowing his legacy will be enjoyed for years to come and his hard work and dedication will be forever remembered.

[@rchilton]

I was holding it together right up until you saying there'd be the company stickers on the back of the machines. What a sensitive and interesting video, I loved all the accents and emotions. Lauren's stories were nice to hear and the thought of all those games living again made me really happy.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Awww very kind of you and I’m sure the family reading this will really appreciate it Thank you 🙏

[@solarbirdyz]

Wow, that's... that's a lot. Good luck salvaging! With those monitors in particular, obviously, since nobody's making those anymore.

[@Teraphim]

Getting to go treasure hunting for your hobby is awesome!

[@sr230cc9]

Centaur and Paragon!! Hope you can save those!

[@prodelboy2743]

Great vid. The guy must have been a legend in life

[@delsarcade]

Alex, I would have LOVED to be a part of that salvaging! The stories, the mess and the camaraderie of everyone involved. Those are the memories worth experiencing and I'm glad you documented them in this video.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you Del,I only wish you and your fellow Arcadians stateside could come over at some point, would be amazing to hang out, play games and chat about our hobby.

[@dmcmoose]

Wasn't expecting to get totes emosh watching an Arcade Archive vid, but I did. Great bit of story telling.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks you 🙏

[@aeiouxs]

Incredible stuff Alex - and to everyone involved in this. Cannot be easy, balancing excitement for what we love, honouring a man and his family so embedded in their passion for arcade gaming. Great idea with the stickers on the backs of surviving/restored machines honouring Mark. RIP Mark and excited to see what blossoms from this, I'm sure he'd be excited to see that.

[@ctrlaltrees]

Wondeful stuff Alex, what a great video! So good to see these games going to great homes. 🤗

[@raggersragnarsson6255]

What a legacy that their father Mark has left of his amazing work, and for his family, and also now the wider world which is very, very touching. It's so important to save such treasures. It's lovely to hear of the family talking about their father's business and his amazing work. Quite emotional and Mark was clearly an amazing family man. Much love to his family and my sincere condolences to them as well. I will be thinking of them after this video as a Dad an older family man. It's imperative that his collection is saved and the family have definitely connected with the correct people via Alex to save and restore what can be saved. Additionally I love the true Yorkshire accent and it's home grown people. A beautiful part of England. Mark must surely be the Fred Dibnah of arcade machines and a fellow legend in this regard!

[@MrChristiangraham]

RIP Mark.

[@vudusid8717]

I olny live up the road from here. If i would have know they were skipping arcade cabinets i would have take a few off their hands, along with a donation.

[@MonChop]

So sad, but also amazing that a lot of it will be saved for future generations to enjoy. Id love to help out with any restoration bits if any help is needed. Im currently doing a very sad MC cocktail cabinet myself.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

That’s very kind of you we always need volunteers

[@ThomasGrillo]

Truly a labour of love! Thank you very much for sharing this with us.

[@crunchyfrog555]

Zaccaria's Quasar. God I hope you got that one - I know it inside out. I had one once and it had a bug in the early versions. Each loop of the game is about half a dozen waves. First wave being zeppeling type things, and you move left to right. Then it moves to movement like Asteroids where other airships float all over. The penultimate screen is where you have a swirling portal type thing that floats across the top of the screen and you have to shoot it and stay in its beam to be pulled up to meet it to complete the level. This is where the issue is. Every loop of the game, that beam gets thinner. After about 4 or 5 times round it's meant to meet maximum "thinness" and stay at that but the bug manifests by simply the screen going all white and you can't see anything. I can't recall whether it's a board or ROM that fixes it. Checking MAME ROM dumps hasn't helped for me as there's something wrong with the settings that make getting through the screen mentioned difficult so I can't actually check these to see if the dumps have the fix or not. I hope if you do get it it's a later revision.

[@onaretrotip]

Very touching to hear how much this means to the family. Well done.

[@rollerxcore]

Wow. Amazing to see such a place. Glad to see it all go to a good home and where it will be looked after and preserved. 🤟Great job and great tribute to an obviously great guy

[@phils_arcade]

So sad to see, and nice to have the family let you guys in. That's the sort of place I'd love to rummage around in. I'd be picking up all sorts of dead stuff, the sort of things most people put in the skip. If you find any of PCBs, games, chassis, etc... that are gone way beyond repair, I can actually make use of them. Will be starting to document board layouts this year and need as many boards I can get my hands on. Thanks..

[@vdubwise]

A fantastic video. Well done to yourself and the team for salvaging so many things that will be enjoyed by the community again. Suzuka 8 hours brings back happy memories for me! Used to play that all the time in the arcades in Southend back in the 90’s.

[@tommylee4350]

I loved that t2 game

[@MarkLenton-m3i]

Wow, what a great video from a sad situation. I would have probably just had to stand in this store in ore of all this great kit just waiting for you guys to bring back alive. Great work.

[@JayPase]

❤ Thanks kindly for preserving the legacy and history of that arcade collection! Epic work lads 🖖

[@more.power.]

Well done guys a wonderful find and great to see the family happy with the out come.

[@Reality_Checkmate]

Looks like most of it was too far gone. What a shame. The TV show "American Pickers" actually went to my cousin's house after my uncle passed and it was almost the same story, only with antiques. My uncle dedicated his life to collecting... but not taking care of his stuff. It's always best to focus on what was gained rather than what was lost though. Those parts are invaluable.

[@P5ychoFox]

This was a joy to watch.

[@nerdygeezer78]

Such a great thing that this guys memory will live on through everyone that cleared that place. Great vid Alex as always

[@matepoon]

Gem of a video. Excited to see some of those games back in action.

[@BenRattigan]

Wow that is fantastic, what an operation and generous of the family. That Virtua Cop cabinet is great.

[@kenknight5983]

Hope you do a video on that Star Wars colour vector display (even if you don't get it working), potentially very educational. Hope you can get Suzuka 8 Hours working, I've always wondered how these work mechanically. My dream is to see a video on Radmobile- seeing how the machine tilts when you drive up a slope. A pretty rare machine

[@TheStevenWhiting]

31:15 Hopefully someone took the top of that and tries to preserve it. Even if the whole cabinet is gone that top section looks like it would make a good display piece.

[@miltiadiskoutsokeras9189]

A knight's work. That is what these guys did. Nice.

[@BrianRazzano]

Beautiful video. Thank you for your dedication to preserving these wonderful machines and memories ❤

[@richardcooper]

Very heart warming and now in that hands of people who will restore and put everything back into working order so they can be enjoyed for years to come. Lots of videos to come too :)

[@willd6215]

Fair play that was a lovingly made video

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you

[@arcadecraig6441]

Awesome video, and well put together, that guy sounds a legend. gutting that roof leaked and ruined some classics :(

[@themilkmaiden]

Always love these pick up videos. What a lovely thing to see Marks collection be salvaged/repaired and be enjoyed for years to come

[@senilyDeluxe]

Wow, just wow. At least it was only one floor... I bought a few games from some guy who stored them in his shed. It didn't rain in, but the humidity inside and out was the same as was the temperature, and on the one board I fixed, every 5th IC was bad. At around 120 ICs, that was a lot... The other board happened to be a Quasar (unfortunately I didn't know it needs an external sound board and didn't look out for it). There's mold growing on the stickers on the ROMs and on the capacitors. Tested socketed chips, the three 2636 work, but the 2650 CPU is dead. Haven't tackled fixing it as it's incomplete, uses a lot of weird ICs and is in very poor shape with many chip legs completely rusty. And they scratched out the labels on the daughterboard ICs (although they're pretty easy to guess from the way they're wired up)

[@TheArcadeArchive]

I’ve never seen or played Quasar before looks quite interesting game with some cool sound effects. Hope you get yours working.

[@worldsend69]

I'm speechless, to say that's a treasure trove does not do the haul justice, it's like the arcade haul at the end of the rainbow. I can already hear 50 more arcades screaming for our attention with synthesized goodness and flashing come hither lights!

[@ewstargamer]

What a great video Alex, I bet you guys couldn't believe what you had found Shame that mark wasn't around to have a chat with you guys about it all Really enjoyed this one 👍

[@JMurdochNZ]

A great treasure trove but a real shame it got so damaged. Mark has the look of a good man. Well done everyone.

[@robsretrostuff]

Can’t believe I have lived 2 miles away from this barn for the last 30 years, wish I’d known toy were up North, would have leant a hand 😁 superb video

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks mate

[@SwainyAtRetroAsylum]

A great video and very touching, well done mate 👍

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks Dean 👍

[@Dwarfboysim]

An amazing effort by all to save the family’s memories and Mark’s Legacy

[@codecraft2004]

Great video. Its nice to see Marks passion will live on.

[@banjoguyollie]

ah that's great. I love the feeling you get from raids . The sense of discovery and rooting around. Nice one.

[@properjob2311]

Great work. RIP Mark. Need to try sort out a Crystal Maze machine for the family now.

[@AndyHugRetro]

Fascinating video Alex, well done to all involved

[@ArcadeAzrall]

Amazing video mate. What an incredible story and journey. Hopefully we can keep Mark's legacy going for many years! Can I come to the next raid? 🤣

[@MightySquirrel724]

Amazing story, and I am super happy that you were able to get what you could get. Will you be documenting the universal cabs and how well designed they are? I'm really curious to see what he did to make them so well built.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Yes hopefully when we get time I want to get them all working for the museum. Thanks

[@magicknight8412]

This was such a nice touching story, what an amazing aladdins cave of treasure ! Really was a modern archaeological dig !! Lovely tribute to the guy.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you 🙏

[@Ed-eq5kd]

Great Video Alex, what an adventure, thanks for sharing the experience without us needing dust masks. Lovely story too, a win win for everyone, well done to all of you helping the family out.

[@LegoYodaX]

What a great video.... well done on getting so many of the items out and back running. Marks memory lives on in those games and Especially the custom cabs... Top.

[@Geordie77]

Best video Ive watched on your channel and KZbin full stop. You've raised the bar so high. RIP Mark❤

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Wow thank you 🙏

[@weAreNotAloneHere]

You where wrong, he was with you and right by your side. Amazing story and lovely people, Thankyou for sharing

[@retroimportgamer513]

That was brilliant Alex, very sad in many ways given the circumstances but awesome that some can be saved and repaired. It looked such a treasure trove, such a shame the building it was all stored in was in such poor shape👍

[@Pixelhorizon]

Great job Alex and the rest of the crew :) This one was a bit emotional, it made me think what will happen to my retro stuff when I´m gone. This stuff is important and It isn´t just games, it´s much more than that and I appreciate you guys for honoring it. Mark would be happy to know that his stuff is being taken care of :)

[@8BitRetroReFix]

Great video, mate .. Nice to see you're keeping Marks legacy going ... Next time, you're up this way and need a hand.. give me a shout 😉

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thanks steve 👍

[@jumpingeneral]

Hearts of gold guys. Great work Saving the past ..I’m sure the family appreciates everything . Be blessed ✌️

[@MetzGaming]

What a fantastic video, thanks for sharing this with us Alex. A fantastic story about Mark, and how gracious his lovely family were to let you guys salvage those treasures. Must have been a lot of fun but also very stressful. Really appreciate being able to take a look at this with you, and delighted some of these will end up at the Archive. - Matt.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you Matt, very kind words 🙏

[@stevol11]

Excellent content, love all the videos, would love to visit on a Friday night 💯💯👌👍

[@dantootill]

Lovely to see the salvage done with such great sensitivity and care, as was the presentation of the video. My heart goes out to Lauren and the family. Well done Alex and team, and thank you for sharing this exciting and emotionally charged journey.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you so much! I’m sure the family reading this will really appreciate your kind words

[@GASHPAN]

Well done to you and the salvage team, Alex! I hope there’s plenty that was salvaged and the collection continues to be enjoyed by many. It’s a real shame that ceiling didn’t hold up!

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you mate! Im sure the family reading your comments will really appreciate your kind words

[@cptnkrenon]

Fantastic that you guys were able to help out Mark's family. Will be great to see these loved games put back into action.

[@BlackOmegaUK]

The starwars and defender machines would have been next to each other just like that in so many arcades. Such a shame to see them rotted away, but I'm sure the community will make good use of all the stuff you managed to salvage. Good work and another great video, thanks.

[@mrroobarb]

What an amazing tribute to Mark - Lauren you should be so proud... much love x

[@CASFAN]

Wow, this place is literally just round the corner from my Mum & Dads and I never even knew it was there. Amazing video and it’s fantastic that Mark’s collection will live on. My thoughts go to all of his family.

[@16bitbrit]

Incredible video. Lovely touch at the end, and so good to hear from the family and friends. Brilliant stuff.

[@andrewpercival1427]

I actually think there should be alot more funding to help restore pieces of social history like this amazing collection, to a generation of people items like these are far more relevant than say something like the British museum(although amazing in its own right) keeping these machines out of landfill and in use is very important , keep up the great work guys.

[@thatman84]

Been waiting for this one.

[@retro_reflections]

Outstanding work by everyone involved under the circumstances - thanks very much for sharing this for us, Alex, and may Mark's incredible legacy be treasured by the arcade community for many years to come.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

Ooo gonna watch this one!

[@electricadventures]

A wonderful tribute to Mark, and a huge group effort to go through all of the items and clean up the space for the family. A treasure of even just spare parts, let alone the cabinets that could be saved. I don't know how you managed to do all of that in two days, even with the number of people there - huge task! Of course, we all mourn when a Star Wars (or a Defender) cabinet doesn't survive, but hopefully, some of the parts will help other units survive into the future. Will be looking forward to the various discoveries amongst the machines and PCBs. My local friend has a T2 cabinet, I am not into light gun games, but that one is quite well done and fun to play.

[@richardbaker974]

Great story and great video Alex

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you

[@RetroRecollections]

Wonderful of you to go and document this and help out this grieving family. Such a touching video. Great to see those boards and cabinets go on to be used and loved and not just skipped.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you

[@davess61]

What an absolutely fantastic video. Like others I was moved to tears at the end. Felt almost like burying deep into the past, to a time when we all fell in love with those games. Sincere condolences to Mark's family.

[@LurgsHowToGuides]

What a fantastic video to watch. Really was an Aladdins Cave of gear. What a shame there had been so much water damage. Seeing the old Star Wars cabinet falling apart was so sad, that was and still is one of the greatest arcade games to play. Keep up the great work. RIP Laurence thanks for the treasures.

[@davidsouthall6090]

Amazing work, and a wonderful tribute. So happy many of these treasures will get the chance at a second life. Nearly cried at the Defender and Star Wars melting in front of our eyes let alone the touching ending. All the best to Mark's Family, fine work chaps.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you very much

[@Veniceredmask01]

Beautiful video x god bless

[@DaveGeebiv]

Well done to all involved. What a legacy to keep alive through difficult circumstances.

[@MrFixiit]

beautiful tribute alex, im glad you are going to resuce a lot of those arcades and even showcase one of his own cabinets well done fella.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you mate

[@FlashbackTNT]

What an amazing video, Alex. You've made a great and fitting tribute to the family involved. As mentioned, what a tremendous piece of social history. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you very much!

[@adamhinde9538]

Fantastic video Alex, I can’t wait to see further on what happens. Much respect to the family.

[@johnnyretro1975]

wow Alex this was an amazing video love seeing these videos you do RIP mark i didn't know him but he sounded like a great man and his life will carry on through all his games you saved so the community wide can enjoy thankyou to his family who could of easily threw it all away but to contact Alex was an amazing thing to do well done everyone id be up there every day if i lived close was only saying other week to you Alex about be great to get a star was in there then you pull that out great work to you all there certainly a place in RETRO heaven for you all

[@TheArcadeArchive]

Thank you so much Johnny much appreciated mate

[@tonyg5597]

Great vid...thanks for sharing