Calif. Express

Calif. Express was produced by the Los Angeles Games Company of Los Angeles, California in June 1935. It's a single-player electro-mechanical (EM) machine themed around railroads, trains, and travel, notably running on four batteries.

The theme references the California Express, a real train route that began in the late 1880s running from Chicago to San Diego through Los Angeles, where the manufacturer was based. Surviving examples of the cabinet feature decals depicting a streamlined locomotive design, though streamlining as a design trend didn't emerge until the 1930s, after the real train route was established — so it's unclear whether these decals are original to the manufacturer or were added later.

Two known examples of this game differ slightly in construction: one has the coin door on the left front of the cabinet, the other has it centered, with no serial number found anywhere on the second example. Little else is documented about the machine's specific gameplay mechanics or designer, leaving Calif. Express as an intriguing but only partially understood piece of 1930s pinball history.