Tunnel Way

Tunnel Way, produced by A.B.T. Manufacturing Company in 1936, is a notable early electromechanical pinball machine with an interesting backstory. Like several other A.B.T. games of the period, Tunnel Way has a hand-painted playfield and is actually a repainted version of another, unidentified A.B.T. game. It was one of several winning entries in a contest the manufacturer held to increase operator profits, inviting artists to paint profit-making playfield art; each repainted game was tested side-by-side on location against its original version to see which brought in more money.

The gameplay features are typical of early flipperless EM machines, with a manually launched ball navigating pins, targets, and pockets on the playfield rather than being redirected by flippers, which would not be invented until 1947. The playfield itself appears relatively simple compared to later designs, with few notable features beyond the era-specific mechanics.

Unfortunately, very little is known about Tunnel Way's design or theme beyond its basic construction and its place in A.B.T.'s playfield-art contest. Its significance lies primarily in its place within the evolution of pinball machines and marketing experiments of the era, making it an interesting piece of pinball history for collectors and enthusiasts.