Mechanical Memories Magazine

Issue: 2013-March - Issue 74

Editorial
Hello, and welcome to the March magazine. Many thanks to those of you who
responded to my plea for articles for the magazine. I now have a stock of material to
keep us going for a couple of months, but do please keep it coming in! I am really
pleased to report that following on from the excellent piece about Ian Jamieson last
month, Stuart Dale has actually made contact with Ian, who has very generously
written a history of Jamiesons Automatics, exclusively for this magazine. I plan to
publish it in two parts, in the May and June issues, taking us into the magazine' s
summer break.
Well, time has flown by and we ' ve already reached that time of year when I'm
desperately trying to get ready for the Easter school holidays down at Brighton. At the
time of writing, it looks like the forthcoming weekend is going to be another washout,
making March a right-off so far - all the more reason to hope for a good Easter. So if
you're out and about in the Brighton area over the Easter holidays, do pop in to see me
at the arcade. If you haven't visited before, Mechanical Memories is really easy to find
- we' re at beach level about 100 yards west of the Palace pier.
On the subject of Brighton, I am finding it increasingly difficult to obtain good
quality old pennies. You might be surprised to hear that I ' lose' 2000+ each year
(that's punters nicking them). So if you have any you' d like to donate, please bring a
hand-full down to Brighton and play my machines free of charge! (Elizabeth or GVI
only please).
And finally, Brian King contacted me recently with news that his stock of MMM
binders is now running low, with less than twenty left. So if you would like some
binders for your magazines and haven't yet ordered, best get in quick!
Until next time, all the best
Jerry
Front Cover Picture: Sweetmeats multi-column vending machine. There' s no
particular reason for using this picture for the front cover other than this rare cast iron
beauty sold at auction recently. For most of us, our interest in vintage coin-operated
amusement machines doesn't extend too far into the field of vending . .. . ......... but I'd
swap one of my all wins for this incredible vendor any day!
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Dreamland
MARGATE
Save Dreamland Update March 2013
Back in January this year I celebrated 10 years of the Save Dreamland Campaign by
recalling the events of that first year. I propose to occasionally continue that article
over the coming months, by reviewing a further year in the life of the Campaign. In
this month's MMM, and exclusive to MMM, I continue the story with the events of
our second year, 2004, which saw the Campaign attend its first ever public inquiry ...
10 YEARS OF THE SA VE DREAMLAND CAMPAIGN: 2004
In an interview featured in the January 2004 edition of amusement park industry
magazine Park World, the operator of Dreamland throughout the 2003 season,
showman David Wallis, confirmed that he would be interested in operating the park
again for the 2004 season. This was great news, and showed that Dreamland continued
to be a viable operation. In a separate interview David Collard, who operated the
Scenic Railway independently throughout the 2003 season, stated, "It worked out very
well and easily paid for itself, with quite a bit left over".
At the time of this news, I made a statement on the Save Dreamland Campaign
website, which summed up the position as I saw it at the time:
"This is yet more good news for Margate. We already knew that more than one
established theme park operator w.ants to buy the site and invest in its rides and
attractions. We now have further confirmation that this important tourist attraction is
a viable business. The very person who operated it this year has now confirmed that
he would do it again next year. He would not be doing that if the park doesn't make
money.
"And further confirmation from Dave Collard that the Scenic Railway, operated
as a separate concession, can more than pay its way is very welcome news indeed.
Park World very cleverly identifies the only real issue that we have to deal with now.
We now know the park is viable; that is no longer the issue. Park World correctly
identifies that land values are the only issue remaining. We now call on the Council -
with all the evidence now available to it - to stand firm in its rejection of retail on the
site. "
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