Lancaster Bomb Switch Panel

Author
Discussion

dave-the-diver

243 posts

185 months

Thursday 16th February 2012
quotequote all
This is based on memories from at least 35 years ago, so be gentle!

I drew a track diagram onto a bit of board, then put a pair of brass panel pins through the relevant tracks behind each set of points.

Soldered wires onto the back pins (probably actually soldered the wired on first then passed the wired through a pre-drilled hole, but you get the idea).

Wired the common of the points solenoids to -ve, the other side of the solenoids to the pins, then had a permanently live flying lead (+ve), which could be touched onto any of the pins on the track diagram to fire the points.

Simple cheap and easy.

David


dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Thursday 16th February 2012
quotequote all
Yertis said:
Dad used proper H & M point switches when he wired up my railway 40-odd years ago. It was like watching him practise magic. But couldn't you use a toggle switch to flip the polarity, then a push button to briefly energise the circuit?

Probably much easier to cough up for the proper switches...
You could, but if you flipped the switch without pressing the button (for whatever reason) you wouldn't have a positive indication of where the points were.


dave-the-diver said:
This is based on memories from at least 35 years ago, so be gentle!

I drew a track diagram onto a bit of board, then put a pair of brass panel pins through the relevant tracks behind each set of points.

Soldered wires onto the back pins (probably actually soldered the wired on first then passed the wired through a pre-drilled hole, but you get the idea).

Wired the common of the points solenoids to -ve, the other side of the solenoids to the pins, then had a permanently live flying lead (+ve), which could be touched onto any of the pins on the track diagram to fire the points.

Simple cheap and easy.

David
Peco do the parts to make a system like that, but again, there is no idication of how the points are set, which is what I'm after.

Thanks for the ideas though.

Hudson Restore

1 posts

110 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Hi, I am currently a Restoration Volunteer with the National Airforce Museum of Canada. We are currently restoring a Hudson Bomber. As you can imagine, the Bomber we are working on was missing a lot of parts. One of the parts that was missing is the bomb aimer switch panel which is identical the the one used in the lancaster. I am fabricating one from scratch but photos of the sides of this panel are impossible to find. Would it be possible for you to photograph the sides? I thank you in advance for any help that you could provide.

Bob
If there is anyone out there that has one of these panels, please contact us, thanks

Simpo Two

85,150 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Good luck Bob and welcome to PH!

lufbramatt

5,318 posts

133 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Which switch is for the Cookie?
I know this is an old post, but looking through the lanc A.P I have here, the Cookie would be armed with switch number 12 (or possibly 8, 10 and 12 as they had 3 fuses).

Interesting that there are 16 switches though, as a Lancaster has 15 bomb positions (5 rows of 3).



Edited by lufbramatt on Monday 26th January 16:52

Eric Mc

121,783 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
A - I can't remember asking that question

B - I can't remember WHY I asked that question

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
These days they'd have a £500,000 computer to do it, and it would be almost operational by 1950...
Just in time for 20.00hrs take off time?

Simpo Two

85,150 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Which switch is for the Cookie?
Harris to Hitler: 'Is your site set to accept cookies?' hehe

Switch

3,455 posts

174 months

Sunday 29th September 2019
quotequote all
In a curious turn of events... I've got one of these as well...



Switch

3,455 posts

174 months

Sunday 29th September 2019
quotequote all
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nam5xbRMpBjwmaPR7

And a quick clip of the very satisfying thunks it makes.

(Apologies for the sideways video etc)

outnumbered

4,067 posts

233 months

Sunday 29th September 2019
quotequote all
Switch said:
In a curious turn of events... I've got one of these as well...
Did you choose your username 10 years ago in anticipation of this post ? smile

robsa

2,254 posts

183 months

Sunday 29th September 2019
quotequote all
Just as an FYI.... if you are going to be using those, be aware the internal wiring could be asbestos. It looks like the pure chrysotile cloth wiring, and is the right age. I can't tell 100% from the photos, but you can get it tested. If it is, just be careful as it is pure asbestos.

Very cool though!

Switch

3,455 posts

174 months

Monday 30th September 2019
quotequote all
outnumbered said:
Switch said:
In a curious turn of events... I've got one of these as well...
Did you choose your username 10 years ago in anticipation of this post ? smile
Aha. Not far off actually. But a different sort of Switch...
Before my time working for PH too...

ReverendCounter

6,087 posts

175 months

Monday 30th September 2019
quotequote all
All of those tiny chips in the black paint make me wonder if those are indicators that the aircraft/bomb aimers position was hit at some point during its operational life - or maybe its just plain old wear and tear.

peterperkins

3,148 posts

241 months

Monday 30th September 2019
quotequote all
It's an interesting piece of historical equipment.

Clearly it's worth some money so don't knacker it.

If you can use the switches/mechanism for yout train outfit or whatever while keeping the unit intact then fill your boots.

Some probing around with a multimeter should enable you to identify circuits and map out a schematic.

Might even be one online somewhere.. Haynes Lancaster Repair Manual?

eccles

13,720 posts

221 months

Monday 30th September 2019
quotequote all
peterperkins said:
It's an interesting piece of historical equipment.

Clearly it's worth some money so don't knacker it.

If you can use the switches/mechanism for yout train outfit or whatever while keeping the unit intact then fill your boots.

Some probing around with a multimeter should enable you to identify circuits and map out a schematic.

Might even be one online somewhere.. Haynes Lancaster Repair Manual?
Check the date on the OP. biggrin

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 30th September 2019
quotequote all
I think the train left the station some time ago!

(or the bombs left the plane....)


:-)