Lancaster Bomb Switch Panel

[dr_gn]

Currently building a model railway for the boy & his Grandad (in other words, me). I'd suggested buying a load of switches and mounting them on a board to operate the points, when my Dad said he'd already bought some "just in case" back in the 1940's from a war surplus shop. Turns out they are bomb selector/arming switches from a Lancaster:





Perfect - beautiful bit of work, but somehow I hope this particular unit wasn't used in anger.

[Zaxxon]

Oh it has been used, you need to give it away, I'll help

Lovely bit of kit.

[0a]

That's so cool! So how many times have you enacted a wartime raid?

[perdu]

There's a definiite "thumb" mark on one of those switches

I'd better look after it for you

(will it do the job for you? If so fill yer boots)

[Simpo Two]

Lots of switches there. If I was a Lancaster bomb-aimer I'd just have one switch labelled 'THE LOT'

[dr_gn]

Simpo Two said:

Lots of switches there. If I was a Lancaster bomb-aimer I'd just have one switch labelled 'THE LOT'

Apparently....

The switches arm the bombs rather than drop them. When a switch is pressed, it operates a clamp in the bomb bay which grips a wire connected to the individual bomb fuse. Then when the bomb drops, the wire pulls a pin out and away it goes. If the wire isn't clamped, the pin goes with the bomb and in theroy it doesn't explode.

You can select a range of drop patterns with the rotary switch/window, and select individual bombs with the switches. If you remove the jettison clip and push the bakelite bars to the left, the whole lot goes without being armed.

Normally though, after arming with this panel, there's a thumb trigger on a flexible lead that the bomb aimer presses over the target, and that single switch lets whatever bombs/patterns go.

http://jproc.ca/rrp/rrp3/lanc_10mr_armament.html



A really shabby one sold for £250 at auction last year. Didn't think it would be worth that much: would pay for the model railway!

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

There's a definiite "thumb" mark on one of those switches

I'd better look after it for you

(will it do the job for you? If so fill yer boots)

It'll easily do the job - The case is very nice thick aluminium, the external screws are perfectly countersunk and the the switch mechanisms themselves are beautifully engineered. The rotary selector mechanism is a work of art!

Somewhow I don't think the Maplins switches would last quite as long.

[Eric Mc]

I'd hate to be depending on Maplin build quality at 17,000 feet over Germany, in the dark, being shot at.

[Simpo Two]

These days they'd have a £500,000 computer to do it, and it would be almost operational by 1950...



I like the idea of dropping bombs in a pattern though - if you had enough you could spell out 'STITCH THAT' in craters

[Hooli]

That's wonderful, I'd be tempted to just hang it on a wall somewhere. If you do wire it all up, do try not to damage the existing wiring to keep the history won't ya?

[Marty63]

Would it be monetary valued more if it had been used in anger ??

[deadtom]

Marty63 said:

Would it be monetary valued more if it had been used in anger ??

i got the impression it was more that the OP wouldnt be comfortable making a play thing from a device that has been used to kill (innocent?) people

[dr_gn]

deadtom said:

Marty63 said:

Would it be monetary valued more if it had been used in anger ??

i got the impression it was more that the OP wouldnt be comfortable making a play thing from a device that has been used to kill (innocent?) people

Exactly. I've seen it kicking around at home over the years, but it never really dawned on me until yesterday that it might, just might, have played a part in killing - as you say - innocent people. Then again it might not. At the end of the day it's just a box of switches. If it ends up getting used as part of a toy railway, so be it: at least it'll be used for something constructive.

[mybrainhurts]

Or you could pretend to bomb the railway with it...

[dr_gn]

mybrainhurts said:

Or you could pretend to bomb the railway with it...

I could, becasue I can't figure out how to wire the points switches!

I need an impulse (via. a capacitor discharge unit) to fire the points one way or the other. If I use a normal two way switch, it'll burn the point solenoid out. If I use a centre-return two way switch, I don't have a way of knowing where the points are, well, pointing. I could use a two way switch to select the direction, and a push to make switch to fire the points, but I dunno...I thought it would be easier than this!

[mybrainhurts]

Sounds like you're going to re-enact some spiffing good crashes, old boy...

[Simpo Two]

deadtom said:

i got the impression it was more that the OP wouldnt be comfortable making a play thing from a device that has been used to kill (innocent?) people

It's called provenance, and had they not been used you might well not be around to post such naive drivel.

[jaybirduk]

Very nice, I hope you manage to get working while retaining the integrity of the device.

[dr_gn]

jaybirduk said:

Very nice, I hope you manage to get working while retaining the integrity of the device.

Thanks, I wouldn't consider altering it an any way - there are screw terminals ready to connect all external wires to.

[Eric Mc]

Which switch is for the Cookie?