[David Dunlop]

It seems that productive work on the 52-Set is going to be hung up for a bit. I have found components on several fronts of the project that require replacement and need to be ordered. However, the ongoing issues with the Canada Post system have effectively shut down that service globally and I already have some items trapped in that system for several weeks.

So, back to basic research.

While working on the Switchboard, Charging No. 5C Mk I, I ended up going to a section of the F 526 Identification List for the 52-Set I had never closely looked at before now. This was the few pages for the Switchboard and I discovered these pages were part of an Issue 3 for the F 526 that was published 02 June 1953. This revealed several interesting facts about Canadian Switchboards, Charging.

First off, I had always seen references to the fact the four switches on the British Switchboards were larger than the ones used in Canadian Production and used pressed steel switch covers, whereas the smaller, Canadian switches used Bakelite covers. Page 151 of Issue 3 of F 526 lists both black phenolic (Bakelite) covers and pressed steel as being available in the Supply System for the Canadian made Switchboards.

The second tidbit of new information was the original manufacturer of both the switch covers, and the complete switches, was identified by the abbreviation “AH&H”, along with their own part numbers for this equipment. It took a little extra digging but “AH&H” turns out to be the Arrow-Hart & Hegeman Electrical Company that was formed in 1927 in Hartford, Connecticut by the merger of Arrow Electric Co. and the Hart & Hegeman Manufacturing Company. At some point AH&H was absorbed by Cooper Industries, who in turn are now part of a global complex called EATON.

So although the Canadian switches are smaller than the British ones, it is quite possible to run across a Canadian made board with either Bakelite, or pressed steel, covers. Either will be correct.


David