What is this Tank From?

Wild guess, Avpin tank off a Lightning?

Hi Mark may be able to help with bomb doors , i also have the rear nacelle fairing from an oxford.

cheers dave

[email]debdavid@aapt.net.au[/email]

Don’t think it’s Oxford.

Tanks from the IWM Duxford Oxford while under restoration. (Thanks to the IWM for access).
What’s not immediately obvious is the air vent through the tank.

OK, I may not check the forum very often, but the email woke me up…

The photos show the combined oil tank/ cooler for the Cheetah. This arrangement was on the temperate climate Oxfords (nearly all of them) but the winterised ones in Canada had a different oil tank, with separate equipment next to it – because they didn’t need the cooler. There were numerous other mods associated with winterisation. The wreck of Mk I AT605 in our collection has these mods.

Back to the tank… Yes, it is certainly Oxford. The part number is the key: 1015006. 10=Oxford, 15=fuel system and 006 is the drawing number. The drawing 1015006 is an “auxiliary tank”, 29 gallons. I.e. its the one from the outer wing panel, outboard of the centre section. The photos of the fuel tank of the IWM Oxford show the main tanks in the centre section.

Any parts marked 10xxyyy (or some 11xxyyy) are Oxford.

Does anyone know where we can find the last few bits we need for our restoration please? (Props, Cheetah pot and some anciliaries, bomb doors, perspex, turret internals and some instruments). We have lots of Oxford parts for possible exchange. Thanks.

Yep – already emailled him Roger!

ATB

TT

TT – The e-mail address in “Wrecks and Relics” bounced back.
I’ve now found a telephone number if your e-mailing doesn’t work.

Roger Smith.

Yep – already emailled him Roger!

ATB

TT

……For those interested it is currently for sale on ebay in Australia – (I recall the B24 group at Werribee were collecting Oxford parts towards a future restoration…… Mark Pilkington

I wonder if Mark Evans would be interested? Anyone in contact with him?

Roger Smith.

thanks Don, Dave and James,

Don, the validity of the P1935 serial number as an AS Oxford lends weight to Dave’s view that it is Oxford, while ADF-Serials is an excellent resource, it is not always complete or infallible, but at this stage I would agree it is the primefacie evidence at that P1935 did not come to Australia, however it is possible that fuel tanks were swapped during a service into another aircraft, or perhaps P1935 was reduced to spares and this tank shipped to Australia as support spares?

Anyone know the RAF history/ fate of P1935?

James pictures however does raise questions over the “Oxford” identity, the Duxford Oxford is supposedly a mark I, as were the Australian service aircraft, yet James picture clearly shows electrical senders adjacent to the filler, which would rule out this tank, other differences are the oval shape of the tank in James photo is “longitudinal” with the filler at the front, where as the unknown tank has its oval section apparantly in the “lateral” axis with the filler at the front.

I had therefore assumed that perhaps different tanks were introduced in later Oxfords? even though James picture is a mark I as was P1935? however on consulting the Air Data publications “pilots notes for Oxford I and II”, I discovered the rear page “figure 5” shows a “simplified fuel system diagram” identifying the Oxford had two main tanks, each of 49 gals, and two auxillary tanks, each of 29 gals.

Apparantly the main tanks are in the centre-section while the auxillary tanks are in the wing outer panels.

Subject to James locating photos of the aux tanks to confirm/deny, I would agree with Dave on the tank being from an Oxford and strongly suspect the tank is a 29 gal Oxford Auxilliary Tank, and most likely originally fitted to P1935?

For those interested it is currently for sale on ebay in Australia – (I recall the B24 group at Werribee were collecting Oxford parts towards a future restoration.

thanks for the detective work

regards

Mark Pilkington

Filler and sender(?) holes.

Hi James , my moneys still on the Oxford. As said by DonClark the serial also fits , would need to see bottom of ebay tank to compare with your pics.

cheers dave

Hi Dave,
Indeed. Here’s the fuel tank.

I have shots of the RNZAF Museum’s centre section (world weird widgets r us) not sure about the tanks, but can check if required, but I don’t think it’s OxBox, is it?

Oxford tank

Hi James , the tank in your pic is the oil tank there used to me a great pile of these in Hughes wrecking yard when it was located in Coburg , Melbourne , the yard was sold up a few years ago .

cheers dave

Don’t think it’s Oxford.

Tanks from the IWM Duxford Oxford while under restoration. (Thanks to the IWM for access).

What’s not immediately obvious is the air vent through the tank.

Fuel Tank

Hi Mark , 99% Airspeed Oxford , it looks to have the cap still on it , if this is the case it has the makers name ie airspeed cast into it , i have seen one before the same at a car swapmeet.

cheers dave