The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-25
AUTOMOBILE USES
TROLLEY POWER
OR IT IS ABLE TO GET ALONG
WITHOUT IT.
Ingenious Device That Is Said to Solve
tho Carrying Of Freight by the Troll
ley Companies-A Storage Battery
That Can Be Used When the Machine
Is Not On the Rails.
PHILADELPHIA Record.

A unique idea in automobile trans
portation, the invention OF Russell
Thayer Of this city, is machine which
will run on the trolley car tracks with
power taken from the overhead w1re3
or off the tracks with electricity. stored
in its own storage battery, at the VIII
Of it's operator. That the device is en-
tirely practical is evidenced by the fact
that such a vehicle was successfully
operated here as an experiment tor one
day recently by a special arrangement
with the Rapid Transit company, The
queer machine was seen once during
this day on Chestnut street, lodging
onto and off the car tracks among the
traffic, in and out among obstructlons;
but most of it's time was put In along
more open stretches, where things we're
ark, N. j., where, in addition, tests OF
it were made by the postoffce depart
ment as means of carrying mail about
the city and thru suburban routes. A
company has been formed for the man
ufacture of these new vehicles.
The principle on which the machine
works is simplicity itself, and except as
to details of mechanism, is sufficiently
outlined above. While on the car
trac ks the power comes from the over
head wire by, means Of a trolley pole
In addition, there is a storage battery
on the vehicle itself, which is charged
with electricity before starting out.
When the connection is broken with the
overhead wire by pulling down the pole
the same operation turns on. a switch
which brings the storage battery into
play, ard this happens whenever the
pole is pulled down, whether the wheels
are on or off the trolley tracks. The
, hna1o ~ hSn11
tired, and the connection with the live
rail comes not thru them, but thru a
metal shoe or slide, composed Of copper
wires, which rests upon the track. When
| not on the tracks, this shoe is raised
sufficiently to clear the ground, and the
vehicle is good for a run along an or.
dinary roadway. In one form Of con.
structio0n the storage battery must be
charged before starting out, while in an
tricity from the overhead wire during
| the run.
Doubtless the reason such an inven.
tion has not been perfected before is
the apparently limited use to which
| it may be put. Any private passenger
motor car Of this kind could only be
operated after arrangement with the
trolley company whose power was tt
| be drawn upon, and where the owner
wanted to travel outside Of the lines
of that company another arrangement
would have to be entered into with the
adjacent company. Such arrangements
would probably be very complicated in
large territory because Of the diff
Guilty of determining the amount and
cost of power to be used. Any consid
erable number Of such vehicles would
put some strain on the power Of the
trolley company and would make the
amount Of such power to be provided
a constantly variable quantity. II
would, perhaps, too, be hard problem
to prevent dishonest owners Of sucl
vehicles from stealing power from the
overhead wire. Such consideration.
would seem, perhaps, to make it some
what doubtful that the vehicle will ever
become widely popular among private
owners, and yet, if it does, there i.
equally no doubt that all the objections
| will be overcome.
But the vehicle is intended primaril,
as a freight and passenger carrier fo1
companies, as tourist car for sight
seeing purposes and such uses as ma,
be served by semipublic corporations
AS such it's advantages are manifest
can stop it; no failure Of the power il
the overhead wire can strand it. I
can move around any obstruction en-
countered on the tracks and can g
back over the route at any point, o
can leave one roadway or street to g
to any other. It's independence Of th
overhead wire is as complete as tho i
did not use it. Experts who have eS
amined it say the device solves the cal
rying Of freight by the trolley compa
MES in satisfactory way. "