Improvements in and connected with Electric Tram-cars.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application; 2nd Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES BROWN, of 7, Rue de Florence, Paris,
in the French Republic, Engineer.]
Improvements in and connected with Electric Tram-cars.
I WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The use of animal traction for vehicles running upon ordinary road tramways,
has led to the use of small and light vehicles, and the more so because the resistance
is greater on these tramways than on ordinary railways, and because the curves
are of shorter radius which in the absence of a practical system of articulated
wheel bases gives rise to a yet further resistance.
At present, steam compressed air and gas are employed as tractive agents, but
with only a moderate success. The difficulties are such that in the majority of
cases these systems are desired to be abandoned since the cost of working frequently
absorbs the whole of the receipts.
Trials have recently been made with electric traction and these have shewn that
electricity lends itself perfectly to this kind of work. In the United States of America
alone about three hundred tramways have adopted electricity for traction, some
employing aerial cables, others subterranean conductors, and still others, accumu-
lators. In the majority of cases, the vehicles hitherto employed for animal
traction and similar vehicles have been used, that is to say, vehicles with rigid
wheel bases and with wheels fixed upon their axles, these axles being driven
directly, or indirectly by gearing, by electro-motors.
This system however still possesses numerous defects which have not been slow
to manifest themselves. Upon very difficult lines the repairs are so frequent that
at the end of about four months it frequently happens that the whole of the
mechanism including the motors and framing has to be entirely renewed.
The causes of these defects are as follow-
(1) The position of the motors below the under-carriage which renders them
inaccessible and permits them to be cleaned only at the depôt.
(2) Insufficient protection against dust and rain.
(3) Deterioration of the insulation and subsequent destruction of the armatures.
(4) Rapid wear of the gearing because of its insufficient protection.
(5) Too heavy a load upon the axles, this load reaching sometimes four and a
half tons per axle, instead of about two tons as in vehicles employed with animal
traction. This excessive load renders very difficult the accommodation by slipping,
when the wheels are fixed upon the axles and the curves are of short radius.
This difficulty of accommodation translates itself into an abnormal consumption of
motive force and a general dislocation of the organs such as the axle boxes horn
plates and framing, in consequence of the exaggerated stresses they are called
upon to support; and into frequent derailments when on the curves. This
tendency to derailment is much more accentuated in automobile vehicles, that is
to say, in vehicles carrying their own motors, than is the case with animal traction
because the animals instinctively keep the vehicles on the rails.
With an
automobile vehicle on the contrary, the direction is exclusively governed by the
flanges of the wheels and in order that the action shall be certain it is necessar
that the vehicle should be capable of following the road without the interventio...
of a conductor.
This invention consists in the application of a system of four bearing trucks and

page_text: motors to an automobile vehicle, the said trucks being articulated and perfectly
independent of each other. Each of the trucks is provided with its special
electro-motor and the wheels on one side are perfectly independent of those on
the other side, permitting each to run at a different speed. In this way, the
entry upon the curve is made in a manner almost perfect. The motor forms an
integral part of each truck, a place being provided for it between the two wheels
of the truck, which are in tandem, so that it is completely enclosed and sheltered
from mud and dust. Its position at the side of the vehicle permits it to be easily
examined. This construction, which is exempt from the defects hereinbefore set
forth, further permits of the use of vehicles of greater capacity, the four electro-
motors having greater power than the two or three animals commonly employed.
It is arranged that the framing of the motors shall form part of their magnetic
circuits, the armatures rotating between pole-pieces fixed therein. The framing is
pivoted on a kind of turn-table of which the axis is in the mean plane of the
wheel treads. The turn-table is furnished with a cylindrical part which slides in a
box fitted upon the underframing. An internal projection in the box, permits the
cylindrical part to take oblique positions without wedging. The weight of the
vehicle is carried by spiral springs in the cylindrical parts bearing against
the undersides of the boxes. The two trucks on opposite sides of the vehicle are
connected by a shaft constructed and arranged to preserve the distance between
the trucks, and at the same time to permit their movement relatively to each
other.
The armature shaft is geared with the axles of the two wheels on either side by
suitable gearing, and the whole is enclosed against mud and dust in a protective
casing. If accumulators are employed, they may be arranged between the forward
and rear trucks, below the underframing, or they may be arranged under the seats
or elsewhere as may be found convenient.
Dated this lot dox of Contomban A D 1001
WILLIAM E. HEYS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Electric Tram-cars.
I, WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The use of animal traction for vehicles running upon ordinary road tramways,
has led to the use of small and light vehicles, and the more so because the
resistance is greater on these tramways that on ordinary railways, and because the
curves are of shorter radius, which in the absence of a practical system of
articulated wheel bases gives rise to a yet further resistance.
At present, steam, compressed air and gas are employed as tractive agents, but
only with a moderate success. The difficulties are such that in the majority of cases
these systems are desired to be abandoned since the costs of working frequently
absorb the total receipts.
Trials have recently been made with electric traction and these have shewn that
electricity lends itself perfectly to this kind of work. In the United States of
America alone about three hundred tramways have adopted electric traction, some
employing aerial conductors, others subterranean conductors, and still others
accumulators. In the majority of cases the vehicles hitherto employed for animal
traction and similar vehicles have been used, that is to say vehicles with rigid
wheel bases, and with wheels fixed upon their axles, these axles being driven
directly or indirectly by gearing, by electric motors.
This system however still possesses numerous defects which have not been
slow to manifest themselves. Upon very difficult lines the repairs are so frequent

page_text: that at the end of about four months it sometimes happens that the whole of the
mechanism including the motors and framing has to be entirely renewed.
The causes of these defects are as follows-
(1) The position of the motors below the undercarriage which renders them
inaccessible and permits them to be cleaned only in the depôt.
(2) Insufficient protection against dust and rain.
(3) Deterioration of the insulation and subsequent destruction of the armatures.
(4) Rapid wear and tear of the gearing because of its insufficient protection.
(5) Too heavy a load upon the axles, this load reaching sometimes four and a
half tons per axle instead of about two tons as in vehicles employed with animal
traction. This excessive load renders very difficult the accommodation by slipping
when the wheels are fixed upon the axles and the curves are of short radius.
This difficulty of accommodation translates itself into an abnormal consumption of
motor power and a general dislocation of the organs such as the axle boxes horn
plates and framing, in consequence of the exaggerated stresses they are called on
This tendency to
to support; and into frequent derailments on the curves.
derailment is much more accentuated in automobile vehicles (that is to say in
vehicles carrying their own motors) than is the case with animal traction because
the animals instinctively keep the vehicles on the rails. With an automobile
vehicle on the contrary, the direction is exclusively governed by the flanges of
the wheels, and in order that the action shall be certain it is necessary that
the vehicle should be capable of following the road without the intervention of
a conductor.
This invention consists in the application of a system of four bearing trucks and
motors to an automobile vehicle, the said trucks being articulated and perfectly
independent one of the other. Each truck is provided with its special electro-
motor and the wheels on one side are perfectly independent of those on the other
side thus permitting each to run at a different speed. In this way the entry upon
the curve is made in a manner almost perfect. The motor forms an integral part
of each truck, a place being provided for it between the two wheels of the truck
which are in tandem where it is completely enclosed and sheltered from.mud and
dust. Its position at the side of the vehicle permits it to be easily examined.
This construction which is exempt from the defects hereinbefore set forth, further
permits of the use of vehicles of greater capacity, the four electro-motors having
greater power than the two or three animals commonly employed.
The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example in what manner this
invention may be carried into practical effect, but it will be evident that the
construction shewn may be very considerably modified and varied without
departing from the nature of the invention. In each of the figures, similar parts
are denoted by similar letters of reference.
Figure 1 represents in a vertical section taken through the axis of articulation,
one of the motor trucks with wheels in tandem.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same truck, taken along the axles of the
wheels and motors.
Figure 3 shews the assemblage of two trucks, one being shewn in transverse
section through the axis of articulation, and the other in elevation.
Figure 4 is a partial plan of the pair of trucks.
Figure 5 is the elevation of a vehicle mounted upon four trucks.
Figures 6 and 7 represent diagrammatically, the manner in which the vehicle
passes over curves. In Figure 6 the curve is a simple one of a third of a chain
radius; in Figure 7 an S-curve is shewn, formed by joining two curves of a third
of a chain radius.
Figure 8 shews diagrammatically how an ordinary tramway vehicle passes a
curve of similar radius.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, A represents the framing of a truck in the middle of
which the electric motor is placed. This framing forms part of the magnetic
circuit; B B are the poles; C the armature; C2 the commutator placed so as to

page_text: be readily accessible and protected by an external cap; F F the truck wheels.
The framing A is pivoted upon a kind of turn table or circular plate A¹, of
which the axis is in the plane of the middle contact of the tyre with the rails, a a,
Figures 3 and 4.
The turn table A' is furnished with a cylindrical part A' sliding in the cap D
fitted on the underframing of the vehicle. An internal swell or contraction d in
the cap, permits the cylindrical part A² to take oblique positions without wedging.
The weight of the vehicle is carried by four spiral springs d' d'. The two opposite
corresponding trucks are connected by the shaft E which preserves their gauge
while permitting the articulation between A and A'. The shaft is held between
the shoulder e and the collar E' in such a manner as to permit a little play as is
indicated in Figure 3. The complete system including the plate A' and the truck,
can pivot around the shaft E and thus follow the irregularities of the road. The
armature spindle carries two toothed pinions C₁ C₁ which communicate their
motion, by means of a chain, to the toothed wheels FF fixed upon the sleeves F²
upon which are also mounted the wheels F F. The pinions C₁C₁ the wheels F1 F1
and the chains F³ are preserved from the dust and mud by a casing which forms
part of the framing A.
Figures 6, 7, and 8, which represent on the one hand, one of the improved
vehicles on four trucks passing a simple and a reversed curve respectively of a
third of a chain radius, and on the other hand (Figure 8) an ordinary vehicle,
passing a similar simple curve, demonstrate how great is the elasticity of the new
system in comparison with the old.
By reference to Figure 5 it will be observed that the adoption of this system
permits the use of vehicles of much larger capacity than those at present in use,
and that the arrangement of the trucks allows sufficient space to be provided for
storing the accumulator batteries G G between them when they are used as a
source of electricity for the motors. It is generally conceded that this position,
when it can be adopted for the accumulators, is preferable for many reasons to an
.arrangement of them below the seats or on a separate truck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
(1) An electrically propelled vehicle, resting upon four articulated trucks, each
truck having two wheels arranged in tandem and driven by a special motor,
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
(2) In an electrically propelled vehicle, a motor forming an integral part of a
truck and having all its working parts and its gearing completely protected from
mud and dust, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and
as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
(3) The hereinbefore described arrangement of the motors in an electrically
propelled vehicle, the commutator being to the outside of the vehicle and easily
accessible, substantially as set forth and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
(4). In an electrically propelled vehicle, a motor truck con tructed arranged
and operated substantially as hereinbefore described and as ilustrated by the
-accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 1nt da
A D 1003
WILLIAM E. HEYS.