Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways on Closed Conduit Systems.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 15th Nov., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways on Closed Conduit
Systems.
I, WILLIAM BURRAGE PURVIS, of 3045, Fontaine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, United States of America, Inventor, 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:--
My invention relates to an improved construction of electric railways in which
a feed wire or conductor contained in an underground conduit is employed, pro-
vision being made for enabling the sections of the conduit to be constructed and
assembled at a minimum cost and without rendering it necessary to make ex-
tensive excavations for the same.
My invention also consists of a novel construction and arrangement of accumu-
lator and its adjuncts carried by a car, and means for enabling said accumulator
to be charged from the feed wire or conductor contained in the underground con-
duit, means being also provided by the employment of switches suitably arranged
on the aforesaid car for enabling the accumulator to energize electro magnets
carried on the car, whereby the flexible feed wire is attracted to the top of
the conduit and thus conveys electricity through suitable conductors to the car
motors.
It further consists of novel details of construction, all as will be hereinafter
fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:
Figure represents in side elevation a portion of an electric railway and car
embodying my invention, a portion of the conduit being shown in section.
Figure 2 represents a front view of the electro magnets carried by the car,
showing the cushioning device for supporting the same.
Figure 3 represents a transverse section of the road bed, drawn to a reduced.
scale.
Figure represents a side elevation or diagrammatic view of accumulator,
electro magnets, and switches, showing the circuit as closed for the purpose of
charging said accumulator.
Figures 5, 6 and 7, represent perspective views of portions of the conduit
employed, showing the manner of assembling the different parts thereof.
Figure represents a transverse section of the conduit assembled in position
with the conductor therein.
Figure 9 represents a side elevation, partly in section or broken away, of
another construction of conduit which may be employed.
Figure 10 represents a longitudinal sectional view partly in elevation, showing
a portion of the road bed with the conduit shown in Figure 9 applied thereto.
Figure 11 represents a transverse section on line y-y Figure 10.
Figure 12 represents a diagrammatic view of the whole connections for operat-
ing the system of raising the cable.
1 designates a car and 2 and 3 the controllers thereof, the latter having
switches and 5 respectively of any suitable construction, whereby when the
circuit is closed, as best seen in Figure 4 the current can pass from the accumu-

page_text: lator 6 through the wire 7 to the switch 5 or 4, thence through the wire 8 to the
electro magnet 9 which is composed of the fine and coarse wire portions 9*
and 10%, and thence through the wire 11 to the accumulator, thus completing
the accumulator circuit.
12 designates a bar carried on the magnet 9, said bar having mounted thereon
the rollers 13, which travel upon the third rail or conduit 14, the detailed con-
struction of which will be best understood from Figures 5 to 8 inclusive. The
magnet 9 is supported by the rods 11 which pass through the brackets 12*
and 13, said rods having the portions 14* attached thereto which rest upon
the brackets 12, while the springs 15* interposed between the portions 14
and the brackets 13 give the necessary cushioning to the parts. The conduit
consists of a series of frames or blocks 15 of metal or other suitable material,
which are hollow to have the passage 16 therethrough, in which the electric
conductor or feed wire 17 is located, the same consisting of an iron core which
has an outer covering or casing 18 of copper, it being understood that said feed
wire with its enclosing casing is sufficiently flexible so as to be attracted as
indicated in Figure 1 to the top of the conduit, when it is desired to conduct
the electricity from the feed wire in the conduit to the car motor. The conduit
sections seen in Figure 7 are provided with the reduced portions 19, which are
juxtaposed towards each other and adapted to abut against the intermediate in-
sulating block 20 which has the passage 21 therethrough in alignment with
the passage 16.
22 designates an insulating member, which is provided with the sides 23 and
the outer ribs or flanges 24, the construction of which will be best understood
from Figure 6.
26 designates a metallic strap or connection, the construction of which will
be best seen from Figure 5, said strap being adapted to rest upon the insula-
tion 22 and being of such width as to occupy the space between the flanges 24,
and being provided with the openings 27, which, when the parts are in assembled
position align with the openings 28 in the insulation 22 and also with the open-
ings 29 in the reduced portions 19 whereby the parts can be readily held in
assembled position by means of the bolts 30, Figure 8, the latter being prevented
from contacting with the metal of the reduced portion 19 by means of the insu-
lation 31.
It will thus be apparent from the foregoing, that in a conduit constructed as
described, each of the sections 15 will be insulated from each other and that
at no time will a section which projects beyond the ends of the car be in circuit
with the underground feed wire, whereby the liability of animals or pedestrians
receiving a shock from the conduit or third rail will be positively prevented,
said conduit being furthermore air tight and waterproof.
In Figures
to 11 inclusive is shown a modified form of conduit, the same
consisting of the sections of pipes or tubing 32, which are held in assembled
position by means of the couplings 33, the latter having their ends 34 of
reduced diameter and engaging the contiguous ends of the adjacent sections,
whereby the outer portion of the coupling is flush with the outer periphery of the
sections 32 when the parts are in assembled position as will be evident from
Figure 9. The pipes or sections 32 are supported in position upon a metallic
bed 34 as will be understood from Figure 11, the latter being seated in a
longitudinally-extending support 35, which may be of wood and is sustained
upon the transverse stringer or ties 36, which latter may also be of wood if
desired.
37 designates a road bed, which may be of concrete, asphalt, macadam or
other material, the surface of which preferably terminates just below the top
of the sections 32 as will be understood from Figures 10 and 11. The feed wire
and its casing 18 normally rest upon the trough or U-shaped bed 38, which is
preferably constructed of wood and contained within the sections 32, whereby it
will be seen that the main feed wire is normally insulated under all conditions

page_text: from the metallic sections 32 except when it is desired that the circuit should
be made or closed between the feed wire and conduit, which is done when the
feed wire is attracted upwardly when the parts assume the position seen in
Figure 1, as is evident.
Referring now to Figure 1, it will be seen that the portions of the circuit
comprising the trolley wheels 13, thence through fine wire 9 of magnet 9, thence
through wire 40 to switch 41 or 42, thence through wire 43 to positive pole
of accumulator 6. through accumulator, charging same, thence through wire 44
to ground or earth through motor casing 45 and gearing to framing and
wheels 46, to track or return rail 47, switches 4 and 5, and 41 and 42, are
in parallel or multiple connection; thus enabling the car to be operated from
either end of same.
The electro magnet is thus energised when the circuit is closed by means
of the switches 4 and 5, the accumulator circuit described being of sufficient
strength to attract the conductor 17 as shown in Figure 1. If we assume the
current to be passing through the electro magnet and the conductor 17 to be in
the position seen in Figure 1, the electricity will be conducted from the top of
the conduit or third rail 14 through the rollers 13 and the electro magnet and
thence by the usual conductors regulated from the controllers to the car motors 45,
from which power is transmitted by suitable mechanism to the car wheels.
The trolley wheels 13 carry the main current from cable 17 through top of
conduit or duct 14 through wire 48 and supply controllers 2 and 3, the connec-
tions of the same .not being herein shown.
.It will thus be seen that by my invention I provide means for charging
the accumulator from the main feed wire for the purpose of providing a source
of electrical energy carried by the car for energizing the electro magnet to
raise the cable.
It will of course be understood that a plurality of magnets may be employed,
and that changes may be made in the manner of supporting the same without
departing from the spirit of my.invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim. is—
1st. In an electric railway, a car carrying an accumulator, an electro magnet,
a plurality of switches, connections common to said accumulator, switches and
electro magnet, and means, whereby the accumulator can be charged from the
main feed wire and utilized to energize said electro magnet for the purpose of
actuating underground contact devices.
2nd. In an electric railway, a car carrying an accumulator, an electro magnet
and a plurality of switches thereon, connections common to said accumulator.
switches, and electro magnet, and means whereby the accumulator can be charged
from the main feed wire, and the car then can be propelled by the current taken
from the main feed wire.
3rd. The combination of a car, an accumulator, an electro magnet suitably
supported, switches carried by said car, connections from said switches to said
accumulator, and from said switches to said electro magnet, whereby the accu-
mulator can be charged from an under-ground conductor, another set of switches
having connections therefrom to said accumulator and electro magnet, whereby
a flexible cable may be raised in an under-ground conduit and utilized for supply-
ing electricity to operate the motor of said car.
4th. In an electric railway, a conduit composed of sections, the latter having
ends of reduced area, insulation between said ends, an insulating device covering
said ends and insulators, a strap resting upon said insulating device, an insulated
fastening device passing through said strap. insulation and reduced portions,
respectively. said sections and intermediate block having a passage therethrough
for the reception of a feed wire.

page_text: 5th. A conduit for an electric railway composed of sections, a coupling of
insulating material therefor, said sections having a trough shaped bed of wood
or similar insulating material, a metallic support for the sections of said con-
duits, a longitudinally-extending wooden support located thereunder and trans-
verse wooden ties supporting the whole.
6th. In an electric railway, an underground conduit composed of a series of
sections, the juxtaposed ends thereof having reduced portions, insulation between
said sections, an insulated three-sided member 22 having flanges 24 engaging
said reduced portions, a strap 26 engaging said member, and of less width than
the space between said flanges, bolts or other fastening devices for holding the
parts in assembled position, and insulation for said bolts.
7th. In an electric railway, a conduit composed of sections, insulation between
the ends of said sections, an insulating device covering said ends and insulation,
a strap resting on said insulating device, and insulated fastening devices for
holding the parts in assembled position, said sections having a passage there-
through for the reception of a feed wire.
Sth. In an electric railway, a car carrying an accumulator, an electro magnet,
a plurality of switches, connections common to said accumulator, switches and
magnet, a car motor casing and connections from the latter to said accumulator.
9th. In an electric railway, a car carrying an accumulator, an electro magnet,
a plurality of switches, a motor casing and connections common to said accumu-
lator, switches, magnet, and motor casing.
10th. In an electric railway, an accumulator carried by a car, an electro
magnet, switches located on said car, electric motors, connections common to
said switches, accumulator, and magnet, another set of switches, carried by said
car, connections from said last set of switches to said magnet, other connections
from said accumulator to the motor casing and car wheels, and to the con-
trollers 2 and 3, a conductor common to said last-mentioned controllers, a con-
nection leading from the wire to said electro magnet, and a connection common
to the switches and the positive pole of said accumulator.
11th. In an electric railway, an accumulator carried by a car, an electro
magnet, a main feed wire, means for charging said accumulator from said
wire, means for energizing said magnet, and means for utilizing said magnet
to raise the flexible cable.
Dated this 15th day of September 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.