Improvements in and connected with the Electric Propulsion of Vehicles on Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JEAN-JACQUES HEILMANN, 9, Rue de Florence,
Paris, in the French Republic, Electrical Engineer.]
Improvements in and connected with the Electric Propulsion of
Vehicles on Railways and Tramways.
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:-
This invention relates to the traction or propulsion by means of electricity, of
carriages wagons and other vehicles upon railways tramways and similar permanent
roads, and these improvements have for their object to reduce the weight and cost
of the rolling stock; to reduce the wear of the permanent way and of the rolling
stock, particularly of the wheel tyres; to ensure a more uniform wearing away of
the surface of the rails and to prevent the scaling foliation or breakages of the
upper edges of the rails; to permit safely an increase of speed and thus to secure
an economy of time; to reduce the motive power required for traction by
decreasing the resistances which at present exist in ordinary steam traction; the
suppression of air vacuum and other brakes; and, to enable the vehicle on which
the motive power is generated to be placed in any part of the train.
For the purpose of my invention I replace the locomotive of ordinary railways
and tramways by a vehicle or vehicles on which there are mounted a fixed steam
engine and boiler, a gas or petroleum engine, or a hot air or compressed air
engine or other suitable prime mover. The steam engine or other motor is
employed to drive a suitable dynamo or dynamos which may be carried on the
same vehicle as the motor by which it is driven.
The electric current generated by the dynamos is conveyed by suitable con-
ductors to each of the vehicles constituting the train and upon each of which
there is an electric motor which motors are employed to rotate the axles or wheels
of the carriage or wagon. The wheels may be fast or loose and in the event of
loose wheels being employed they may be automatically driven faster or slower
as may be required in rounding curves. The current may also be employed
to operate motors for ventilating the carriages of the train and for lighting
purposes.
The oscillatory movements resulting from the traction by a locomotive at the
head of the train may be suppressed by the use of wheels with plain tyres and by
arranging on the axles of the vehicles guide pulleys which bear upon a third or
guide rail.
T 1000
WILLIAM E. HEYS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Electric Propulsion of
Vehicles on Railways and Tramways.
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 :-
This invention relates to the traction or propulsion by means of electricity, of
carriages wagons and other vehicles upon railways tramways and similar permanent

page_text: roads, and these improvements have for their objects to reduce the weight and cost
of the rolling stock; to reduce the wear of the permanent way and of the rolling
stock, particularly of the wheel tyres; to ensure a more uniform wearing away of
the surfaces of the rails and to prevent the scaling foliation or breakages of the
upper edges of the rails; to permit safely an increase of speed and thus to secure
an economy of time; to reduce the motive power required for traction by
decreasing the resistances which at present exist in ordinary steam traction; the
suppression of air vacuum and other brakes; and, to enable the vehicle on which
the motive power is generated to be placed in any part of the train.
For the purpose of my invention I replace the locomotive of ordinary railways
and tramways by a vehicle or vehicles on which there are mounted a fixed steam
engine and boiler, a gas or petroleum engine, or a hot air or compressed air engine
or other suitable prime mover. The steam engine or other motor is employed to
drive a suitable dynamo or dynamos which may be carried on the same vehicle as
the motor by which it is driven.
The electric current generated by the dynamos is conveyed by suitable con-
ductors to each of the vehicles constituting the train and upon each of which there
is an electric motor which motors are employed to rotate the axles or wheels
of the carriage or wagon; or alternatively, the electro-motors may in the case of
very short trains, and in some other cases, be limited to the vehicle carrying
the prime motor, or to this vehicle and one or some of the other vehicles of the
train.
The electric current may also be employed for the purpose of lighting the train
and for driving motors to ventilate the coaches.
The accompanying drawings will illustrate in what manner the said invention
may be carried into practical effect.
Figure 1 represents in sectional elevation;
Figure 2 in transverse section, and Figure 3 in plan, an electric locomotive con-
structed according to these improvements.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the electric connections.
As represented in the drawings, the whole vehicle is enclosed and mounted upon
two bogies. The front end is pro-shaped in order to reduce to a minimum the
wind resistance. The boiler A is mounted upon the hinder part of the locomotive.
It may be any suitable steam generator or, as indicated in the figures, an ordinary
locomotive boiler. S, at the back end of the locomotive, is a hopper through
which soot may be discharged without risk of scattering it upon the machinery.
To the right and to the left of the boiler, are arranged the water tanks B B' and
the coal bunkers D D' and suitable openings are provided in the casing of the
vehicle for the introduction of water and fuel into the tanks and bunkers
respectively.
P is an independently driven pump for feeding the boiler.
The dynamos G G₁ are arranged in the front part of the vehicle and are shewn
as driven direct through a vertical crank shaft by the steam engines V V₁. Those
engines are preferably compound, and they may be triple or quadruple expansion
engines. The indicated arrangement may of course be varied, for example, the
engines may have a horizontal crank shaft and there may be one dynamo only, or
more than two. As represented in the figures, the engines are arranged upon each
side of the vehicle, transversely, with their cranks at 180 degrees, in order to
reduce to a minimum the oscillations or parasitic movements set up by the working
of the engines. The exhaust is conducted away by the chimney, and the steam
and exhaust pipes may be laid in the longitudinal beams which are preferably
hollow or channeled and constructed of iron or steel. The steam chests, are
preferably arranged below the engines in such a manner as to render cylinder blow
through cocks unnecessary.
Figure 4 illustrates diagrammatically, the electrical grouping and connections
of the electrical apparatus. In this arrangement the dynamos or generators G G'
and the motors M are excited by the separate exciter E, which in Figures 1, 2,

page_text: In
and 3 is represented as being driven by a special steam engine v. This exciter
machine is regulated by the rheostat controlled by a suitable commutator.
the field-magnet circuits of the dynamos G G₁ there is also inserted a rheostat R
and commutator C. The exciting current may by means of this apparatus be
varied and reversed in the generating machines. By the variation of the current,
the current in the motor circuits is varied, and consequently the speed of the
vebicle or train also is varied. By reversing the current, the direction of motion
of the train is also reversed. The motors are preferably joined in the generator
or circuit in parallel. Alternatively, the exciting current may be kept constant,
and the speed of the engines may be varied. In this case, the direction of motion
of the train may be changed by operating a switch arranged in the principal
circuit.
The motor armatures may be grouped in series and may include in their
circuit the generator armatures.
The control of the locomotion is confided to a driver whose place is in front of
the locomotive whence he may have a good view of the road and signals through
glazed openings. He has under his immediate control all the apparatus of control
and operation.
An ammeter inserted in the circuit permits the driver to effect all his operations
with safety and to control a rapid start.
The armatures of the motors are preferred to be mounted upon the axles, whether
the motors are carried upon the locomotive itself or whether they are distributed
between the locomotive and the vehicles of the train. The field magnets of these
motors are by preference also carried on the axles in order to follow all the
movements of the armature other than the movements of rotation.
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 electric locomotive consisting of a suitable carriage conveying a steam
generator and engine or engines, and a dynamo or dynamos; constructed arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
2. An electric locomotive consisting of a suitable carriage conveying a prime
motor, a dynamo or dynamos and an electro-motor or motors constructed arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
3. In a system of electric locomotion on railways and tramways; a generating
vehicle containing a prime motor or motors, a dynamo or dynamos driven thereby,
and electric motors deriving their current from the dynamo or dynamos and driving
all or some of the axles of the generating vehicle and of the vehicles constituting
the whole train; substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of April A.D. 1891.