System of Conducting Electricity for Propelling, Heating, Lighting and Telephoning from Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A System of Conducting Electricity for Propelling, Heating, Lighting
and Telephoning from Railway Vehicles.
I, HOSEA WAITE LIBBEY, of 55, Rutland Square, in the City of Boston,
County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Physician, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means for conducting electricity for propelling, heat-
ing and lighting railroad cars by electricity, and also in means for telephoning
from said cars to any desired point or station.
The invention consists in the construction of the conductors for conveying the
electricity to the cars and returning same to the terminal, also in the means for
conducting the electricity from and returning it to the conductors and in con-
ducting the electricity to electric heaters, lamps and telephone so that one or all
may be operated as "desired.
The trucks, wheels and rails may all be of ordinary construction, except that
the wheels upon one of the axles, (preferably the front one) which wheels have
formed in the edges of their flanges a half round recess that is lined with a suitable
insulating material into which is shrunk or otherwise fitted a ring of copper
wire or other good electric conductor. T pieces of copper or other suitable
metal are supported on the inside of each track by a series of springs. These T
pieces are made up of a number of short lengths, say 15 or 20 feet long, connected
together, but insulated from each other. The copper rings on the wheels are
always in contact with some section of these T pieces.
Immediately below each of the T pieces is a T piece of good conducting
metal through one of which the electric current is conducted to the car and
returned through the other.
In order to prevent any chance of damage from these Ṭ pieces I prefer to
insulate them by coating them with gutta percha or other suitable material which
can be cut away on the upper surface where it is desired to make contacts as
hereinafter described. These T pieces are supported by but insulated from
brackets attached to the web of the rail. These brackets are forked at their
outer ends, the prongs standing one over the other, the lower prong supporting
the conductor and the upper one a spring contact piece consisting of two hard
rubber disks and a cylinder of soft rubber, through the centre of which passes
a rod formed near its upper end with a collar that rests upon the upper disk,
the lower disk rests upon and is supported by the fork of the bracket. When in
its normal position the soft rubber spring and rod are raised so that the lower end
of the rod is out of contact with the conductor, but when a section of the
T piece is depressed by the hoop in the flange of the wheel, the lower end of
the rod will be in contact with the conductor and thus make an electric con-
nection between them.
The current passing from the conductor through the contact piece and a section

page_text: of the piece to the hoop of the wheel it is then taken by a trolley running
upon said hoop and conducted by a wire to a switch and thence by a wire to an
electric motor, thence returning by a wire to the switch and thence passing by a
wire to a trolley in contact with the hoop in the opposite wheel and thence
through spring connections as before described, to a return T piece.
Connected to the supply wire is a wire that leads to a switch and thence by
wires to a series of electric heaters and wires completing the circuit; to the supply
wire is also connected a wire that leads to a switch, and thence by wires to a series
of electric lamps, and the circuit is completed by a wire connected to the return
wire.
To the supply wire is also connected a wire that leads to a reducer that
by wire connects with a telephone, the return wire of which connects with the
return piece to which wires are connected at suitable points to connect with
a station or central station. Although I prefer the construction of contacts as
above described, it is obvious that other constructions might be employed without
departing from my invention.
Dated this 11th day of To 180e
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
A System of Conducting Electricity for Propelling, Heating, Lighting
and Telephoning from Railway Vehicles.
I, HOSEA WAITE LIBBEY, of 55, Rutland Square, in the City of Boston,
and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Physician, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:―
My invention relates to means for conducting electricity for propelling, heat-
ing and lighting railroad cars by electricity, and also in means for telephoning
from said cars to any desired point or station.
The invention consists in the construction of the conductors for conveying the
electricity to the cars and returning same to the terminal, also in the means for
conducting the electricity from and returning it to the conductors and in con-
ducting the electricity to electric heaters, lamps and telephone so that one or all
may be operated as desired.
Referring to the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1, represents a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a railroad car
embodying my invention.
Figure 2, is a transverse vertical section of the same.
Figure 3, is an end view of one of the wheels, contacts and section of the rail.
Figure 4, is a section through the rail and portion of a wheel, the main con-
ductor and supports.
Figure 5, is a side view of the rail, electric conductor and supports in their
normal position.
Figure 6, is a view of a modification.
A, represents a railroad car, B one of the trucks, C, the wheels and D, the
rails, all of which may be of ordinary construction, except that the wheels upon
one of the axles (preferably the front one) which wheels have formed in the edges
of their flanges a half round recess, d, (see Figure 4) that is lined with a suitable
insulating material d, into which is shrunk or otherwise fitted a ring C¹, of

page_text: copper wire or other good electric conductor. E, E, are T pieces of copper or
other suitable metal supported on the inside of each track by a series of springs F.
These pieces are made up of a number of short lengths say 15 or 20 feet long,
connected together, but insulated from each other as shown at ed. (See Figures 1
and 5).
The copper rings C₁, on the wheels C, are always in contact with some
section of these T pieces E.
Immediately below each of the T pieces E, is a T piece G, G¹, of good con-
ducting metal through one of which the electric current is conducted to the car
and returned through the other.
In order to prevent any chance of damage from these T pieces G, G', I prefer
to insulate them by coating them with gutta percha or other suitable material
which can be cut away on the upper surface where it is desired to make con-
tacts as hereinafter described. These T pieces G, are support by but insulated
from brackets H, attached to the web of the rail D. These brackets H, are
forked at their outer ends, the prongs h, h¹, standing one over the other as shown
in Figure 4, the lower prong supporting the conductor G, and the upper one a
spring contact piece consisting of two hard rubber discs g, g', and a cylinder j,
of soft rubber, through the centre of which passes a rod k, formed near its upper
end with a collar, that rests upon the upper disc g¹, the lower disc g, rests upon
and is supported by the fork h, of the bracket H. When in its normal position
the soft rubber spring j, and rod k, are raised so that the lower end of the rod k,
is out of contact with the conductor G, (see Figure 5), but when a section of the
T piece E, is depressed by the hoop C, in the flange of the wheel C, (as shown
in Figure 4) the lower end of the rod k, will be in contact with the conductor G,
and thus make an electric connection between them.
The current passing from the conductor G, through the contact piece k, and
a section of the T piece E, to the hoop C, of the wheel C, it is then taken by a
trolley H, running upon said hoop C, and conducted by a wire I, to a switch K,
and thence by a wire 7, to an electric motor J, thence returning by a wire 1, to
the switch and thence passing by a wire 2, to a trolley H', in contact with the
hoop C, in the opposite wheel C, and thence through spring connections as
before described, to a return T piece E¹.
Connected to the wire I, is a wire m, that leads to a switch L, and thence by
wires m, to a series of electric heaters M, M, the wire n, connected to the
wire, completing the circuit; to the wire m, is also connected a wire p, that
leads to a switch N, and thence by wires q, to a series of electric lamps P, and the
circuit is completed by a wire r, connected to the return wire n. To the wire m,
is also connected a wire r¹, that leads to a reducer R, that by wire r¹, connects
with a telephone S, the return wire s, of which connects with the wire 12, and
thence conducted as described to the return T piece E, to which wires are con-
nected at suitable points to connect with a station or central station.
Although I prefer the construction of contacts as above described, it is obvious
that other constructions might be employed without departing from my invention.
In operation the electricity will flow along the conductor G, and as the hoop C¹,
depresses the T piece E, connection will be formed by the rod k, so that the
current will flow through said hoop C₁, on the wheel C, and is then taken off by
the trolley H, and thence to the wire I, from which it is conducted to the various
switches, thence passing through the motor, the heaters the electric lights and
telephone, and returned by suitable wires to the trolley H', on the opposite side
and thence through the rim C¹, to the piece E¹, and through the rod k, to the
return piece G¹.
One or more of these circuits can be opened or closed at pleasure so that one or
all of them can be placed in operation as may be required.
In the modification shown in Figure 6, I have shown wheel fitted with two
contact rings, one in the edge of the flange and one secured to but insulated
from the inner face of the flange, and a rail for supplying the electric fluid and a
return rail for carrying off same.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a railroad an electric conductor supported by the side of the rail, a
Tpiece consisting of a number of sections insulated from each other and sup-
ported by springs from the web of the rail, and spring contact pieces, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a railroad an electric conductor consisting of a T piece and a yielding
Tpiece arranged over same, both supported from the web of the rail, spring
contact pieces interposed between them in combination with wheels each having
a hoop or ring of copper or other suitable metal let into the outer edge of the
wheel flanges, but insulated therefrom, substantially as set forth.
3. In a railroad an electric conductor consisting of a T piece and a yielding
Tpiece made up of short sections insulated from each other and supported from
the web of the rail, spring contact pieces between them in combination with a
car having wheels with a metal hoop or ring let into, but insulated
from the edge of the flange, trolleys connected to the truck and
in contact with said metal hoops, wire leading from the trolley on one side to a
motor, a series of electric heaters, lamps and a telephone, and return wires lead-
ing to the trolley on the opposite side, and thence through the rim of the wheel to
the return piece on that side, substantially as set forth.
4. In a railroad a wheel having a ring of conducting material let into the edge
of its flange, but insulated therefrom, and a ring of conducting material attached
to the inner side of the flange, but insulated therefrom, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
Dated this 11th day of November 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.