Improvements in supports for Conquctors for Miectric namways,
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in supports for Conquctors for Miectric namways,
I, WILLIAM RICILARD WYNNE, of 42, Palace Mansions, Addison Bridge, in
the City of London, England, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
1
for
My invention relates to an improved supporting for conductors
electric railways. Hitherto such supports as used in overhead railways have
generally consisted of a long metal portion having an upwardly projecting lug
about the middle of its length by means of which it is attached to the cross
arm of the post or like supporting means, the trolley wire being soldered along
the bottom of the metal piece. It has been found that with trolley wire sup-
ports of this description the upward pressure of the trolley as it passes has a
tendency to cause the trolley wire to strip from the solder and when once such
stripping begins it progresses very quickly until the trolley wire is entirely
separated from its support and considerable inconvenience is thereby caused.
According to one part of my invention I provide for clamping the trolley
wire between two portions of the support, the underneath portion being made
of such a shape on its under side that the trolley runs upon it receiving current
as if it were running on the trolley wire. Another part of my invention con-
sists in the provision of means whereby the support is permitted to move
upward as the trolley passes beneath it. According to one method of carrying
out my invention I make the support of an inverted T shape, the head of
the T being horizontal and the vertical portion thereof forming a projection by
means of which the support is secured to its arm. The plane of the T is of
course parallel with the direction of the trolley wire and in general approxi-
mately vertical. The under portion of the cross piece or head of the T is cut
away in the middle and a loose piece provided of similar form to the portion
cut away, so that when the trolley wire is brought along the under side of the
support, said loose piece may be utilized to push the trolley wire upward into
the recess in the support and to tightly clamp the same in place. The recessed
portion and under side of the support proper and the upper side of the loose piece
may be grooved so that the trolley wire when clamped between them is pre-
vented from slipping sideways. The under part of the loose piece is carefully
fitted to the trolley wire where it enters and leaves the recess, and is rounded
so that the trolley when passing the support leaves the trolley wire and runs
along the said loose piece receiving current therefrom instead of from the
trolley wire. Said loose portion will of course be made of good conducting
material.
The trolley wire may be soldered to my improved support if desired as well
as clamped therein.
The feeder when such is used may be attached to either the fixed or loose
part of the support if desired.
The clamp or clamps for securing the loose piece to the main body of the

page_text: support may be of any suitable description. For example, I may provide
upwardly projecting arms or straps on the loose piece which pass on either side
of the main body of the support and are secured at the top by a cross bar and
suitable nuts, and my invention is not limited in this respect.
In order to permit upward movement of the trolley support the vertically
projecting portion may be adapted to slide in a slot or hole in the supporting
arm.
By the use of my improved support the liability of the trolley wire to become
detached therefrom, except by actual breakage of the support or the wire, is
obviated, and at the same time the cost of installation is not increased. The
length of the support may be reduced very considerably thereby reducing the
leverage tending to strip or break the trolley wire when the support is tilted
by the trolley passing thereunder.
My improved device may obviously be employed on railways in which the
conductor is supported on or near to the ground and is not restricted to those
generally known as trolley systems in which the conductor is located above the
roof of the car.
Improvements in Supports for Conductors for Electric Railways.
I, WILLIAM RICHARD WYNNE, of 42, Palace Mansions, Addison Bridge, in
the City of London, England, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to an improved supporting device for conductors for
electric railways. Hitherto such supports as used in overhead railways have
generally consisted of a long metal portion having an upwardly projecting lug
about the middle of its length by means of which it is attached to the cross
arm of the post or like supporting means, the trolley wire being soldered along
the bottom of the metal piece. It has been found that with trolley wire sup-
ports of this description the upward pressure of the trolley as it passes has a
tendency to cause the trolley wire to strip from the solder and when once such
stripping begins it progresses very quickly until the trolley wire is entirely
separated from its support and considerable inconvenience is thereby caused.
According to my invention I provide for clamping the trolley wire between
two portions of the support, the underneath portion being made of such a
shape on its under side that the trolley runs upon it receiving current as if it
were running on the trolley wire.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is an end elevation of one of my improved supports the trolley wire
being shewn in section.
Figure is a side elevation, and
Figure 3 is a plan of the same.
The trolley wire is shewn at 1, and the fixed portion of the support is shewn
at 2 being of an inverted T-shape, the head of the T being horizontal and
the vertical portion forming a projection by means of which the support is
secured to its frame. In the drawing this projection, as shewn at 3, is screw-
threaded for attachment to an insulating portion of any suitable construction.

page_text: The part 2 is cut away in the middle as shewn to receive a piece 4 of similar
form to the portion cut away, so that when the trolley wire 1 is brought along
the under side of the support said loose piece 4 may be utilised to push the
trolley wire upward into the recess in the support and to tightly clamp the
same in place. The recessed portion and under side of the support and the
upper side of the loose piece are formed with grooves as shewn at 5, 6, so that
the trolley wire when clamped between them is prevented from slipping side-
ways. The under part of the loose piece 4 is carefully fitted to the trolley
wire at the place 7 where it enters and leaves the recess and is rounded at the
part 8 so that the trolley when passing the supports leaves the trolley wire and
runs along the loose piece 4 receiving current therefrom instead of from the
trolley wire. The loose part 4 is of course made of good conducting material.
The trolley wire may be soldered to the support if desired as well as clamped
therein.
The feeder wire, when such is used, may be attached to either the fixed or
the loose part 4 of the support if desired.
The clamp or clamps for securing the loose piece 4 to the main body 2 of
the support may be of any suitable description. For example, as shewn in the
drawing, sometimes provide upwardly projecting arms or strips 9 on the
loose piece which are secured to the fixed portion by split pins 10 passing
through suitable orifices in said strips and the fixed part of the support. I do
not, however, restrict myself to this precise means for joining the two parts.
In order to permit upward movement of the trolley support the vertically
projecting portion may be adapted to slide in a slot or hole in the supporting
arm.
By the use of my improved support the liability of the trolley wire to become
detached therefrom, except by actual breakage of the support or the wire, is
obviated, and at the same time the cost of installation is not increased. The
length of the support may be reduced very considerably thereby reducing the
leverage tending to strip or break the trolley wire when the support is tilted
by the trolley passing thereunder.
My improved device may be obviously employed on railways in which the
conductor is supported on or near to the ground and is not restricted to those
generally known as trolley systems in which the conductor is located above the
roof of the car.
The use of my improved support is obviously not restricted to wires of circular
cross section, the conductor may be of any suitable shape or may be specially
shaped to fit the support before the same is applied.
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:-
1. For electric railway conductors a supporting device composed of two
parts one of which is fixed and is provided with a recess into which the con-
ductor is pressed and in which it is clamped by the other part of the device
said latter part of the device being adapted to deliver current to the car in
place of the conductor at that point, substantially as described.
2. For electric railway conductors a supporting device constructed substan-
tially as described and shewn in the accompanying drawing.
of March 19UU.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.