Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 26th Feb., 1900
I, WILLIAM ROSE SMITH, 117, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Civil
This invention consists in a horizontal conduit formed of light non-conducting
material such as wood, papier maché, or vulcanite; with a slot or continuous
opening along the lower side. On each side of the slot inside the tube a rail of
high electric conductivity is laid and fastened, upon which line of rails a small
truck with four flanged wheels runs. The wheels of the truck are insulated
between the two rails by an insulating plate of non-conducting material inserted
in the middle and forming the body of the truck. A conducting bar from each
pair of wheels and rail is inserted in each side of the insulating plate, and spring
steel plates are fitted between the flanges of the wheels and the conducting bars
to convey the electric current freely from the rotating wheels to the conducting
bars. Each of the conducting bars has a lug or bracket on the top near the
opposite ends of the truck, each lug being bent over towards the middle of the
truck to receive one of the conducting cords from the car.
The rails in the conduit are arranged and jointed to form the conductors for the
electric current, one rail for the outward or supply current and the other rail
taking the return current from the motors on the cars. The positive wire or
cord is carried from the conducting bar communicating with the wheels running
over the rail conveying the electrical supply, and the negative wire from the motor
on the car is carried to the conducting bar communicating with the wheels running
over the rail conveying the return electrical current to the central electrical
station. The system is thus made a complete electrical circuit, self contained,
independent of the tramway rails.
The conduit is supported at an uniform and suitable level above the street for
overhead electric haulage, by one or more steel wire ropes or cables, supported at
suitable intervals of considerable span, say 200 to 500 feet, on standards or piers.
The suspending cables hang in the natural curve due to the way they are loaded,
approximating to a catenary or a parabolic curve. The conduit is suspended from
the cable or cables by suspension rods or wires at suitable distances apart depending
upon the strength of the conduit, the weight of the truck, wind pressure, and
similar circumstances; and the whole structure may be stiffened vertically by
sloping and interlacing the rods or wires. At curves on the tramway or street
standards are erected outside the curve, and the conduit is carried round the curve
supported at intermediate points by light trussed beams.
At points where the truck has to be shunted on to another line, the usual points
and crossing are replaced by a portion of the conduit two or three feet long being
hinged vertically on a suspension rod and swinging like a gate from one line of
conduit to the other. The truck enters the gate from the hinged end, the hinge
being formed entirely above the inside of the conduit.
The points or gate are shifted by means of a pair of electro-magnets of soft iron
fixed on the forward end of the truck insulator plate, and projecting beyond in

page_text: advance of the wheels. A strip of flat steel spring is fastened on each side of the
conduit, inside the gate near the hinge, at the same level as the electro-magnets on
the truck. Conducting wires are carried down from the electro-magnets and the
conducting bars to a pair of switch handles, by means of which the driver of the
car can put the electric current on either of the electro-magnet coils at will.
When the right hand magnet grips the steel armature on the right side of the
conduit gate the gate is pushed or swung in the same direction, and the truck
passes oyer the rails in the gate on to the railway in the conduit on the right,
and vice versa. A light spring catch is fixed in the end of each of the conduits to
fix in a corresponding recess in the meeting face of the gate. Suitable stops are
also fastened on the outer sides of the conduit ends to check the lateral movement
of the gate.
At square crossings the conduits are mitred at the same level, and the rails
have crossings of insulating material with checks or grooves for the wheel flanges.
Both at gate points and square crossings the electric continuity of each rail is
maintained by bye-pass wires.
This invention as above described providing a self-contained electric circuit
with gate points worked electrically from the car, requires no junction with the
cars or carriages other than the flexible wires or cords to conduct the electricity
from the overhead truck to and from the motor on the car or carriage. It may
therefore be also erected and used solely or partly for the propulsion of ordinary
street vehicles with flangeless wheels when fitted with electric motors, as well as
for the propulsion of electric tramcars.
In the case of flangeless wheeled vehicles the mechanical tension and paid out
length of the conducting wires or cords is regulated by a set of blocks and pulleys
round which the spare length of the conducting wire or cord is reduplicated like a
tackle fall; and the mechanical tension is regulated by adjusting the weight on
the moving block, to provide sufficient tension for longitudinal haulage of the
overhead truck, with freedom for considerable range of lateral movement of the
vehicle. Where more convenient for stowage on the car a spring roller may he
used alternatively for this purpose.
For the propulsion of flangeless wheeled vehicles special gates for the trucks
belonging to these vehicles to enter or leave the conduit are placed at suitable
intervals. The truck is carried, when not in the conduit, on a tray or hod suitably
shaped for passing the truck into the conduit or receiving it as it passes out, the
hod being supported on a telescopic stand whereby it can be raised to the level of
the conduit.
The flangeless wheeled vehicles to be run by the electric overhead truck and con-
duit, when they are originally horsed vehicles like omnibuses, will have the front
pair of wheels taken out and replaced with a three wheeled truck on the existing
swivel pin of the vehicle. The front wheel of this tricycle will be used for steering,
and the pair of wheels behind this for driving. The tricycle will contain the
electric motor, and a small accumulator to store sufficient electricity for shunting
the carriage off and on to the overhead conduit.
T1

page_text: to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement-
This invention relates to improvements in appliances for overhead electric
traction.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1
shows vertical section of truck and conduit, Fig. 2 plan, Fig. 3 cross section, Fig. 4
view of suspension wires and bracket; Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal section and
sectional plan respectively showing points on overhead conduit system, Fig. 7
cross section of Fig. 5, and Fig. S plan of hinge. Figs. 1 to 4 are drawn to a larger
scale than Figs. 5 to 8. Figs. 9 to 16 show details hereinafter referred to.
The same letters of reference denote the same parts in all the views.
This invention consists in a horizontal conduit a formed of light non-conducting
material such as wood, papier maché or vulcanite: with a slot or continuous
opening along the lower side. On each side of the slot b inside the tube a
rails of high electric conductivity are laid and fastened, upon which line
of rails c d a small truck e with four flanged wheels f f g g runs. The wheels of
the truck e are insulated between the two rails c and d by an insulating plate h
inserted in the middle and forming the body of the truck e, conducting bars i j
one from each pair of wheels and rail are inserted one in each side of the insulating
plate and spring steel plates are fitted between the flanges of the wheels f g
and the conducting bars and j to convey the electric current freely from the
rotating wheels to the conducting bars. Each of the conducting bars has a lug or
bracket m on the top near the opposite ends of the truck, each lug being bent
over towards the middle of the truck to receive one of the conducting cords no
from the car.
The rails cd in the conduit a are arranged and jointed to form the conductors
for the electric current, one rail c for the outward or supply current and the
other rail taking the return current from the motors on the cars. The positive
wire or cord is carried from the conducting bar i communicating with the
wheels ff running over the rail e conveying the electrical supply and the
negative wire o from the motor on the car is carried to the conducting bar j com-
municating with the wheels gg running over the rail d conveying the return elec-
trical current to the central electrical station. The system is thus made a com-
plete electrical circuit, self contained, independent of the tramway rails.
The conduit a is supported at an uniform and suitable level about the street for
overhead electric haulage by one or more steel wire ropes or cables supported at
suitable intervals of considerable span say 200 to 500 feet, on standards or piers.
The suspending cables hang in the natural curve due to the way they are
loaded, approximating to a catenary or a parabolic curve. The conduit a is
suspended from the cable or cables by suspension rods or wires g at suitable dis-
tance apart depending upon the strength of the conduit, the weight of the truck,
wind pressure and similar circumstances: the whole structure may be stiffened ver-
tically by sloping and interlacing the rods or wires q. At curves on the tram-
way or street, standards are erected outside the curve, and the conduit a is carried
round the curve supported at intermediate points by light trussed beams.
At points where the truck e has to be shunted on to another liner the usual
points and crossings are replaced by a portion of the conduit s two or three feet
long being hinged vertically on a suspension rod z and swinging like a gate from
one line of conduit a to the other r. The truck e enters the gates from the hinged
end, the hinge being formed entirely above the inside of the conduit.
The points or gates are shifted by means of a pair of electro-magnets tu of
soft iron fixed on the forward end of the truck insulator plate and projecting
beyond in advance of the wheels. A strip of flat steel spring vw is fastened on
each side of the conduit inside the gate near the hinge, at the same level as the
electro-magnets to the truck. Conducting wires are carried down from the
electro magnets and the conducting bars to a pair of switch handles, by means of

page_text: which the driver of the car can put the electric current on either of the electro-
magnet coils at will. When the right hand magnet t grips the steel armature v
on the right side of the conduit gate, the gate is pushed or swung in the same
direction, and the truck e passes over the rails in the gate on to the conductor rails
in the conduit r on the right, and vice versa. A light spring catchy is fixed
in the end of each of the conduits a r to fix in a corresponding recess in the
meeting face of the gate. Suitable stops are also fastened on the outer sides of
the ends of the conduits ar to check the lateral movement of the gate s.
At square crossings the conduits are mitred at the same level as shown at Fig. 9
and 10, and the rails have crossings of insulating material with checks or grooves
for the wheel flanges. Both at gate points and square crossings the electric con-
tinuity of each rail is maintained by bye-pass wires.
This invention as above described providing a self contained electric circuit
with gate points worked electrically from the car, requires no junction with the
cars or carriages other than the flexible wires or cords no to conduct the electricity
from the overhead truck e to and from the motor on the car or carriage. It
may therefore be also erected and used solely or partly for the propulsion of
ordinary street vehicles with flangeless wheels when fitted with electric motors,
as well as for the propulsion of electric tram cars.
In the case of flangeless wheeled vehicles the mechanical tension and paid out
length of the conducting wires or cords is regulated by a set of blocks and pulleys
round which the spare length of the conducting wires or cords no is reduplicated
like a tackle fall as shown at Figs. 13 and 14: and the mechanical tension is
regulated by adjusting the weight on the moving block to provide sufficient tension
for longitudinal haulage of the overhead truck, with freedom for a considerable
range of lateral movement of the vehicle. Where more convenient for stowage
on the car a spring roller may be used alternately for this purpose.
For the propulsion of flangeless wheeled vehicles special gates (see Fig. 11) for the
trucks belonging to these vehicles to enter or leave the conduit are placed at suitable
intervals. The truck is carried, when not in the conduit, on a tray or hod (shown at
Fig. 12) suitably shaped for passing the truck into the conduit or receiving it as
it passes out, the hod being supported on a telescopic stand 2 whereby it can be
raised to the level of the conduit.
The flangeless wheeled vehicles to be run by the electric overhead truck and
conduit, when they are originally horsed vehicles like omnibuses, will have the
front pair of wheels taken out and replaced with a three wheeled truck on the
existing swivel pin of the vehicle, see Figs. 15 and 16. The front wheel 3 of this
tricycle will be used for steering, and the pair of wheels 4 behind this for driving.
The tricycle will contain the electric motor 5, and a small accumulator to store
sufficient electricity for shunting the carriage off and on to the overhead conduit.
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. In appliances for overhead electric traction, a horizontal conduit of non-
conducting materials, supported by wire cables stretched over a series of piers,
and affording continuous support to the said conduit by means of suspension rods
or wires as above described.
2. In appliances for overhead electric traction, a truck to run on rails which
form electric conductors within the conduit, with the wheels insulated at the
middle of the axles so as to convey the electric current from the generating
station along one rail to the electric motors on the cars and the return current
thence to the generating station through the opposite wheels and rail as above
described.
3. In appliances for overhead electric traction, the arrangement of gate points
consisting of a section of conduit working laterally on a vertical hinge on the roof
of the conduit as above described.

page_text: 4. In appliances for overhead electric traction, the arrangement for working
the points from the car by means of a pair of electro-magnets fixed on the truck
and a pair of armatures fixed on opposite sides of the gate near the hinge,
electric contact for electro-magnetism being controlled by the driver, as above
described.
5. In appliances for overhead electric traction, square crossings made by mitring
the conduits at the same level the crossing of the rails being made of insulating
materials and the current carried on by bye-pass wire as above described.
6. In appliances for overhead electric traction, the arrangement of gate points
at suitable intervals along the road for the entry and egress of the overhead truck
belonging to a flangeless wheeled carriage as above described.
7. In appliances for overhead electric traction, a hod or tray of suitable shape on
a telescopic stand for receiving and giving off the truck from and to this conduit.
8. In appliances for overhead electric traction, the arrangement of reduplication
of the conducting wires over a fall of blocks and pulleys or where more convenient
of a spring coil cylinder to regulate their tension and length for the lateral move-
ment of flangeless wheeled vehicles as above described.
9. In appliances for electric overhead traction the arrangement of an electric
tricycle for the electric haulage of flangeless wheeled vehicles in place of horses
as above described.
Talad this 8th love of th1000
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant,
9, Warwick Court, Gray's Inn, London, W.C.