Improvements in Current Conducting Rails for Electric Railway Systems.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1897 .
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1898-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1898
Improvements in Current Conducting Rails for Electric Railway
Systems.
We, LOUIS EDWARD WALKINS, of 16, Melrose Street, in the City of Springfield,
County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, Civil Engineer, and GEORGE
MANYPENNY JEWETT, of Glenville, Harford County, State of Maryland,
both of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in current conducting, rails for electric
railways, the same being especially available in electric railway systems known
as the third rail system, that is, a railway in which in addition to the regular
traction rails, there is employed an additional or third rail for carrying the feed
current, a shoe or trolley running with a comparatively light pressure along this
third rail through which the current is conveyed therefrom to the electric motor
of the motor car or locomotive.
The object of this invention is to provide a current conducting rail whereby it
constitutes a more efficient electrical conductor than has heretofore been com-
prised in the third rail and one which insures less loss of electrical energy by
induction than heretofore.
The invention consists in a rail, the body or major portion of which consists of
iron or steel, but preferably soft cast iron having essentially an upper surface
covering or tread cap of copper; and otherwise as herein after mentioned.
I prefer to have the rail constituted by soft cast iron for the reasons that it is
the cheapest of production, better adapted as a conductor, and sufficiently durable
and it has the surface layer of copper on its tread side.
The cap or top layer may be produced by rolling or drawing in suitable lengths
and of the required thickness and mechanically interlocked with the surface of
the rail tread, and in addition to the interlocking, it may be welded thereto.
The interlocking may be accomplished by dovetail or other forms of ribs and
grooves.
The rail having the copper covered top is well adapted for the running contact
thereon of a sliding shoe or rolling trolley carried by the motor truck or car and
which is in electrical connection with the motor.
The surfacing layer of copper on the top of the rail on which runs the shoe
or trolley minimizes the friction between the contacting parts; the layer of copper
not rusting like iron or steel, affords no occasion for sparking between the shoe
or trolley and the current conducting rail as occurs where the shoe runs on an iron
which has become rusted. In practice the base and portion of the current
conducting rail below the tread are embedded in an insulating material, the
copper cap covering and said insulating material serving to the better retain the
current within the rail and assuring a lessened loss of power by induction.
It is to be understood that the shoe or trolley in running contact on this special
current conducting rail has no considerable forcible bearing pressure or violent

page_text: or destructive action upon the surfacing top of copper such as car wheels have
upon the ordinary track rails, and hence the auxiliary rail substantially as hereia
described will last in use a very long time.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Current Conducting Rails for Electric Railway
Systems.
We, LOUIS EDWARD WALKINS, of 16, Melrose Street, in the City of Springfield,
County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, Civil Engineer, and GEORGE
MANY PENNY JEWETT, of Glenville, Harford County, State of Maryland,
Gentleman, both in the United States of America, 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 improvements in current-conducting rails for electric
railways, the same being especially available in electric railway systems known
as the "third-rail" system, that is a railway in which, in addition to the regular
traction-rails, there is employed an additional or third rail for carrying the feed
current, a shoe or trolley running with a comparatively light pressure along this
third rail, through which the current is conveyed therefrom to the electric motor
of the motor car or locomotive.
The object of this invention is to provide a current-conducting rail whereby it
constitutes a more efficient electrical conductor than has heretofore been com-
prised in the third rail and one which insures less loss of electrical energy by
induction than heretofore.
The invention consists in a current-conducting rail for electric railway systems
having a body or iron or steel, but preferably of soft cast iron, having its tread
side covered with a layer of copper welded thereto.
In the accompanying drawing the improved current-conducting rail is illustrated,
the figure being a cross section thereof.
In the drawing A represents the rail, which I prefer to have constituted of
soft cast iron, for the reasons that it is the cheapest of production, better adapted
as a conductor, and sufficiently durable.
B represents the surface covering of copper. In the figure this is shown as
covering the top and sides of the tread portion a of the rail, the rail being shown
as formed with the longitudinal grooves bb, in which inwardly extending marginal
ribs of copper cap have interlocking engagements.
The cap
B may be produced by rolling or drawing in suitable lengths and of the
required thickness and interlocked with the surface of the rail tread, and in
addition to the interlocking it may be welded thereto.
The rail having the copper covered top is well adapted for the running contact
thereon of a sliding shoe or rolling trolley carried by the motor truck or car and
which is in electrical connection with the motor.
The surfacing layer of copper on the top of the rail on which runs the shoe
or trolley minimizes the friction between the contacting parts. The layer of
copper, not rusting like iron or steel, affords no occasion for sparking between
the shoe or trolley and the current-conducting rail, as occurs where the shoe runs
on an iron rail which has become rusted.

page_text: In practice the base and portion of the current-conducting rail below the tread
are embedded in an insulating material, as indicated at x, the copper cap covering
and said insulating material serving to the better retain the current within the
rail and assuring a lessened loss of power by induction.
It is to be understood that the shoe or trolley in running contact on this special
current-conducting rail has no considerable forcible bearing pressure or violent
or destructive action upon the surfacing top of copper, such as car wheels have
upon the ordinary track rails, and hence the auxiliary rail substantially as herein
described will last in use a very long time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. A current-conducting rail for electric railway systems having a body or
iron or steel, and having its tread side covered with a layer of copper, welded'
thereto..
2. A current-conducting rail having the body thereof composed or iron or
steel and provided with longitudinal grooves in the sides of its tread portion
and a layer of copper covering the top of the tread portion and provided with
projections engaged in said longitudinal grooves, substantially as described.
3. A current-conducting rail having the body thereof composed of iron or steel
provided with the longitudinal grooves in opposite sides of its tread portion and
having a layer of copper covering the top of the tread portion and provided with
projections engaged in said longitudinal grooves, said copper layer being also
welded to the iron or steel body of the rail as described.
Dated this 5th day of February 1898.
LOUIS EDWARD WALKINS.
GEORGE MANYPENNY JEWETT.