Improvements in or relating to Conductors for Electric Railways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 14th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Conductors for Electric Railways.
I, CHARLES MELBOURNE WHITE, of Rooms 221-225, Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by
Benjamin Coplin Seaton, of the City of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, one
of the United States of North America, Electrician), and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:
-
The invention relates to a conductor for electric railways, and to crossings
therefor.
Figure I is a vertical transverse section of the improved conductor, or third rail.
the section being taken on line 1-1 Figure II.
Figure II is a detail side view of the conductor.
Figure III is a vertical transverse section of the crossing, taken on line III-III,
Figure IV, this figure also showing in section part of the track or roadway.
Figure IV is a detail side view showing part of the conductor and part of the
crossing.
Figure V is a view of one of the insulating blocks that are designed to be placed
between the ends of the crossing and the conductor to prevent the latter from
charging the former.
Figure VI is a perspective view showing the improved conductor and crossing
in position for use.
Figure VII is a detail section taken on line VII-VII, Figure IV,
1 represents the track rails of a railway resting, as usual, on ties 13.
2 is the improved conductor from which the electric current is taken to supply the
motors of the car not shown. This conductor is supported by the ties 13, preferably
midway between the track rails 1. The shape of the conductor in transverse
section, is shown in Figure 1. It consists of a web 7 fitting between an upper
insulating strip 8 and a lower insulating strip 9. At each edge of the web is a
vertical flange 10 and a horizontal flange 11, the vertical flange forming the contact
service for the shoes 14 (illustrated by dotted lines Figure 1) that depend from
the car and conduct the current to the motors, and the horizontal flanges serving
to keep the shoes from moving vertically out of contact with the vertical flanges.
Inside of the vertical flanges 10, and between them and the strip 8 are spaces
forming chambers to receive feed in wires 15. These wires are preferably insulated,
as shown, and they are electrically connected at suitable distances apart, with the
conductor 2, so that the conductor is kept uniformly charged from one end of the
road to the other.
Over the strip 8 is a hood or cap 6 that serves to cover the conductor and protect
it from snow or other matter as well as serving to prevent accidental contact with
the conductor.
The hood is covered with a metallic strip 16 that protects it from the weather
and also may serve as an electric conductor for signal or other purposes.

page_text: Beneath the strip 9 is a base piece 17 that may rest directly on the ties as shown
in Figure VI, but it is preferred to rest it upon bolts 18, as shown in Figure I,
the bolts being supported by chairs 20 spiked to the ties and having slots 21 to
receive the bolts. 22 represents wedge shape washers placed between the head and
nut of the bolt and the chairs. By adjusting the bolts up and down in the slots 21
the conductor may be raised or lowered to suit the height of the contact shoes.
The base piece, the hood, the insulating strips and the conductor are all tied
together by vertical bolts 233 placed suitable distances apart. The base is divided
horizontally and is provided with holes 24 to receive low potential wires, such as
telegraph wires, telephone wires or the like and by loosening on the bolts 23 the
upper part of the base piece can be raised from the lower part to permit the
introduction of the wires.
3 represents the crossing placed in a gap formed in the conductor at a road way.
4 are bridge planks placed outside of the rails 1 and between the rails.
A transverse section of the crossing 3 is shown in Figure III. It consists of a
cap 25 supported on channel bars 26 that rest on a base plate 12. Within the
space formed by the cap 25, the channel bars 26 and the base plate 12, is placed
a conduit 27 surrounded by a bed of concrete 28. The conduit 27 is adapted to
receive the feed in wires 15, at the crossing, and also wires 29 that are connected
to the conductor 2 on each side of the crossing, as shown at 30 Figure VII, so
that the conductor will not be electrically broken by the crossing.
The channel bars 26 form continuations of the conductor, at the crossing, and
being of the same general shape as the conductor the contact shoes will pass
smoothly over the crossing. To prevent the channel bars from being charged by
the conductor, there is located between the ends of the crossing and the ends of
the conductor, blocks 19 made of non-conducting material. One of these blocks
is shown removed in Figure V, and in position in Figures IV and VII.
The cap 25 of the crossing has a metallic cover 32, see Figure III, and the cap
is made somewhat shorter than its cover so that the ends of the hood 6 of the
conductor enter and are received by the cover 32, as shown at 33, Figure IV.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In an electric railway, a conductor located above ground and over which the
cars pass, said conductor being located between strips of non-conducting material,
and covered by a hood or cap, substantially as set forth.
2. In an electric railway, a conductor located between strips of non-conducting
material arranged one over the other, a base upon which the lower non-conducting
strip rests, a cap or hood resting on the upper non-conducting strip, and bolts
clamping said base, strips, conductor and hood together, substantially as set forth.
3. In unl electric railway, a conductor having a horizontal web, a
vertical flange and a horizontal flunge, in combination with upper and
lower strips of non-conducting material fitting against the web of the conductor,
a base upon which the lower strip of non-conducting material rests, and a cap
or hood fitted on the upper strip of non-conducting material, substantially as set
forth.
4. In an electric railway, the combination of a conductor located between a
supporting base and a cap or hood, adjustable bolts upon which said base rests, and
slotted chairs receiving said bolts, substantially as set forth.
5. In an electric railway, a conductor, a base supporting the conductor, and a
hood located over the conductor, said base being divided and provided with openings
to receive low potential wires, substantially as set forth.
6. In an electric railway, the combination of a base, a hood, and a conductor
located between the base and hood; said conductor being formed to carry feed in
wires substantially as set forth.
7. In an electric railway, the combination of a base, a hood, a conductor located

page_text: between the base and hood and insulated therefrom, and a metallic strip 16 cover-
ing said hood for the purpose specified.
8. In an electric railway, the combination with a conductor, a crossing consisting
of channel bar sides that form a continuation of said conductor, a cover or cap
fitting over the channel bars, and a conduit located in the space formed by said
channel bars and cap and insulated therefrom, and which serves to carry the feed
in wires of the said conductor substantially as set forth.
9. In an electric railway, the combination of a conductor carrying feed in wires,
a crossing located in a gap formed in the conductor, and which is provided with
a conduit to carry said feed in wires, and blocks 19 of non-conducting material
placed between the crossing and the ends of the conductor, substantially as set
forth.
10. In an electric railway, the combination of a conductor having a hood or
cover, and a crossing in a gap formed in the conductor; said crossing consisting
of channel bars, a cap or cover located over the channel bars, a conduit located
in the space formed by the channel bars and cap and which is designed to carry
the feed in wires, the cap of said crossing having a metallic cover adapted to receive
the ends of the hood or cover of said conductor, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 14th day of March 1898.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Rooms 221-225, Birkbeck Bank Chambers,
Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.