Improvements in Contact Shoes for Electric Railways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 27th Aug.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Contact Shoes for Electric Railways.
I, WILLIAM MILTON BROWN, of Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania,
Electrical Engineer, 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:―
My invention relates to electric contact shoes and is especially applicable for
use in connection with that class of electric railways having non-continuous con-
tacts placed in the road-bed and adapted to deliver current to a suitable mechan-
ism carried by the car.
The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, flexible and durable
collecting shoe, which shall be thoroughly effective and substantially noiseless
in operation, and, to that end, my invention consists broadly in the use of a sub-
stantially continuous piece of flexible material to which is attached a metallic
contact strip. I prefer to use a piece of heavy rubber hose as the said flexible
material.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 represents a side view of a contact-shoe embodying the features of
my invention, and portions of a railway.
Figure 2 shows a vertical section on the line X-X of Figure 1 drawn to an
enlarged scale.
A is a block of wood or other suitable material and is secured by the bolts E E
to any desired parts of the car frame or truck. Each of the bolts E E carries
two nuts to adapt the shoe to be adjustably secured at any desired height.
B is a piece of heavy rubber hose which extends longitudinally throughout the
length of the shoe with its upper side fitting in the lower concave face of the
block A.
C is a strip of metal secured to the under side of the hose and adapted to make
contact with the contact-box, as D. c is a wire electrically connecting the contact
strip with the apparatus upon the car.
My method of securing the block A, the hose B, and the contact strip C together
in their proper operative positions, is as follows:-
Rivets ff, preferably of copper, are brazed upon the side of the strip C which
is to be adjacent to the hose. Holes are then made in the hose to admit the rivet
ends. Another set of holes is made in the hose immediately over the rivet ends
and washers are put about said rivets. The ends of the rivets are then hammered
down to form a head in the usual manner.
a a are bolts which pass downwardly through the block A and the hose B,
and screw into threaded holes in a continuous strip 6 which extends inside the
hose, against its upper side and continuous throughout its length.
I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction here shown, nor to the
use of my contact-shoe with any particular method of electrical distribution, nor
with any particular form of contact used therewith.
I especially point out that it is not essential to use a continuous hose, as the

page_text: piece might be cut into a plurality of sections. It is also possible to use a solid
piece of rubber or suitable material, in place of the hose B.
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 an electric contact shoe, a continuous contact member in combination with
a continuous elastic member secured thereto.
2. In an electric contact shoe, a continuous piece of rubber tubing adapted to
carry the contact portion of the shoe and afford the requisite yielding contact
between said contact portions and the devices from which the electric current is
delivered to the shoe.
3. In an electric contact shoe, a flexible member secured longitudinally to the
vehicle and composed substantially of a piece of rubber tubing, and a continuous
contact strip, secured to said tubing substantially as set forth.
4. A contact shoe for railway vehicles comprising a flexible contact strip, a sup-
porting frame comprising a bar parallel to said strip, and a cushion extending
from end to end between said bar and strip.
5. In an electric contact-shoe, in combination, a continuous piece of flexible
tubing, a plurality of rivets passing through one wall thereof, and secured upon
the top of a continuous contact strip, said rivet securing said strip tangentially
to the tubing.
6. An electric contact shoe, comprising, in combination, a continuous rigid
member, secured longitudinally to the vehicle, a continuous yielding member
rigidly secured thereto and a flexible contact strip secured to said yielding member.
7. A contact-shoe for electric railways comprising the block A secured to the
vehicle to be propelled, the hose B secured to one side of said block, and the con-
tact strip C secured to said nose.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.