provements in and relating to Electric Railways.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
I, CHARLES DANIEL JENNEY, of National Road, east of the City of Indianapolis,
in Center Township, in the County of Marion, State of Indiana, United States of
America, Electrician, 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 said invention relates to that class of electric railways in which a conduit
is provided, similar to such as are provided for cable railways; and it consists in
certain novel construction whereby such a railway is produced having a high
degree of efficiency combined with durability and economy of operation.
An electric street car, and a portion of a conduit equipped with apparatus
embodying my said invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of au electric car having my improved apparatus
attached thereto and showing also the conduit construction in central longitudinal
section, a portion of one side of the running gear of the car being broken away.
Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the running gear on an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, on a still further enlarged scale, of the
running gear and the conduit.
Figure 4 is a top or plan view of the central portion of the said apparatus, said
view being similar to the central portion of Figure 2, on an enlarged scale.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figure 4, as seen from
the dotted line 5 5.
Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view on line 6 6 Figure 5 of the rod or bar
which extends down into the conduit, on a still further enlarged scale.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of one of the insulated rail supports used for
supporting the rail in the conduit.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the brush resting upon the conductor rail, on an
enlarged scale, and
Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view on line 99 of the same parts shown in
Figure 8.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
In the said drawings the portions marked A represent the frame of the ordinary
running gear of an electric car; B transverse bars secured thereon; C a frame
supported upon said bars by means of which will be hereinafter described; D the
conductor bar, supported upon said frame and extending down into the conduit K ;
E the brush or contact device on the lower end of said bar; F the rail or
conductor in the conduit; G arms supporting the rail, and H brackets supporting
the said arms.
The frame A is in itself of an ordinary construction and carries the car body,
the motor, and other appliances, in a usual and well known manner, and, therefore,.
need not be further described therein, except incidentally in describing the other
parts.
The transverse bars B are bolted firmly to the side rails of the frame A, and
extend across the car and support the frame and mechanism by which the
conductor bar D is carried and guided in its movements.
The frame C is of a peculiar construction, and is carried by hangers C¹ from
pivot bolts bresting in bearings B' upon the bars B; being secured to the lower
ends of said links by pivot bolts c'. By means of these links and pivots this frame

page_text: is permitted to swing sidewise, and thus accommodate the conductor bar D, which
is carried thereby, to the oscillation of the car. There being four of the
bearings B, however, which are all secured rigidly to the bars B, the frame is
prevented from yielding appreciably in the other direction. The bearings of the
pivot bolts, being comparatively long, are of service in securing this last
mentioned result. The said frame is moreover provided with four flanged anti-
friction trucks C which form the bearing for the conductor bar D. While there
is little if any strain on more than two of these trucks at one time, I prefer to
provide four of them, both for steadiness, and for the reason that the car some-
times runs in the reverse direction, which would bring the two not commonly of
great service into active operation.
The conductor bar, D I prefer to make of a peculiar construction, consisting of
two small flat bars having channels in the middle portions of their flat surfaces on
one side, and which may be secured together by machine screws d, or rivets, or
otherwise. In the opening thus formed I place the conductor strip or wire D', and
surround the same with insulating material d', as shown most plainly in Figure 6.
The conductor is thus not only well insulated, but provided with a strong armour
or shield, and is situated at the point in the main bar D where it is least likely to
be injured by the wear on the bar, or by blows or rough usage of uny kind. As
this bar and the conductor and the brush carried thereby are of greater weight
than it is desirable shall rest upon the brush points, I support said bar by
springs D, Figure 5, which I attach at one end to the bar D and at the other end
to the frame C, as shown in Figure 5. The conductor D' in the bar D is
connected at its upper end to the motor, and at the lower end, by means of binding
screws d² or otherwise, to the brush E see Figure 9.
The brush E, properly speaking, consists of metal bristles secured to an
appropriate head-piece E' and rests (when in position for use) on the rail or
conductor F Figures 1, 3, 8 and 9. This head-piece is secured by means of
insulated bolts E' to a bracket Es, bolted to the bar D. A sheet of insulating
material is interposed between the parts E' and E. An insulating washer e is
also interposed between the bolt E2 and the head-piece E¹, and an insulating
sleeve e¹ is inserted within the perforation through the head-piece E' and surrounds
the said bolt E. The said insulating parts & and e³ are each of an inverted cup-
shaped formation, so as to more efficiently throw off the water which may fall on
the structure from above.
The conductor rail F is formed of sections of T-iron suitably supported, and
the various sections are electrically connected by flexible conductor strips or
"bond wires," was shown in Figure 1. Said sections are separated slightly at
their ends to provide for expansion and contraction;-this being permitted by the
flexibility of the conductor strips which unite them. The upper surface of these
conductor rails is broad, and substantially flat, so as to afford an ample surface for
the brushes to bear upon during all the various movements and swayings of the
car, as well at switches and curves as where the road is uninterrupted and
straight, and the brushes themselves are of considerable length, so as to pass over
the joints between the sections of conductor rail without appreciable jar or
interruption, said brushes being intended to bridge or span said joints, as indicated
most plainly in Figure 8. The said rails being of ample size, ordinary iron or steel
may be used instead of the more expensive copper wire commonly used for electrical
conductors in street railway construction. These rails are placed in any suitable
underground conduit; and I have illustrated in Figure 3 a conduit similar to that
used in cable railway construction, although, of course, any other suitable con-
struction may be employed in carrying out my invention.
The arms G extend from suitable brackets or supports H at the sides of the
conduit inwardly to the point where the rail F is positioned, which is usually
.nearer one side of the conduit than the other, both for convenience in construction,
and to remove the rail from directly under the slot and thus out of the way of
drippings from the street. These arms incline upwardly from the rail toward each

page_text: side, in order that no moisture may run along them toward the insulation upon
which they are mounted. At the ends they have cavities in the under side, with
flaring or bell-shaped mouths, the better to throw off moisture and protect the
insulation therefrom, as shown in Figures 3 and 7.
The brackets or supports H are secured to the sides of the conduit in any desired
manner which is sufficiently firm and rigid to support the rail structure, by means
of bolts or otherwise as may be desired. Upon the projecting ends of these
brackets or supports are upwardly projecting screws or points h, which are provided
with insulating caps h', which fit directly into the cavities g Figure 7 in the under
side of the arms G. These insulating caps h' upon the outside, are surrounded
with a series of corrugations, preferably level upon the under side and inclined
upon the upper side, which is a form well adapted to throw off moisture, and also
increases the surface on the outside, over which a current would have to travel in
passing from one metal part to another, and thus the insulating capacity is increased,
in proportion to the size of the caps, over that of plain caps.
As will be seen, my construction is all very strong, simple and durable, and not
likely to get out of order, while leakage of electric current is guarded against at
every point, and at the same time the necessary oscillation of the conductor running
from the car to the conductor rail is amply provided for during all the various
movements of the car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:
First. The combination, in an electric railway system, of the frame C supported
on swinging links, whereby it is enabled to swing freely in one direction, and
provided with the flanged trucks between which the conductor bar is placed, and
said conductor bar, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination, in a conduit electric railway system, of a conductor
bar mounted to permit a vertical movement, a frame-work carrying said conductor
bar and capable of a lateral movement, and springs attached to said conductor bar
and to said frame and operating to support or carry a portion of the weight of said
conductor bar, substantially as shown and described.
Third. The combination, in an electric railway system with the conductor bar
leading from the car structure, of the conductor rail within the conduit, arms
leading from said conductor rail towards the sides of the conduit, brackets or
supports upon the sides of the conduit, and an insulated connection between said
brackets and said arms.
Fourth. The combination, in an electric railway system, of the conductor, bar
leading from the car structure into the conduit, the conductor rail in said conduit,
and insulating arms supporting said rail and having an upward inclination from
said rail towards the sides of the conduit, where they are supported, substantially
as set forth.
Fifth. The combination, in a conduit electric railway system, of the conduit, the
conductor rail located therein to one side of the centre of said conduit, and
insulating arms supporting said conductor rail from the sides of the conduit,
substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The combination, in a conduit electric railway system, of the conduit, the
conductor rail located therein, the arms G leading from said conductor rail toward
the sides of the conduit at a proper inclination, and having bell-shaped sockets in
the under sides of their ends, brackets secured to the sides of the conduit, upwardly
extending screws or points on said brackets, and insulating material surrounding
said screws or points and fitting into the sockets on the under sides of the ends of
the arms, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The combination, in a conduit electric railway system, of a conductor
rail situated in a conduit and having a broad substantially flat top, metallic supports
extending from said conductor rail and insulated from the conduit structure, a car

page_text: structure including the motor, a conductor bar leading from the car structure to the
rail and provided with a contact device on its lower end, and a swinging or yielding
support for said conductor bar carried by the car structure, whereby contact
between the contact device on the lower end of the conductor bar and the upper
flat surface of the conductor rail may be maintained notwithstanding the vibrations
or oscillations of the car in use.
Dated this 17th day of July 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.