Improvements in the Application of Electricity to Vehicles on Tram and Railways, and in the Apparatus for Effecting the same.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 25th June, 1889-Accepted, 25th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Application of Electricity to Vehicles on Tram
and Railways, and in the Apparatus for Effecting the same.
I FRANK WYNNE of 5 Westminster Chambers in the City of Westminster a Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the application of electricity to
propel Vehicles on Tram and Railways according to the mode or method in which the
electricity is derived from a producer or reservoir of Electricity.
In my English Patent No. 9215 of 1886 I have shown in diagrammatic views
in Figs. 27 and 28 an arrangement of the main conductor employed when the
motors of several cars are worked in series, part of my present invention relates to
improvements in such arrangements for series working and consists in the insertion of
short independent insulated joint pieces in the length of the main conductor at the
ends of the overlapping lengths, which joint pieces I prefer to connect thro' suitable
resistances with the main conductor at suitable points in the same and by this means
to facilitate the passing of the Vehicle or Car contacts from one section of the
overlapping lengths of Conductors & keep a sufficient current thro' the car motor.
Instead of the device shown in the above mentioned patent for preventing the main
circuit being broken in any section of overlapping lengths when a vehicle is wanting
on it, I sometimes insert between the overlapping lengths, sets of accumulator cells
which way be charged when no vehicle is passing on the lengths joined by. the said
battery & whose discharge may be utilized when required for working a passing
vehicle.
t
In the above arrangements I do not confine myself to the combination of bent
metallic overlapping conducting lengths but apply them to those in which the lengths
are straight or follow only the curves of the line of railway & in which the over-
lapping lengths break joint with one another the joint between any two lengths
coming opposite to the middle of the parallel overlapping length & I prefer so to
place the car contacts that they shall be at the same timo on the joint pieces.
I sometimes arrange the rails of the permanent way by connecting them up in
suitable lengths & insulating them at suitable places to meet the requirements of the
above system of conductors for series working, only that in this case I carefully
provide for the insulation of the wheels on one side of the track from those on the
other at points and crossings of the permanent way I prefer to insulate a length of
the crossing rail where in the line of the conductor and make this length part of the
conductor; & I make the same movement which works the points of the permanent
way also useful to make & break the electrical connections for working the crossings
of the conductors of one line past that of the other.
I sometimes place one side of the overlapping conductors at the side of or over the
path of vehicles to be propelled as for instance in the roof of the tunnel in its application
to underground Railways, and when applying this arrangement to my system of closed
tube tramways reterred to in my English patent for the application of electricity to
tramways in the year 1883 and in my English patent No. 9215 of 1886 I use a
conductor in the channel for one side of the overlapping conductors and the rail of
the permanent way for the other.
In arranging the notors on the the vehicles to be propelled my improvements are
as follows, I attach the armatures of the motors direct to the axles, preferably the
axles of the wheels of a bogie car under the vehicle, & in this case I prefer to use one
Field Magnet in common to both armatures which field magnet I use as the frame
on which the vehicle is pivoted. I provide for the protection of the motor from undue
shocks by inserting a block of india rubber or other suitable material, or a device

page_text: uch as a combination of spiral springs between the tyre and the axle & I prefer to
use a link or spring mechanical connection between the tyre & the axle for
transmitting the torque & while admitting of spring or play between the two & I
sometimes make use of an electro magnetic connection between the two.
I find the insertion of a block of india rubber between the tyre & the axle useful
in other ways as for bedding a ring of wire concentric to the tyre & which carries a
current of electricity for the purpose of increasing the adhesion of the tyre to the
rail by magnetic attraction, also this passage of electricity thro' the coil keeps the
india rubber warm in cold weather-The india rubber also acts as an insulator between
the tyre & the axle I generally support the ring or block of rubber by means of side
plates or discs of metal or other suitable material.
I also find it useful to diminish sparking at these contacts to carry in the vehicle
a reservoir of water from which a thin jet of water impinges on the conductor.
Dated this 24th day of September 1888
FRANK WYNNE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Application of Electricity to Vehicles on Tram
and Railways, and in the Apparatus for Effecting the same.
J, FRANK WYNNE, of 5 Westminster Chambers, in the City of Westminster, Civil
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 present invention relates to the development of former inventions of mine
according to which vehicles can be propelled along tram or rail-roads by means of
electricity actuating a motor carried by the vehicle propelled, and in order that the
nature of my present invention and the manner in which it can be conveniently
carried into practical effect may be readily clearly and fully understood, I append
hereto two sheets of illustrative drawings with the aid of which I proceed to describe
my improvements.
Referring to these drawings,
.
Fig. is a reproduction of Fig. 27 shewn and described in the specification of
former Letters Patent granted to me No. 9215 of 1886.
This Fig. is shewn in order that the nature of my present improvements thereon
may be readily understood.
Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 shew diagrammatically some of my improved arrangements
in which the circuit making device 52 shewn in Fig. 1 may be dispensed with and
several further advantages gained as hereinafter explained.
In Figs. 2 & 3 A & B represent respectively the parts marked 46 & 47 in Fig. 1,
and are insulated metallic overlapping conductors of electricity arranged as
shewn for series working as described in my said former specification, and whose
position and relation relatively to the vehicle traversing the road along or parallel to
which they are laid may be provided for in various ways as follows:-
First, these conductors may be laid in a channel under the road, the channel having
a slot through which the connection from the electric motor on the vehicle may pass
to running contacts on the conductors.
Second, these conductors may form the actual rails on which the vehicle travels,
or may be exposed in the roadway, but in the former case the tyres of the wheels on
the same axle must be electrically insulated, and unless the difference of potential
between the overlapping parts is very low say not above 60 volts this arrangement
cannot be used for roads to which the public has free access.
Third, one side, say A, may be placed overhead and the other B may be laid along
the surface of the road, or conversely, B, may be one of the rails or a succession of
rails electrically connected to each other, and A may be a conductor in a channel as
under the first heading.

page_text: Fourth, A & B may be insulated conductors connected electrically to a succession
of insulated studs, road bars, insulated rails, or plates, such as are described and
shewn in the specifications of former Letters Patent granted to me viz., No. 9215
of 1886 & Nos. 747 and 16537 of 1887. C, C are sets of accumulator cells which are
inserted between the overlapping lengths of conductors as shewn, in such a way as
to be charged in series by the dynamo D and be discharged in parallel. The advan-
tages of such an arrangement are very great as by their use the circuit closing
devices 52 shewn in Fig. 1 and described in my said former specification 9215 of 1886
may be dispensed with, and also for series working, it is well known that one of the
difficulties is the necessity which such series working usually implies, of a constant
current, which renders the employment of very large motors advisable to provide for
quick starting and the development of great power at low speeds. In my systom
with interpolated accumulator batteries or cells I make use of the discharge of these
batteries to supply current to the motor at these low speeds, and I prefer to so arrange them
that nearly as much current is discharged from the cells as is put into them and I find it
convenient to arrange that the electro-motive force between the terminals of each interpo-
lated set of cells shall be such as to sufficiently overcome the counter-electro-motive force
of the car motor, when this is driving the vehicle on any given section of the line at
its mean speed. Further it is found that in other series arrangements the electromotive
force required of the dynamo varies greatly but in my system the differences of
potential are very much less.
In Figs. 2, 3, 4 & 5, E, E represent the motors of vehicles to be propelled, and F, F
the running car contacts of these vehicles on the conductors. Sometimes, as in
Figs. 3&5, place between the conductors A & B at the points where the car contacts
pass from one to the other, insulated joint pieces G which in some cases may be
of insulating material, in order to facilitate the passage of the contacts F from one
conductor to the next and to improve the insulation between them. These joint pieces
I sometimes connect by means of a fairly high resistance to one of the neighbouring
conductors, so that the motor shall not be altogether cut out of circuit during the passago
of its contacts over the joint, but shall be supplied with such current as passes through
this resistance. This resistance may advantageously be placed between the conductor
and the motor and in conjunction with a supplementary car contact f carried by the
vehicle and arranged to travel in contact with the conductors as shewn diagrammatically
in Fig. 3 in which E' represents a car passing the joint F F the usual car contacts,
and the supplementary car contacts connected to the car motor through the
resistances R. These supplementary car contacts may be advantageously used whether
the joint pieces G be used or not.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 & 5 the direction of current through the
motors is reversed at every joint and the supplementary contacts ƒ would not be
used.
At points and crossings I prefer to so arrange a length of the crossing rail of the
conductors that the same movement which works the points of the permanent way
shall also make or break the electrical connection for working the crossings of the
conductor. In Figs. 6 & 7 the course of the car on the permanent way which may
be taken to be an enlargement of the diagram of the conductors is shewn by the arrows.
In Fig. 6 the length His insulated and j is electrically charged; In Fig. 7 j j is
insulated and H&L are electrically charged.
In arranging the motors on the vehicles I sometimes place two armatures onto the
respective axles of a bogie truck as shewn in Figs. 8 & 9 where M, M are the
armatures having a common field magnet N which also serves as part of the bogie
frame or swivel frame on which the car, or part of it, is supported. The parts n of
the field magnet serving as bearings for the axles, should be made of non-magnetic
material of sufficient size to avoid short circuiting of the magnetic lines of force.
Fig. 10 shews, in plan, a similar arrangement, but in which one axle is made the
counter shaft of the other so as to provide for the axles being driven at a less speed
of revolution than the armature; in this arrangement the armatures M, M are fixed
to sleeves mounted to run freely on their respective axles. In rigid connection with

page_text: each sleeve is a pulley O from which by means of a chain or belt P, or an
idle wheel Q a pulley O fixed on the other axle (or it may be attached directly
'to the tyre) is driven at a lower rate of speed.
I provide for the protection of the motor and of the vehicle from undue shocks,
more particularly in cases when the motor is mounted directly on the axle, by
inserting between the axle and each wheel linb a block or ring S of india rubber
or other elastic material as shewn in Figs. 11 & 12. In these figures T is a shaft,
and U, U are bars or arms attached thereto. These bars or arms are arranged to
pass through slots V₁ formed in the body or hub V of the wheel and serve for
transferring the torque, and also the side strain on the wheels, to the tyre, their
ends being bedded in another ring or in blocks S₁ of india rubber that are in
compression or in tension between U and lugs on V so as to secure full vertical
elastic movement in all positions between the tyre and the axle. The india
rubber ring or blocks S¹ may obviously be replaced by suitable metal springs in
which case the insulation of the tyre from the axle (when necessary) must be effected
in any suitable manner.
Fig. 13'shows in transverse section a modified construction of wheel, wherein the block
or cushion of india rubber is shewn at S and the driving connection from the axle
to the wheel is shewn at W, X being a hoss keyed on the axle and provided with
one or more ribs, or projections arranged to alternate with corresponding ribs or
projections on the hub of the wheel as indicated, blocks or bands of india rubber or
other elastic material, which may be metal springs, (only in this case where electric
insulation between the axle and the tyre is desired special insulating devices at the
ends of the metal springs must be provided) are placed either in tension or in
compression between the ribs or projections in such a way as to allow of free
elastic motion in a vertical direction in all positions of the wheel. I sometimes
connect the boss X and the web or the tyre of the wheel by means of a drag
link.
I find the insertion of a ring or blocks of india rubber between the tyre and the
axle useful in other ways; thus it serves to insulate the tyre from the axle and also
as a bedding for a ring of wire that may be laid concentric to the tyre as described
and illustrated in the specification of my former Patent No. 16537, of 1857 hereinbefore
referred to, and through which ring a current of electricity may be passed for the
purpose of imparting magnetic adhesion between the tyre and the rail.
In order to prevent or diminish sparking between the car contacts and charged
metallic conductors exposed in the roadway, I carry on the vehicle a reservoir of
water from which thin jets of water are caused to impinge on the surfaces of the
conductors in advance of the car contacts thus keeping the conductors wet and so
diminishing sparking.
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. For the purpose of propelling vehicles along a tramway or railway the com-
bination of (a) insulated conductors of electricity arranged in sections or lengths for
the working in series with each other of electric motors on different vehicles (b) a
source of electric energy in connection with the conductors and (c) sets of accumulator
cells intérposed between the adjacent sections or lengths of conductors, the arrange-
ment being such that when there is no vehicle with motor on a section or length of
conductor or if the motor circuit be broken, the continuity of the electric circuit will
be maintained through the accumulator cells as set forth.
2. Arranging the sets of accumulator cells referred to in the preceding claim in series
with overlapping conductors in such a manner that they are charged in series and
: discharged in parallel as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The use with overlapping conductors arranged for series working as set forth,
of joint pieces such as G, arranged at the points where the car contacts pass from
one conductor to another substantially as herein described for the purpose mentioned.

page_text: 4. The several combinations and arrangements of conductors with sets of
accumulator cells arranged for series working herein above described with reference
respectively to and shewn in Fig. 2; in Fig. 3, in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 5 of the
drawings annexed.
5. In the application of electricity to propel vehicles on tram and railways the use
with overlapping conductors arranged for series working, a car motor and car
contacts connected to said motor and arranged to travel in contact with the said
conductors, of a supplementary car contact, or car contacts such as also arranged
to travel in contact with the conductors and a resistance or resistances R substantially
as herein described for the purpose set forth, whether or not the joint pieces G
be used.
6. In the application of electricity to propel vehicles on tram and railways when
overlapping conductors arranged for series working are employed the arrangement of
the conductors at points and crossings as shown in and described with reference to
Figs. 6 & 7.
7. For the purpose of propelling a vehicle on a tram or railway an electric motor
comprising two armatures and a field magnet that is common to both armatures and
which magnet forms also part of a bogie or swivel frame substantially as herein
described.
8. In an electric motor such as referred to in the preceding claim for propelling a
vehicle on a tram or railway the mounting and arranging of the armatures upon the
axles of the bogie in such a manner that each axle is made to serve as a counter-
shaft to the other substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. 10.
9. In a wheel for a vehicle to be propelled by electricity on a tram or railway the
combination of an elastic ring adapted to surround the axle a hub between which and
the axle the said elastic ring is located and an elastic band or block so arranged as
to serve for transferring the torque from the axle to the tyre, the arrangement being
such as to allow of free vertical elastic motion of the wheel in all positions
thereof.
10. In a wheel for a vehicle to be propelled by electricity on a tram or railway the
combination of an elastic ring adapted to surround the axle, a hub between which
and the axle the said elastic ring is located, and a drag link so arranged as to serve
for transmitting the torque from the axle to the tyre, the arrangement being such
as to allow of free vertical elastic motion of the wheel in all positions thereof.
11. The constructions of wheels shewn in and described with reference respectively
to Figs. 11 and 12 and to Fig. 13 of the drawings annexed for the purpose
mentioned.
12. For preventing or diminishing sparking between the car contacts and the
conductors causing jets of water from a reservoir carried by the vehicle propelled to
play upon the surfaces of the conductors in advance of the car contacts substantially
as herein described.
13. In a wheel for a vehicle to be propelled by electricity on a tram or railway
the combination of an insulating ring adapted to surround the axle, a hub between
which and the axle the said insulating ring is located and an insulating band or block
or drag link so arranged as to serve for transferring the torque from the axle to
the tyre the arrangement being such that the axle is electrically insulated from the
tyre.