Improvements in Electric Railways
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1895-Accepted 8th June, 1895
Improvements in Electric Railways
| GEORGE EDWARD BAIRD (a citizen of the United States of America)
residing at 197 Canal Street, Chicago, Cook County Illinois, USA, Manufacturer,
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 and accompanying drawings
My invention relates to improvements in electric railways of that class in which
the motors that propel the cars receive their current through a conductor lying in
a conduit which runs along the car-track The invention is fully described and
explained in this Specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in
which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car in operative relation to a conduit provided
with my improvements, the conduit being shown in section,
Figure 2 is a similar enlarged view of the same elements shown in Figure 1
Figure 3 is a top plan of the parts shown in Figure 2
Figure 4 is a top plan of the conductors and their movable contact-levers, the
top of the box containing the levers being removed and certain parts shown in
section,
Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section through the line 5-5, Figure 4, the view
being in the direction indicated by the arrow, a, Figure 4
Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section through the line 6-6, Figure 2, the view
being in the direction indicated by the arrow, a', Figure 2
In these views, A is a conduit of suitable form preferably provided with ribs, A',
and having the usual upwardly open longitudinal slot bounded by slot-rails, A'
Near the bottom of the conduit are suitably supported parallel lines of pipe-
sections, B, B, and at suitable intervals two-part boxes, C, C, are set in the lines
of sections and receive the ends thereof, the ends of the pipes being screwed or
otherwise set into the boxes Conducting wires, W, W¹, connected with a dynamo
or other source of electrical supply are enclosed in the pipes, B, B₁ and pass
through the compartments, C, C respectively, of the boxes, one being the supply
and the other the return wire of the system Each of the wires, W, W₁, has
attached to it, at a suitable point in each of the boxes, C, C₁, two brushes, or 6',
preferably of spring metal and curved outward at their upper ends as shown
in Figure 5 In the walls of each of the boxes are Journalled two hollow transverse
shafts, D, D', Figures 2, 4, 5, and on the outer ends of these shafts respectively are
rigidly mounted hollow rocking levers, E, E', bearing contact rolleis, R, R¹, of
conducting material On the inner ends of the shafts, D, D', are mounted hollow
rocking levers, F, H', weighted at one end as shown in Figure 2 and terminating at
their opposite ends in contact blocks, f, f¹, normally held above the brushes, b, b¹,
but adapted to be depressed so as to make contact therewith Wires, w, w', connect
the contact blocks,,¹, respectively with the contact rollers, R, R'
The conduit, A, lies preferably between the rails of an ordinary cai-track
adapted to support wheeled cars of ordinary construction, any or all the cats being
provided with suitable electric motors for their propulsion Each motor-car is
provided with a dependent hollow arm, G, Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, extending downward
through the slot between the rails, A2, A3, and moving fiecly along the conduit, and
LD

page_text: this arm supports a transverse bar, G', to whose ends are fastened two parallel
contact-bars, H, H¹, of suitable conducting metal The ends of the two contact-
bars are connected by transverse bars and are provided with horizontal rollers, R³, R²,
Figures 2, 3, 6, which bear against longitudinal guide-rails, A3, A3, and thus
regulate the position of the contact-bars H, H' The ends of each of the contact-
bars, H, H' have their loner edges curved upward as shown in Figure 2, and are
of non-conducting material, the length of the conducting bar in each being such
however, as to cover the spice between any two contiguous contact-rollers, R, R, or
R', R', and thus insure contact of each conducting bar at all times with at least one
of said rollers
The bars, H, H', are in the vertical planes of the rollers, R, R', respectively, at
such a height that as they pass along the conduit and come into contact with the
rollers, the latter are depressed and the blocks, f, f, are brought into contact with
the brushes, b, 61, respectively Wires, w³, w³, extend from the bars, H, H₁, to the
motor in the car above, and since each of the bars, H, H', always holds one of the
corresponding rollers, R or R', in its lowest position, the wires, W, W', are
constantly in electrical connection and a current pas es constantly through the two
wires and the motor
This current may of course be interrupted by means of
P switch in either of the wires, w³, w³, or by any other means under the control of
the operator of the car
1
The lower edges of the ends of the bars, H, H', are curved upward in order to
avoid shock as the bars make or break contact with rollers, R, R', and the ends are
formed of non-conducting material in order to avoid sparking as the blocks, f, t'
break contact with the brushes, b, b The part of the supply and return
wires, W, W¹, lying within the pipes, B B', 'may be insulated in any desired
manner, as by wrapping with any suitable substance or by imbedding them in some
non-conducting substance with which the pipes are filled Those parts of the wires
lying within the compartments, C, C, may also be insulated if desired, exccpt at
their points of contact with the brushes b, b¹
It is evident that the form and arrangement of the bru hes b, b', is not essential
it being only necessary to provide suitable contact surfaces connected with the wues
and adapted to receive the contact of the blocks, f, f' for the purpose of clo ing a
circuit The form shown is desirable, however, as affording certain and effective
contacts
The contact-making devices arranged along the wires, W, W₁, are shown and
described as placed in two-part boxes and this is a convenient and practical
construction It is evident, however, that, if desired, the box may contain but a
single chamber enclosing two contact-devices, or that the two chambers instead of
being enclosed within a single wall or box may be wholly separate from and
independent of each other In any case each of the chambers may be made water-
tight and the joint about the rocking shaft, D, o1 D', may be provided with some
simple parking sufficient to exclude moisture, thus enabling the system to work
practically in a temporarily flooded conduit or any other situation in which
complete isolation of the conducting wires is necessary to guard them against
moisture
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 I
claim is
1 In an electric ailway, the combination with a suitable track and a car moving
along the track and propelled by a suitable electric motor, of two conducting wires
extending along the line of the track and insulated except at suitably separated
points of exposure a hanger dependent from the car, and two contact bars supported
by the hanger and in electrical connection with the motor, said bars being ad apred
to make successive electrical contacts with said conducting wires, respectively,
at said points of exposure as the car moves along the track

page_text: 2 In an electric railway, the combination with a suitable track and a car moving
thereon and propelled by a suitable electric motor, of two conducting wires
extending along the track and insulated except at suitably separated points of
exposure,
contact surfaces connected with said conductin, wires at said points of
exposure and projecting outside the line thereof, a hanger dependent from the car
and two contact bars supported by said hanger and adapted to make successive
electrical contacts with the contact surfaces attached to said wires, respectively, as
the car moves along the track
3 In an electric railway, the combination with a suitable track and i car moving
thereon and propelled by a suitable electric motor, of two conducting wires extending
along the line of the track and each insulated except at suitably separated points of
exposure, a hanger dependent from the car, and two contact birs supported by the
hange and in electrical connection with the motor, each of said contact bars being
of a length covering the space between two contiguous points of exposure of the
corresponding wire and being adapted to make succussive cont iets with the points
of exposure of said wire is the car moves along the trick
4 In an electric railway, the combination with a suitable trick and a car moving
tncieon and propelled by a suitable clectic motor, of two conducting wites exten ling
along the trick and each insulatel except at suitably sepirited points of exposure,
recipiocable conducting devices normally out of contact with sud wir s, but adapted
to be forced into contact therewith at said points of exposure re pectively, a hanger
dependent from the car and two conducting contact buis supported by sud hanger
and in electrical connection with said motor each of said bars being adapted to
actuate in succession the contact making devices of the corresponding wire and thus
to close a circuit through said wires and said motor
In an electric railway, the combination with a suitable track and a car moving
thereon and operated by a suitable electric motor, of two con lucting wires extending
along the line of the track and each insulated except at suitably separated points of
exposure oscillating conducting levers normally out of contact with sud wires but
adapted to be forced into contact toerewith at said points of exposure, respectively,
rollers connected with said lever, a hanger dependent from the car and two contact
bars supported from sud hunger and eat had upted to stuke the succes ive rollers of
the contact devices of the coi responding wise as the car moves along the ti ick and
thereby to press said levels into contact with said wire and close cucuit through
said wire ind the motor
6 In an electric railway the combination with suitable trick and a car moving
thereon and propelled by uitable electric motor, of conduit extending along the
line of the track, two lmcs of pipe sections supported within said conduit, con lucting
wes lying within sud pipes and imbedded in insulitel material except it suitable
points of exposure, recipiocable contact devices normally out of contact with said
wes, but adapted to be forced into contact therewith it then respective points of
exposure, a hanger dependent from the car and two contact bars supported by
said hanger and each adapted to actuate successively the contact devices of
the corresponding wire, thereby closing accuit through sul wes and the
motor
7 In an electric railway, the combination with a suitable track and a car moving
thereon and propelled by a suitable electric motor, of a conduit extending along
the line of the track, two lines of pipe sections supported within said conduit,
hambers inserted between and connecting the pipe sections of cach line, two
conducting wires extending along said lines of pipe sections and connecting
chambers, respectively, and each insulated except at points of exposure within
said chambers, conducting surfaces attached to the wires at said points of exposure,
Oscillating levers suspended in said chambers and adapted to make contact with
aid surfaces, respectively, a hanger dependent from the car and two contact
bars supported by said hanger and in electrical connection with said motor,
Lach of said hangers being adapted to actuate in succession the contact levers

page_text: of the corresponding line, where a circuit may be closed through said wires and
and motor
8 The combination with a track and a car moving thereon and provided with a
suitable motor, of the aim, G, dependent from the car, the parallel contact
bars, H, H, supported by sud arm, the lines of pipe sections, B, B', and
chambers, C, C and conducting wires, W, W', lying within said pipe section,
and chambers, respectively, and insulated except at points of exposure within the
chambers, the contact brushes, b, b', attached to said wires the oscillating
levers,,, provided with the contact blocks, f,, adapted to be brought into
contact with the brushes, bb, and members attached to the lever, F, F¹, and lying
outside the chambers C, C¹, said members being adapted to be actuated by the
contact bars, H, H', respectively, as the car moves along the track, whereby the
wnes, W, W may be brought into electrical connection with the motor
9 The combination with the truck and the car moving the con and provided
with a suitable electric motor of the arm, G, dependent from the car the transverse
bar G³, supported by the arm, the contact bais H, HI, supported by the bar, G,
and spaced with reference to each other by the transverse bars, h, the suitably
supported lines o pipe sections, B B¹, aud chambers, C, C¹, the conducting
wires W, W³, enclosed in said pipe sections and chambers and insulated except at
points of exposure within said chamber the contact levers lying within the
chambers and adapted to make electrical contacts with said wires and levers lying
outside the chambers and connected with sud contact levers the contact bars, H, H₁,
being adapted to actuate in succession the cont ict devices of sud lines respectively,
as the car moves along the tick, whereby a circuit may be closed to said wies and
Baid motoi
10 The combination with the conduit, the pipe sections and chambers supported
therein, the conducting wires lying with n said pipes and chambers and the contact
devices constructed and operated substantially as described of the hanger, G, ind
the contact bars, II, II', supported by said hanger, and adapted to actuate said contact
devices, each of said hangers being formed of a bar of conducting metal terminating
in blechs of non conducting material having their lower edges inclined outward
and upward substantially as shown and described
11 The combination with the conduit provided with the guide rails, A³, A³, the
two suitably insulated conductors lying therein and the two suts of contact devices
connected with and conductors respectively, of the dependent arm, G, the parallel
contact bus, II, H¹, upported by the um and spiced with reference to each other
and the rollers, R2, R2, mounted on said contact bars and adapted to impinge upou
said guide rails and regulate the literal position of sud contact bais thereby insuring
the actuation of said contact devices by the bars respectively, substantially as shown
and described
12 in an electric railway the combination with a suit ible track and a car moving
thereon and propelled by a suitable electric motor, of a main conducting wile
extending along the line of the track ind insulated except at suitably separated
points of exposure, recipiocable conducting contact devices normally out of contact
with said wilt but adapted to be forced into contact therewith at said points of
exposure respectively, and a conducting hanger dependent from the cai, in electrical
connection with said motor and adapted to actuate said contact making devices
successively as the car moves along the track and thereby to bring the motor into
electrical connection with said main wire
13 In an electic railway, the combination with a suitable track and a car moving
thereon and operated by a suitable electric motor, of a main conducting wire
extending along the line of the track and insulated except at suitably separated
points of exposure oscillating conducting levers normally out of contact with said
wire but adapted to be forced into contact therewith at said points of exposure,
respectively, rollers connected with said levers and a conducting hanger dependent
from the track in electrical connection with said motor and adapted to strike said

page_text: rollers successively as the car moves along the track and thereby to press said levers
into contact with said wire and establish electrical connection between said wire and
said motor
Dated the bath of Anal 1005
GEORGE E BAIRD