An Improved Support for Overhead Electric Conductors on Electric Railways, Tramways, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
An Improved Support for Overhead Electric Conductors on Electric
Railways, Tramways, and the like.
We, ALBERT ANDERSON and JOHAN MARINICS ANDERSEN, both of 289-293
A Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Electrical Engineers,
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:―
This invention relates to an electric conductor support designed and adapted
for use in overhead electric railway systems, and has for its object to improve
the construction of electric conductor supports of the class referred to, whereby
sparking is avoided when the trolley wheel meets and leaves the said support,
and also to provide a more efficient means for securing the trolley wire to the
support.
Fig. 1 is a top or plan view of an electric conductor support embodying this
invention.
Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow
thereon.
Fig. 3, a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, looking toward the right.
Fig. 4, a modification to be referred to.
Fig. 5, a detail of the clamping dog, and
Fig. 6, a section on the line 66, Fig. 2.
In Figs. 1 and 2, we have shown our invention as embodied in a cross-over
The member A
comprising two members AA¹ pivotally secured together.
comprises a substantially flat central portion a from which extend substantially
diametrically opposite upright walls a¹ a connected at their bottom to form a
groove or way in which is placed the trolley wire ³, the said groove or way
being inclined downward from the center toward its outer end, so that the trolley
wire may enter the said way with its under side substantially flush with the
bottom of the said groove or way, which bottom is thickened from its outer end
toward its center to form guiding ribs at a³ (see Fig. 2), having their under side
substantially straight and in line with the underside of the conductor or trolley
wire a³.
In accordance with this invention the upright walls a¹ a³ are projected or
extended beyond the outer end of the bottom of the guideway or groove in which
the trolley wire a³ is laid, and the projecting ends marked 2 extend upward
above the level of the trolley wire and form a projecting nose, which is pro-
vided with side flanges a downwardly and rearwardly curved from the end of
the nose to a point substantially in a vertical line with the outer end of the
bottom of the groove or way in which the trolley wire is laid, the said side flanges
being then carried back substantially to the center portion a.
The projecting

page_text: nose 2 has secured between its side wall, a clamping dog or cam 6 having its
rear end as hereinshown made higher than the height of the nose, so that it may
extend below the nose and bear upon the upper side of the trolley wire a³, and
at the same time enable laterally extended lugs or ears 6' at its upper part, to
extend over the upright side walls of the nose and above lugs or ears 6ª on
said side walls, and to be firmly secured to the lugs 6 by set screws or bolts 6.
The clamping dog b is secured to the side walls of the nose by a screw or bolt ^,
extended through the said walls and through a vertical slot in the clamping
dog (see dotted lines Fig. 2, and full lines Figs. 5 and 6), which slot permits
the dog to move bodily up and down between the side walls of the nose to adapt
itself to trolley wires of different sizes without cramping or binding at the bolt
or screw 3.
By extending the upright walls a¹ a beyond the point at which the trolley
wire enters its guideway, and providing the projecting ends of said walls with
side flanges as shown in Fig. 2, the formation of arcs or sparks between the
trolley wheel and the support, when the trolley wheel both meets and leaves
the support, is avoided; for by reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the flanges
of the trolley wheel will engage the side flanges a 50 on the nose 2, before the
said wheel leaves the trolley wire and engages the guiding ribs an³, thereby
avoiding the trolley wheel jumping as it passes from the wire to the guiding
rib, and as a result the life of the support, the trolley wire and trolley wheel,
will be prolonged.
Furthermore, the construction of clamping dog hereinshown enables the
trolley wire to be firmly clamped to the conductor support, without regard to
the size of the said wire.
The member A' of the cross-over hereinshown carries a trolley wire d and
is also provided with projecting noses 2, and clamping dogs b, and the cross-
over hereinshown is provided with the anti-buckling disk or plate cresting on
shoulders c¹ on the rear ends of the upright side walls a¹ a and fastened by
screws to the center portion of the member A¹.
In Fig. 4, we have shown our invention as applied to a switch B, which is
provided with upright side walls having the projecting noses 2 provided with
the side flanges 50 and with the clamping dogs b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A support for electric conductors of the class described, provided with
upright walls connected at their lower ends to form a groove, channel or way for
the reception of the trolley wire and having projecting ends extended beyond the
outer end of the bottom of said groove or way to form a nose, side flanges
attached to the projecting ends of said upright walls, and a clamping dog secured
between the side walls of said noses to engage the conductor above the outer
end of the bottom of the groove or way, substantially as described.
2. A support for electric conductors of the class described, provided with
upright walls connected at their lower ends to form a groove, channel or way for
the reception of the trolley wire and having laterally extended ears, a clamping
dog secured between the said upright walls and provided with laterally extended
ears, and means to secure the ears on the dog to the ears on the upright walls,
substantially as described.
3. A support for electric conductors of the class described, provided with
upright walls forming a groove or way provided with a downwardly inclined
bottom forming a guiding rib for the trolley wheel in a substantially straight
line with the trolley wire, extensions of the said upright walls projecting above
the trolley wire beyond the outer end of the bottom of said groove and provided
with rearwardly curved or inclined side flanges, and lugs or ears on said upright
walls, a clamping dog secured between the extensions of the upright walls and

page_text: provided with laterally extended lugs or ears projecting above the lugs or ears
on the said upright walls, and means to secure the lugs on the clamping dog to
the lugs on the upright walls, substantially as described.
Datad this 30th day of Avrouet 1800
W. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.