IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO VEHICLES, ON TRAM, AND RAILWAYS, AND IN THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wynne of 4 Westminster Chambers in the City of
Westminster Civil Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO VEHICLES, ON TRAM, AND RAILWAYS, AND IN
THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Wynne at the Office
of the Coinmissioners of Patents on the 9th April 1883.
EL
FRANK WYNNE, of 4 Westminster Chambers in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO VEHICLES,
ON TRAM, AND RAILWAYS AND IN THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME,"
My invention relates to improvements in the method of applying electrical
currents generated by any means to the propulsion of vehicles.
In carrying out these improvements I take an insulated conductor or conductors
of electricity, one end of which I connect to one of the poles of a stationary producer
of electricity, and I lay this parallel to, and generally between the rails, on which
runs the vehicle or vehicles, (hereinafter called "tramcar") which is to be
propelled.
Parallel and near to this conductor, I place another conductor, which instead of
being continuous, is made up of separate lengths insulated one from the other, and
except when otherwise specially arranged, insulated from the inain conductor.
These insulated lengths I henceforth call "road bars" and parts of their surfaces
are exposed to the road.
I also provide a small car hereinafter called a "carrier" which is free to move
along the conductor and which, in its motion along it, shall connect electrically the
main conductor consecutively with the road bars one after the other; sometimes
more than one of these road bars may be connected at any time with the conductor,
and I arrange on this carrier a dynamo electric motor or motors, hereinafter called
motor, which is or are driven by the electricity of the conductor.
I can connect each insulated length of rods electrically with another set of metal
bars or bar hereinafter called "rails," laid parallel to the road bars, in which case
the carrier connects the conductor with the road bars through the intervention of
these rails.

page_text: These road bars and rails are so far insulated as at least to prevent large loss of
the comparatively low tension electricity (which I prefer to employ) when such
single bar or bars are connected with the main conductor.
The electrical circuit is chiefly made, by the main conductor, by the "carrier " or
part or parts of it, by one or more of the "rails," where such are used, by one or
more of the "road bars," by one or more sliding or rolling contacts between the
road bars and the tramcar, by an electric or dynamo electric engine carried on the
tramcar which acts as a motor and other suitable parts of the tramcar, such as the
wheels of some or a suitable sliding or rolling contact, and lastly by a return
conductor, such as the tramway rails or a special return wire to the dynamo, or a
suitable earth connection.
I sometimes so connect two motors or sets of motors carried by the carrier, that
they revolve with about equal force in opposite directions when traversed by a
current, and I separate these opposing motors or the contacts which the two motors
or sets of motors severally make with the rails or road bars by about the distance
of a "length" of a bar, and I arrange that when both motors are traversed by a
current the carrier is at rest or nearly so, and its forward and backward motion is
determined by having only one motor or set in the circuit of the current.
I sometimes supplement the electrical current, supplied by the conductor, with
secondary or other suitable batteries carried on the tramcar, and I sometimes
arrange that the connection of these to the tramcar motor shall be made auto-
matically whenever the connection of the tramcar motor with the main conductor
is broken.
I sometimes employ such batteries to excite a magnet or magnets carried on the
tramcar whose magnetic influence may be used to govern parts of the carrier,
where the latter comes into sufficiently close proximity under or near the magnet
or magnets, as to diminish the power of the motor on the carrier when the same is
running forward by putting some of its coils out of circuit, or in other convenient
manner, and vice-vered in case the tramcar should be outrunning the carrier, or by
putting on or taking off a brake conveniently attached to the carrier.
I generally arrange that the same movement which puts on the break on the
tramcar, or which disconnects the motor from the driving wheels of the tramcar,
shall break the electrical circuit, so that the motors both on tramcar and carrier
cease at the same time to be moved by the current, and sometimes by the samo
movement, I make an electrical contact between the main conductor and the
batteries on the tramcar when there are such, so as to charge them.
The rails, and the road bars may sometimes be merged into one and the same
metal bar, the upper surface of such bar being on the road, and the under surface
in the path of the carrier.
The road bars I sometimes arrange in one line, and sometimes in two or more
lines.
The rails similarly I sometimes lay in one line, and sometimes in two or more
lines.
I find it convenient to employ the conductor and rails as rails on which the
carrier travels.
I sometimes divide up my length of tramway line into sections, each section
being provided with its own separate main conductor from a dynamo machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frank Wynne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th October
1883.
"
FRANK WYNNE, of 4 Westminster Chambers, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO VEHICLES,
ON TRAM AND RAILWAYS, AND IN THE APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE SAME,"
My Invention relates to improvements in the method of applying electrical
currents, generated by any suitable means from a Stationary Producer or reservoir
of electricity to the propulsion of Vehicles on Tram and Railways, and in the
apparatus for effecting the same.
The use of Electricity for the propulsion of Tramcars Railway Cars Carriages and
other Vehicles moving on Tram or Railways in connection with a Stationary
Producer or Reservoir of Electricity by the modes at present known or employed
has been found to be attended with difficulties and disadvantages so great as to
exclude such use entirely in certain localities and even in exceptional places, where
electricity can be so used, the loss or leakage due to the Conductor being carried
uncovered on or above the ground is considerable.
Where it has been attempted to run cars or other Vehicles propelled by electricity
on any unfenced Line of Rails or an open Road by the use of a continuous con-
ductor laid on the said Road it has been found (1) that the ordinary Traffic passing
over this uncovered Conductor is seriously interfered with from electrical Shocks,
and (2) there is a heavy loss or leakage of electricity over a length of exposed
Conductor.
Again if in order to avoid these disadvantages the Conductor be raised from
the ground and carried on posts or otherwise parallel to but above the rail or
tramway, there is more or less interruption to the traffic by what is practically a
fence, and there is in both cases a considerable loss of electricity especially in
wet weather or in wet places from a length of exposed conductor besides which
additional space
in the roadway is generally required where the conductor is above
ground for the moving connections between the Car or Vehicle and the Conductor
and for the Conductor itself
The object of my invention is by my improved mode or system of applying
electricity as hereinafter described to overcome or at all events materially diminish
the difficulties and disadvantages above set forth and to enable electricity generated
by a Stationary producer or taken from a reservoir to be used on an open road or
Highway without interfering with the ordinary traffic and without the amount of
loss or leakage of electricity which occurs under the present system, while even if
the rails be fenced on which the Vehicles move the loss or leakage of electricity is
saved or at least greatly diminished by covering over the insulated Conductor
or placing it in a covered way and so protecting it from rain and so improving its
insulation.
My Invention consists in the method or system which I employ to overcome or
diminish the said difficulties.
I supply the electricity from a stationary producer or reservoir to a well
insulated Conductor in a covered way and from this to the Tramcar or other
Vehicle by the use of a small "carrier or moving contact make itself propelled by

page_text: the same or part of the same current as the car in conjunction with non-continuous
metallic bars in such a way that while in the first place the electricity is applied
by means of the small moving carrier or feeder which is a novel and useful part of
my invention; in the next place no part of the metallic connection forming for the
time being part of the electrical circuit between the insulated Conductor and the 5
Tramcar is so exposed on the highway as to be liable to be brought into contact
with the ordinary traffic.
Such part or parts of the metallic connection which are exposed to the Roadway
and for the time being form part of the electrical circuit may be always either
under or in such proximity to the Tram Car so that the Car protects the traffic 1
from contact with the electrical current.
Further by arranging that only a comparatively short length of imperfectly
insulated Conductor should occur in the circuit between the producer of electricity
and the tramcar I not only provide for the protection of the traffic but even
where this is not necessary or desired, as for example in an underground working 1
I avoid or at least diminish the heavy loss or leakages of electricity which occurs
under some of the systems at present known or in use.
I further avoid the necessity for having any mechanical connections fixed as
a whole but movable in themselves, such as elastic rails or springs or other
movable contact pieces exposed to the traffic along the road such as are required in 2
some systems.
The accompanying Drawings will serve to illustrate a convenient mode or modes
of carrying out my invention.
In all the Figures like Letters of reference refer to like parts.
Figure 1, is a cross section of a Tramcar and the improved apparatus-Figure 2:
is a longitudinal Section. Figure 4, is a cross Section of a modification of
apparatus and Figure 4 is a longitudinal Section of the same. Figure 5º. is a cross
Section of another modification of part of apparatus and Figure 5 is a longitudinal
Section of the same.
In all the Figures A is an insulated continuous main conductor or Conductors
of electricity laid in a covered channel connected with any convenient source of
electricity which may extend the full length of the distance over which the Car
or other Vehicle is to be propelled-B, is the carrier, C non-continuous metal bar
or bars, D a metallic conductor electrically connecting C and E-E. non-continuous
metallic conductors, or road bars,-F is a metallic brush or sliding or rolling contact
attached to the Tramcars for electrically connecting the Dynamo electric motor on
the Tramcar with the Bars E. G. are the ordinary tramrails. W is the body of the
Tramcar. Q is a motor on a Tramcar.
In carrying out these improvements I take the insulated conductor or conductors
of electricity A, one end of which I connect to one of the poles of a Stationary
producer or reservoir of electricity and I lay this under cover parallel to and
generally between the rails G, on which the vehicles or vehicle to be propelled
(hereinafter called tramcar) runs, but it may be laid outside the rails G and in
the case of a double line the Conductors may be conveniently laid between the two
lines Parallel and near to this Conductor A, I place another fairly well insulated
conductor E, which instead of being continuous is made up of separate lengths
insulated one from another and except when otherwise specially arranged insulated
from the main conductor A.-These insulated lengths I henceforth call "road bars"
and parts of their surfaces for contact purposes are exposed to the road as shewn
I also provide a small car hereinbefore and after called a "carrier", which is
free to move along the Conductor A and which in its motion along it shall
connect electrically said main conductor A consecutively with the road bars E
one after the other either directly as in Figures 5 and 5ª, or by means of the
rails C and the metallic conductors D; sometimes more than one of these road
bars may be connected at one time with the conductor and I arrange on this
carrier B, a dynamo electric motor or motors hereinafter called "motor" which

page_text: is or are driven by the electricity conveyed by the Conductor A which thus gives
motion to the carrier.
I in some cases connect each insulated length of rods electrically with another set
of metal bars or bar C, hereinafter called "rails" laid parallel to the road bars and
connected electrically with the road bars in which case the carrier connects the
conductor with the road bars through the intervention of those rails.
These road bars and rails are so far insulated as at least to prevent large loss of
the comparatively low tension electricity (which I prefer to employ) when such bar
or bars are connected with the main conductor.
The electrical circuit is made by the main conductor A by the carrier B or part
or parts of it or connected with it thence by one or more of the rails C, where such
are used and their electrical connection D. to the road bars thence by one or more
of the sliding or rolling contacts F between the road bars and the tram car thence
to and through an electric or dynamo electric engine carried on the tram car which
acts as a motor and thence by a conductor to other suitable parts of the tram car
such as the wheels of same or a suitable sliding or rolling contact and lastly by
a return conductor such as the tramway rails or a special return wire or a suitable
earth connection to the stationary dynamo-The above describes the course of the
current where the motor is in circuit but sometimes I short circuit the current so
as to leave out the Motor, and send the current direct or through suitable resistances
from E, to the return wire or rails or earth connection.
In Figure 4 I shew a convenient form of Carrier B, carrying a little motor H
which when it is in the circuit is driven forward in the direction of the arrow
shewn, and to illustrate its action I will suppose that the connection F is on the
road bar E or has just been raised from making contact with E and that the carrier
has just outrun the car, the latter say having been brought to rest.
The little motor as soon as its electrical contact with C has passed S has ceased
to be driven and by friction has been brought to rest. To facilitate its being
brought to rest I sometimes arrange a self acting break on it of which I shew
a convenient form q being the break which is held in contact with the wheel of
the little motor by the spring 7, when H is in the circuit I arrange that a
conveniently electro magnet shall be excited and attract the armature t thus
forcing back the break g from its contact with the wheel.
On restarting the Car the driver moves F into contact with E and sometimes
I arrange on the carrier a rear contact which in this case is a wheel L joining C
and A so that if F has been raised from E to stop the car on making contact
again the car starts to move but the carrier does not start until F has got
on to E
This
I also, when it is desired, connect two motors or sets of motors Figures 2 and 3
H, H' carried by the carrier so that they revolve with about equal force in opposite
directions when traversed by the same or a similar current and I separate these
opposing motors or the electric contacts which these two motors or sets of motora
severally make with the rails or road bars by about the distance of the "length
S S¹ of a bar and I arrange that when both motors are traversed. by a current the
carrier is at rest or nearly so and the forward and backward motion of the carrier
is determined by having only one motor or set in the circuit of the current.
carrier I term a reversible carrier because it can go equally or nearly equally well
either way and I sometimes employ carriers which only move in one direction or
at least move only at the proper speed in one direction and very slowly in the
other. In this case I make the rear motor H' only of such strength that in coming
into circuit it acts as an effective break on the forward motor and after bringing
it to rest cither continues it so or drags it slowly backward-this carrier I term
a "drag carrier."
The electrical current supplied through the conductor may be supplemented or
replaced for short distances by the use of independent secondary or other suitable
batteries carried on the tram car and it may be arranged that the connection of

page_text: these to the tramcar motor shall be made automatically whenever I break the
connection of the tram car motor with the main conductor and I sometimes arrange
that the secondary batteries when such are used shall be charged from the conductor
and arrange that the suitable connection between the secondary batteries and the
conductor and the return wire or an earth connection shall be made when the
motor is put out of circuit.
There are several ways of effecting this, one way which I find convenient is to
insert an electric magnet by a shunt circuit at some convenient point as shewn in
Figure 6 where h, h is the conductor leading from the contact with the road bar
to the motor between h, h is a breach in this circuit which is bridged by a contact
maker g, which is held in position by an electro magnet j, which is excited by a
shunt k, k, when there is a current from the main conductor through the motor.
On this ceasing the spring withdraws the contact maker g, and may at the
same time by bringing A in contact with m one of the terminals of the secondary
battery (the other terininal being duly in connection with the rails or another
suitable part), put the motor of the tramcar into the circuit of the secondary
battery.
I generally arrange that the same movement which puts on the break on the
tram car or which mechanically disconnects the motor from the driving wheels
of the tram car shall break the electric circuit through the motors on tramcar so
that the motor shall cease at the same time to be driven by the current and
sometimes by the same movement I make suitable electrical contacts between the
main electrical circuit and the secondary batteries on the tram car when there are
such so as to charge them.
The rails and the road bars may sometimes be merged into one and the same
metal bar as shewn in Figures 5 and 5ª the upper surface of such bar being on the
road and the under surface being exposed to a contact maker or contact makers
on the carrier.
The connection of the road bars with the return conductor whether through the
motor or otherwise may be so arranged as to be never entirely broken even when
for example the tramcar is running down hill.
When the current does not pass through the motor it may be "short circuited
and be made to be short circuited through suitable electrical resistances.
»
The road bars I sometimes arrange in one line sometimes in two or more lines-
The rails similarly I sometimes lay in one line sometimes in two or more lines.
One set of the ordinary train rails may be used as road bars if they and the axles
or other suitable part of the car is properly provided with the means of insulating
it as would be obviously necessary but I generally find it more convenient and
economical to have separate road bars. I sometimes divide up my length of
tramway line into sections each section being provided with its own separate
main conductor from a dynamo machine shewn in Figure 7 where a, a, a³, a³,
a. a represent respectively three separate lengths of conductor connected to the
dynamo at a central Station a, a, directly and a¹, a¹. and a². a² by their respective
conductors. p. p².
It is not always necessary to have the road bars in equal-discontinuous lengths
but when using the reversible carrier or the drag carrier the length of a road bar
must not materially exceed the distance between the contacts from the carrier to
the road bars or rails.
I do not always lay my insulated conductor in a covered way under ground
but sometimes I find it convenient to lay it in a covered way above the surface
of the ground and it may be left uncovered where convenient for any purpose.
Having thus described my invention and the manner of performing the same
I would have it understood that I claim I. The mode of applying electricity
from a stationary producer of electricity or reservoir to the propulsion of
Tramcars Railway Cars or Carriages or other Vehicles on rails or tramways by 6

page_text: means of a carrier or contact maker such as is herein referred to substantially as
described.
II. The use of a moveable carrier or contact maker constructed and acting
substantially as herein referred to and employed in combination with discontinuous
bars in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Frank Wynne have hereunto set my hand and
seal this sixth day of October A.D. 1883.