Improvements relating to Permanent Way, Electric Conduits, and Conductors of Electric Tramways.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1396-Accepted, 18th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Permanent Way, Electric Conduits, and
Conductors of Electric Tramways.
We, JOHN THOMAS WOOD, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
and JOHN ALEXANDER BRODIE, Associate Member of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, both of 3 Cook Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our present invention relates to tramways on which the cars are electrically
propelled from au underground conductor or conductors placed within a conduit,
and has special reference to the arrangement of the permanent way and the
conductor, the conduit and the means of giving access to the latter; the objects
being to provide an arrangement in which the conductor and insulators shall be
well protected from dirt and water and shall be readily accessible for inspection,
cleaning, repair etc., without disturbance of the roadway. Incidentally, our
improved construction provides great facility for the carrying of electric conductors,
pneumatic or other tubes and the like, for general purposes.
The broad features of our improved construction are as follows;-
We prefer generally to use a single conductor for each track, and to make use
of the tram rails for the return of the current; we carry this conductor in a
conduit under one of the rails, which is made as
adjacent to the conduit, a subway sufficiently large to allow a man to pass freely
slot-rail, and we provide,
through it, man-holes being provided at suitable intervals. The conduit is open
laterally to this subway so as to be readily accessible therefrom throughout its
length, and sufficient room is left in the subway to provide for carrying electric
conductors, tubes and the like, which may be used for general purposes with the
advantage of perfect accessibility.
For a double track, considerable economy may be effected, as a single subway
only is required, placed between the two tracks, with the conduits one at each side
under the inner or adjacent rails of the two tracks.
In addition to the advantages stated, the subway, which is connected to the
ordinary town drainage system by non-return valves, is further of great advantage
in providing for the efficient drainage of the conduits even under heavy rain-
storms, when the ordinary drainage system is apt to become gorged, as the large
volume of the subway provides a reservoir at a lower level than the conduits in
which the storm water may accumulate, without reaching the conductor, until it
can be carried away.
The slot-rail is made in two parts placed side by side with a space between
hem sufficient for the passage of the stem of the electrical collector which passes
down into the conduit. The slot rail is secured to the tops of a series of transverse
rames or yokes which circumscribe the conduit, and are carried on the top of the
ide wall of the subway.
The yokes are preferably of cast iron, of flanged or girder cross-section, and
re placed sufficiently close to efficiently support the slot rail; they are, of
ourse, slotted conformably with the slot rail, and are braced across to the
pposite yokes where there are two conduits, or otherwise to the opposite wall of
e subway.
The conduit is completed on the side remote from the subway by brickwork or
nerete, but on the remaining side the conduit is open to the subway; the bottom
the conduit is made with a sharp slope towards the subway, so as to drain

page_text: towards the latter. In order to keep the subway as dry as possible, a trough or
gutter for each conduit is provided on the side wall of the subway to collect and
carry off the drainage from the conduit.
The conductor is supported on insulators carried on longitudinal wooden bars
which may be made in short lengths supported between the flanges of the yokes.
Our arrangement permits of the use of a plain flat-toppel rail as a conductor, a
form which has the advantage of simplicity and has been fund to give excellent
results on electric railways, and it is placed clear of the vertical line through the
slot so as to avoid dirt or water which may drop through the latter.
cases, instead of using the tram rails for the return of the current, we may fit a
second conductor in the conduit for this purpose, the collector being of course
modified in accordance.
In some
The subway is made with side walls adaptel to carry the yokes and with a
concrete invert. The crown is preferably made of concrete blocks braced with
iron and resting at each corner on the conduit yokes; by the use of these blocks,
the subway can be very expeditiously closed in and the paving proceeded with
at once.
When conductors or tubes for general purposes are carried in the subway, they
are preferably carried as high as possible, so as to keep them clear of dirt and
water.
Dated this 17th day of September 1895.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Permanent Way, Electric Conduits, and
Conductors of Electric Tramways.
We, JOHN THOMAS WOOD, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
and JOHN ALEXANDER BRODIE, Associate Member of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, both of 3 Cook Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, 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:-
Our present invention relates to tramways on which the cars are electrically
propelled from an underground conducter or conductors placed within a conduit,
and has special reference to the arrangement of the permanent way and the
conductor, the conduit and the means of giving access to the latter; the objects
being to provide an arrangement in which the conductor and insulators shall be
well protected from dirt and water and shall be readily accessible for inspection,
cleaning, repair etc., without disturbance of the roadway. Incidentally, our
improved construction provides great facility for the carrying of electric
conductors, pneumatic or other tubes and the like, for general purposes.
The broad features of our improved construction are as follows;
We e prefer generally to use a single conductor for each track, and to make use
of the tram rails for the return of the current; we carry this conductor in a
conduit under ne of the rails, which is made as a slot-rail, and we provide,
adjacent to the conduit and laterally to the track, a subway sufficiently large to
allow a man to pass freely through it. The conduit is open laterally to this
subway so as to be readily accessible therefrom throughout its length, and sufficient
room is left in the subway to provide for carrying electric conductors, tubes and
the like, which may be used for general purposes with the advantage of perfect
accessibility.

page_text: For a double track, considerable economy may be effected, as a single subway
only is required, placed between the two tracks, with the conduits one at each side
under the inner or adjacent rails of the two tracks.
In addition to the advantages stated, the subway, which is connected to the
ordinary town drainage systein by non-return valves, is further of great advantage
in providing for the efficient drainage of the conduits even under heavy rain-
storms, when the ordinary drainage system is apt to become gorged, as the large
volume of the subway provides a reservoir at a lower level than the conduits in
which the storm water may accumulate without reaching the conductor until it
can be carried away.
In the accompanying drawing, which is a transverse sectional elevation, our
invention is shown applied to a double track tramway, 1, 1, being the outer,
and 2, 2, the inner or near rails of the respective tracks; in order to more clearly
show the construction, which is symmetrical with respect to the subway, the plane
of section is, in the case of the right-hand conduit, taken immediately in front of
the yoke, and in the case of the left hand conduit, it is taken some distance in
front of the yoke. The outer rails 1, may be of any of the patterns, and fixed
in any of the ways at present known so far as they may be suitable to the present
arrangement; the inner rails 2 are, as shown, slot rails, each made in two parts
placed side by side, with a space between them sufficient for the passage of the
stems of the electrical collectors which extend down into the conduits 3.
slot rails 2 are secured by bolts or otherwise to the tops of a series of transverse
frames or yokes 4, which circumscribe the conduits 3, and are carried by the side
walls 5 of the subway 6. The yokes are preferably of cast iron, of the ordinary
flanged or girder cross-section, and are pitched sufficiently close to efficiently
support the slot rails; they are, of course, slotted conformably with the slot
rail, and opposite yokes are braced together by the girders 4' which may either
be attached to the yokes or, preferably, cast integral with them, so that opposite
yokes 4, 4, and the connecting girder 4' form a single casting.
The
The slot rails are shown as secured between horns on the tops of the yokes,
these giving a very efficient lateral as well as vertical support to the rail; the
lower flanges of the slot rails are sufficiently narrow to allow the rails to be
dropped in from above. Instead of these horns, loose angle pieces may be used,
secured to the rails and the tops of the yokes, or the rails may have broader lower
flanges, secured to the flat tops of the yokes.
The conduits are completed on the sides remote from the subway by brick work
or concrete, but on the remaining sides the conduits are open to the subway; the
bottoms 7 of the conduits are made with a sharp slope towards the subway, so as
to drain towards the latter.
In order to keep the subway as dry as possible, troughs or gutters 8 are
provided to collect and carry off the drainage from the conduits.
The conductors 9 are supported on insulators 10, carried on the longitudinal
wooden hearers 11, which may be made in short lengths and firmly jammed
between the flanges of the yokes; these bearers may be introduced by angling
them a little and they may then be driven into position, parallel to the axis of the
conduit.
Our arrangement permits of the use for the conductors of plain flat-topped rails
made in suitable lengths, preferably, as shown, of inverted channel section, a form
which has the advantage of simplicity and has been found to give excellent results
on electric railways, and the conductors are placed clear of the vertical line through
the slot, so as to avoid dirt or water which may drop through the latter.
In some cases, instead of using the tram rails for the return of the current, we
may fit a positive and a negative conductor in each conduit; these would be
placed symmetrically with respect to the slot, and the stems of the collectors
would of course be cranked in opposite directions so as to reach their respective
conductors.
In order to provide for the removal of the conductors from the conduits without

page_text: disturbing the track, some of the yokes may be in ide with a gap on the side next
the subway, adapted to be firmly made-up with a detachable piece; these will
not be required, however, if the lengths of the conductor are short enough;
compared with the space within the yokes and the pitch of the latter, to permit
the lengths of the conductor to be removed by angling them a little.
The subway is shown with side walls of brick and a concrete invert, but it may
be made entirely of any convenient material such as brick work or concrete, an
of any preferred cross-section. The crown of the subway is preferably made of
concrete blocks 12, braced with iron if required, and resting on the yokes 4 and
the cross girders 41; by the use of these blocks, the subway can be very expedi-
tiously closed in and the paving proceeded with at once. Man-holes are, of
course, provided at intervals to give access to the subway.
When feeders for the conductors, and other conductors or tubes for general
purposes are carried in the subway, they are preferably carried as high as possible,
so as to keep them clear of dirt and water.
In some cases, we may dispense with the yokes 4; the cross girders 4¹ and the
wooden bearers 11 being carried directly by the side walls of the subway, or by
cantilevers projecting therefrom.
In the case of a single track tramway, a conduit is made at one sile only of
the subway, and the opposite ends of the cross girders 4' rest on the wall of the
subway.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. The hereindescribed improvement in electric tramways, which consists in
locating the electric conductor or conductors in a slotted conduit placed under a
slot-rail of the track and which is open throughout its length to an adjacent
subway, situated laterally to the track, so as to give access to the conduit and
provide for the drainage thereof; substantially as set forth.
2. The hereindescribed improvement in electric tramways, which consists in
locating the electric conductors in a pair of slotted conduits placed under slot-
rails of the trucks and arranged on opposite sides of a common subway, and which
are open throughout their length to the said subway, so as to give access to the
said conduits and provide for the drainage thereof; substantially as set forth.
3. In electric tramways a subway arranged laterally to the track, and provide!
with man-holes and connected to the town drainage system by non-return valves,
and one or more slotted conduits placed under slot-rails of the track, and containing
the electric conductor or conductors, the said conduit or conduits being open
laterally to the said subway and arranged to drain into the latter; substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In electric tramways, and in combination with a subway 6, the yokes 4
adapted to support the slot-rails and the electric conductors, and the cross girders 4¹
adapted to brace the yokes together and to carry the crown of the subway;
substantially as described and illustrated.
5. The general arrangement and combination of the permanent way, conduits,
conductors and subway; substantially as described and illustrated with reference
to the drawing.
Dated this 17th day of June 1806
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.