Improvements in Closed Conduits for Electric Railways and Trolleys therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Closed Conduits for Electric Railways and Trolleys
therefor.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the Firm of A. M. & Wm. Clark, of 53,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Chartered Institute
of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me by The Campbell Electric Traction Company (Incorporated), of Towanda,
in the County of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America)
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 improvements in electric railway systems and in the
conduits therefor, and comprises the novel features hereinafter described in the
claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, showing a portion of a conduit with the
trolley in place;
Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections, showing modified forms of construction for
the conduits, the trolley being shown in position in Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the trolley.
This system of operating electric railways, is of that kind using a closed con-
duit, within which is placed a continuous and a sectional conductor, said sectional
conductor not being charged excepting when connected with the continuous con-
ductor by the passage of a trolley through the conduit, said trolley being operated
and controlled by means of a magnet carried by the car. It is obvious that by
this system, the outer or sectional conductor which is engaged by the shoe of the
car, is not charged excepting immediately beneath the car, and the possibility
of accidents by contact with the conductor is thus obviated.
The conduit is of a peculiar construction, and has its walls formed of creosoted
wood or similar material. This makes a conduit which is cheap of construction,
which has a good length of service, and makes a system which is exceedingly safe
in operation. The preferred form of construction for the conduit is shown in
Figure 3. The side walls A are preferably formed of single planks, and the
bottom A¹ of another plank. The top A is formed of short planks which extend
across the width of the conduit, and are provided on their under surfaces with a
groove within which is placed a plate D, said plate being curved so as to fit the
groove in the planks A². These plates and the groove formed therein, form a
guide for the engagement of the main wheels of the trolley. The plates are made
in short sections, and are secured to the top of the conduit so as to have their
ends slightly separated. The electricity will, therefore, not pass from one plate to
the other. The plates are secured by means of screws or other convenient mean,
to the top planks.

page_text: The upper surface of the planks A is grooved. to receive the outer surface con-
luctor, which consists of a series of separated plates I which may be made of
iron, and provided with side wings, as shown, so that it is put in place by being
slipped into the groove. These plates D' are connected with the plates D by means
of bolts or bars D, which are made of good conducting material, and which carry
the current from the lower to the upper plates.
The lower rail C is a continuous conductor, and is secured in the bottom of the
conduit by means of a layer of material C₁, which is of a plastic, hardening nature,
such as cement, said rail being put in place and this material poured on each
side and shaped by a mold so as to form gutters for conveying away any water
which may enter the conduit. The, sides of the rail, Care grooved, so as to form
a strong and firm union with the binding material C¹.
The trolley which is used in this conduit has two sets of wheels e and F, the
wheels e being mounted one at each end of the frame E. and engaging the upper
plates D. These wheels are rounded on their periphery, so as to fit within the
curved groove in the plates D. The frame E is also provided with a brush K,
which consists of a spring bar secured at one end to the frame and rubbing the
under surface of the plates D).
At each end of the frame E is secured a pivoted bar G. These bars are pre-
ferably pivoted upon the same axis as the wheels e; but this latter point is not an
essential one, being merely a matter of convenience. The bars G, at their outer
or free end, cach carry a wheel F, which is adapted to roll upon the lower con-
ductor C and act as current collecting wheels. The frame E has guides I placed
one upon each side, to receive the stems of brushes H, the lower ends of which
engage the hubs of the wheels F. These brushes at their upper ends are provided
with bends h which prevent them from dropping out of the guides, and furnish
a larger surface for the reception of springs J, which serve to hold them down-
ward. This construction permits the trolley to operate in the conduit even if, by
reason of accident or imperfection in construction, the difference between the
upper and lower rails should vary materially. The spring brush K also maintains
a reliable contact with the upper rail, even if the wheels e should be forced down-
ward by coming in contact with a slight inequality in the upper rail.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the top cover of the conduit is composed of a metal
plate which has a T-head d adapted to be engaged by the shoe L of the car.
The ends of these plates are stepped, as shown in Figure 1, and are somewhat
separated. A wooden bar a is inserted between the ends of the rails, closing the
lower part of the opening, the remainder of the space between the two rails being
then filled with cement or similar material, as shown at a in Figure 1.
In Figure 3 a small conduit N is shown alongside the main conduit, and is
adapted to receive a fceder wire.
The magnets upon the car which control the position of the trolley, are shown
at M in Figures 1 and 2, and may be electro-magnets which are energized by the
current as it flows to the motor, by a storage battery or by permanent magnets.
as desired, said magnets operating upon the trolley, the frame of which is composed
of magnetic material, so as to cause it to travel in the conduit as the car passes
in one direction or the other.
This form of construction is exceedingly cheap, and will be found reliable. It
is practically impossible for the trolley wheels e to get out of the groove formed
in the upper plates d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A trolley having wheels supported by pivoted arms and acting as current
collectors, and self-adjusting brushes engaging the wheels.
2. A trolley comprising a frame having a wheel at each end, a current conducting
hrush, two current collecting wheels journaled in arms pivoted at each end of the

page_text: frame, and brushes sliding on the frame and engaging the current collecting
wheels.
3. A conduit containing a continuous conductor, and having a non-conducting
cover grooved in its under side, metal plates in said groove and insulated from each
other, and outside sectional conductors, each electrically connected with one of
said metal plates.
4. A conduit for electric railways having walls of creosoted wood or similar
material, and containing a continuous conductor, a sectional conductor adapted to
be connected by a trolley, and a sectional outside conductor electrically connected
with the inner sectional conductor.
5. The current collecting wheels F when mounted upon arms G pivoted to the
frame of the trolley.
6. The current collecting wheels F when movably connected with the wheeled
trolley frame E, so as to be capable of movement toward or from the conductor C.
7. The current collecting wheels F when movably connected with the trolley
frame E, so as to be capable of movement toward or from the conductor C, in
combination with the movable brushes H engaging the wheels F.
8. The current collecting wheels F when mounted upon arms G pivoted to
the trolley frame E and combined with sliding brushes H engaging said wheels,
and spring J holding said brushes against the wheels.
Dated this 14th day of March 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.