Electrical Tramway and Railway Conductors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left. 8th Aug. 1896-Accepted 26th Sept. 1896
Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left. 8th Aug.. 1896 Accepted 26th Sept. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Electrical Tramway and Railway Conductors.
I, GEORGE HINDE NISBETT, of "Ashfield," Huyton, near Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to copper or equivalent metal electric conductors
used in connection with street, and other tramways or railways, such conductor in
the case of underground work, being carried in an underground conduit, and the
electricity conveyed from the conductor to the car or motor through a running
surface connection as a wheel or slipper, on or connected with such motor or car;
while in the case of overhead work, the conductor is naked and supported overhead,
the electricity being conducted from it by a similar running or sliding connection;
and the invention has more particularly for its object to provide in connection with
such tramways or railways, a conductor which shall be flexible, which shall
withstand a large amount of wear before becoming defective, and which shall have
an approximately smooth exterior for giving a full surface contact. for the running
connection; and which also, in some cases, shall give large contact surface for a
given weight of copper-or equivalent metal-used.
According to this invention, the conductor by which. these characteristics and
desiderata are afforded consists of a single conductor of circular form, having a
smooth or approximately smooth exterior, and made up of a plurality of members
or strands of metal of the form of a sector of a circle, so that a given number of
them, when arranged side by side; form a complete cylinder, these members or
strands being twisted, and arranged with a "pitch," so that, when made up into a
conductor, they will hold together.
A conductor so made is flexible, and is capable of being worn to a very large
degree before any one of the strands or members is worn through; and it has, as
stated, an approximately smooth exterior. Further, in some cases, a space is left
in the centre of the conductor, thereby making it a hollow conductor; in which
case the conductor provides a relatively large contact surface for a given weight
of copper used.
By this special application and use to electrical traction tramways and railways,
of conductors made as described, the objections inherent in ordinary stranded wire
conductors, are entirely obviated; that is to say, while ordinary stranded wire
conductors are liable to become quickly defective on account of their being worn
on one side only, and the wires on that side consequently soon worn through, with
the resultant liability to accident through unravelling of the conductor, and short
circuiting (especially in the case of underground work), by the use of this invention,
these defects and objections are obviated.
Dated this 7th day of November 1895.

page_text: Electrical Tramway and Railway Conductors.
I, GEORGE HINDE NISBETT, of “Ashfield,” Huyton, near Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Electrical Engineer, 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 has reference to copper or equivalent metal electric conductors
used in connection with street, and other tramways or railways, such
conductor in the case of underground work, being carried in an underground
conduit, and the electricity conveyed from the conductor to the car or motor
through a running surface connection as a wheel or slipper, on or connected with
such motor or car; while in the case of overhead work, the conductor is naked
and supported overhead, the electricity being conducted from it by a similar
running or sliding connection; and the invention has more particularly for its
object to provide in connection with such tramways or railways, a conductor which
shall be flexible, which shall withstand a large amount of wear before becoming
defective, and which shall have an approximately smooth exterior for giving a full
surface contact for the running connection; and which also, in some cases, shall
give large contact surface for a given weight of copper-or equivalent metal-
used.
According to this invention, the conductor by which these characteristics and
desiderata are afforded consists of a single conductor of circular form, having a
smooth or approximately smooth exterior, and made up of a plurality of members
or strands of metal of the form of a sector of a circle, so that a given number of
them, when arranged side by side, form a complete cylinder, these members or
strands being twisted, and arranged with a pitch," so that, when made up into a
conductor, they will hold together.
«
A conductor so made is flexible, and is capable of being worn to a very large
degree before any one of the strands or members is worn through, and it has, as stated,
an approximately smooth exterior. Further, in some cases, a space is left in the
centre of the conductor, thereby making it a hollow conductor; in which case the
conductor provides a relatively large contact surface for a given weight of copper
used.
By this special application and use to electrical traction tramways and railways,
of conductors made as described, the objections inherent in ordinary stranded wire
conductors, are entirely obviated; that is to say, while ordinary stranded wire
conductors are liable to become quickly defective on account of their being worn
on one side only, and the wires on that side consequently soon worn through, with
the resultant liability to accident through unravelling of the conductor and short
circuiting (especially in the case of underground work), by the use of this
invention, these defects and objectious are obviated.
A drawing illustrating this electric cable or conductor in two modifications is
hereto annexed.
Figure 1 is a cross section of one of the cables, and Figure 2 a cross section of
the other.
Figure 3 illustrates the appearance of the exterior of the cables.
In these drawings, each wire or member forming the conductor is shewn made of
the form described, i.e. of the form of a sector of a circle, the sectors being all
arranged side by side, and forming together a complete cylinder. The wires or
members as shewn in Figure 3, are given a pitch or twist when made up in the
conductor, so that they will hold together.
The solid cable shewn in Figure 1 has the sectors extending substantially from
the exterior of the cable to a centre or core; thus, as a matter of fact, the

page_text: different wires or members of this electric cable would not become damaged or the
cable be in a defective condition, in the respects referred to above, until it had
become worn practically up to the centre.
The cable shewn in Figure 2 is of different form, that is, it is a hollow conductor
or cable, having a central air space or core a. In this case of course the sectors
extend only from the exterior of the cable to the exterior of the space a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
'
The employment and application as an electrical tramway or railway conductor,
of a cable constructed of wires or members of the form of sectors of a circle, and
having spiral twist or pitch, as herein described and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 5th day of August 1896.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.