Improvements in Conduit Electric Railways.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Conduit Electric Railways.
A communication from abroad by ERNEST M. REED, of Wichita, in the State of
Kansas, United States of America.
I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
By this invention conduit yokes are provided having depending prominences
adjacent to the inner portion of the surface slot of concaved plates, which are
secured to said yoke prominences and arranged to form the side walls of the surface
slot, and as a means for supporting the concrete filling between the yoke frames
along the slot sides within the side arches of the conduit. The depending promi-
nences aforesaid are arranged at suitable intervals apart and the concave plates
are secured to the opposite facing sides of the said prominences and the concrete walls
between the yoke prominences wherein a continuous unbroken arch is formed at
each side of the surface slot.
A
Suitable conduit track rails and surface track rails are employed, together with
an electric motor car and circuit lines suspended by means of non-conducting
hangers within the conduit. A carriage is mounted and adapted to travel on the
conduit track rails and trolleys are supported by the carriage through the medium
of insulated stands and arms in contact with their respective circuit lines.
column is hinged to and supported by the carriage and is arranged to extend
upwards through the conduit surface slot. A motor car is adapted to turn down
over and enclose the upper end of the said column, the binding posts of the trolley
stands, the circuit connecting wire protector of the column and the circuit con-
İnterposed
necting wires. The carriage is provided with longitudinal beams.
non-conducting plates and bushings are used for insulating the trolley stands from
the carriage and a turn-buckle for adjusting the trolleys. The stands of the carriage
are provided with arms. The circuit conductor wire protector is arranged in a
recess of the column which is hinged to a longitudinal beam of the carriage.
The conduit as stated above is provided with a carriage track and a central
conduit surface slot and a surface car track. The electric motor car is mounted on
the surface of the track and a positive and negative circuit line suspended by means of
non-conducting hangers in the conduit. The carriage aforesaid is mounted on the
track in the conduit and is provided with trolleys arranged in the conduit with the
respective circuit lines supported by means of the stands and arms and insulated
from the carriage by means of the interposed non-conducting plates. The central
mounted column aforesaid extends upwards through the conduit surface slot and its
positive and negative circuit conducting wire is arranged to conduct the electric
current from the trolley mechanism in contact with the positive circuit line to the
motor car on the surface track and similarly to return the current to the negative
circuit line. A hinged socket connects the conduit carriage with the surface motor
car. It will be understood that the carriage is arranged to travel on the conduit
track that the trolleys are arranged in contact with each circuit line and are
supported by and insulated from the carriage and that the electric motor car is
provided with a hinged socket arranged to enclose the upper end. of the column
and circuit conducting wires connect the respective trolleys with their respective
poles of the motor car.
The stands are provided with a binding post and insulated from the carriage

page_text: by interposed non-conducting plates and bushings. The hinged column has a
vertical chamber and chamber protector. A suitable turn-buckle mechanism is
connected with the arms aforesaid through the medium of non-conducting pivotal
sections. The yoke frames are provided with socket chambers and detachable
brackets are adapted to support the conduit track rails.
Dated this 26th day of February 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
P
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in Conduit. Electric Railways.
A communication by ERNEST MCLARE REED, of Wichita, in the County of
Sedgwick and State of Kansas, United States of America, Electrical Engineer..
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS. THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn in the County
of Middlesex, Civil 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 relates to certain improvements in that class of electric railways
wherein the circuit lines are arranged in a conduit beneath the street surface suspended
by means of non-conducting hangers from respective sides of a double arched conduit,.
and the motor of a car mounted on the surface track is connected with said circuit
lines through the medium of a trolley carriage mounted on a track in the conduit,
which carriage is provided with a hinged column extending through the conduit
'surface slot and connected with the motor car, and by means of which the trolley
carriage is.advanced; and it consists of the particular construction and arrange-
ment of parts which improvements are fully set forth and explained in the following
Specification and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in
which,
.
Figure 1 is a perspective view representing the invention as the several parts
would appear in service.
Figure 2 a vertical cross sectional view of the conduit, of the surface and conduit
"tracks, and of the circuit lines, a side plan of a conduit yoke, an end plan or
elevation of the conduit carriage and its attached parts, and'a section of a motor
car mounted on the surface track.
Figure 3 a side plan view of one of the line insulator hangers.
Figure 4 a detailed portion of a conduit yoke, showing in section its bracket
socket.
Figure 5 a perspective view of a bracket, such as are employed to support the
conduit track.
Figure 6 a detailed perspective view of one half portion of a conduit yoke.
Figure 7 a side plan of a section of one' circuit line and a portion of a hanger
thereof.
Figure 8 a side plan of the trolley carriage mounted on its track.
Figure 9 a detailed side elevation of the hinged column of the trolley carriage
for communicating through the conduit surface slot with the motor car above and a
side plan of its pivoted socket for connecting it with the motor car:
Figure 10 a detailed perspective view of the chambered circuit wire protector- of
said column.
Figure 11 a detailed plan view of one of the trolley stands.
Figure 12 a perspective view of a portion of the concave plates for lining the
'conduit surface slot.
Figure 13 a detailed view showing the upper end portion of the said hinged
column and a section of its connecting socket.

page_text: Figure 14 a detailed plan view of the hinge base of said column.
Figure 15 a vertical cross sectional view of the conduit through its concrete walls,
for the purpose of showing the surface above the surface track and slot, and the
relative position of the yokes thereof, and
Figure 16 a detailed view showing a side plan of the trolley arms and their con-
necting turn buckle and a section of their stand.
Referring to the drawings, D represents the conduit yokes which form the frame
work for supporting the stationary parts of this invention, and M the concrete walls
of the conduit, which is of the same interior form as the yokes, both of which are
formed with a double arched interior and arranged immediately below the street
surface and the surface track T T, as shown. The upper side portions of the yokes
are provided with seats e, upon which the rails T rest and are secured, and with the
centre seats e one adjacent either side of the surface slot, and upon which are
secured the bars L in a manner parallel with each other, and thus form the entrance
to the surface slot, (sec Figure 15).
D' are prominences of the yokes D at the inner terminal of the slot, and that
portion of the yokes at each side facing the slot between said prominences and
seats e' is concave, and each such yoke face is provided. with a face slot leading
back into a chamber t¹ in the yoke casting beneath seat e¹.
represents concave sheet metal plates provided with the tongues t, cut from
their body metal (see Figure 12) which are arranged oppositely facing each other
as a wall or lining for the surface slot immediately below the bars L, held in
position by means of their tongues t, entered into the chambers t' of the yokes, (sec
Figures 2 and 6) and by reason of their concave form a chamber oval in cross
section is formed the length of the conduit, as shown at c. These concave plates F
also serve as a means of support for the concrete filling between the yoke frames D
along the slot sides within the side arches of the conduit. The concrete walls of
the conduit are likewise formed with prominences corresponding with those of the
yokes shown at D? which prominences are for the purpose of extending below the
upper interior sides of the conduit, and thus form an arch at either side.
W and W respectively represent the positive and negative circuit lines longi-
tudinally arranged in the conduit, one at either side, suspended from their
respective arch by means of the non-conductor hangers I, which are secured to the
centre part of the yoke arches by means of the screw threaded couplers and
provided at their lower end with the ball 1 (see Figure 3) and a jointed socket
piece g g held connected with the ball by means of a screw as shown. The
lower end of the socket piece terminates with the eye g³, clasping a hollow shank g
which shank extends a short distance in either direction, and the circuit lines
consist of sections of tubing corresponding in length to the distance between the
hangers and are sleeved at each end upon the said shanks g', and thus by making
the said lines in sections connected as described they are adapted to expand and
contract lengthwise and not strain or buckle and by being tubular they are adapted
to conduct a current of warm dry air through them to keep them dry, which air
may be forced in them at their ends or at stations along their length.
Krepresents sockets formed in the yoke castings near their base, at the sides for
the reception of brackets, and D' represents such brackets which are for the
purpose of a support for the conduit track rails R R, and to which said rails are
secured, which brackets are detachable for the purpose of adapting them to be
replaced by others should they be broken.
E represents a carriage, consisting of a suitable frame mounted
on four
wheels, which are adapted to travel upon the track rails R R in the conduit, and is
provided with the two, side beams JJ and the centre beam G, which beams are
parallel with each other, and with the tracks and circuit lines. The said side
beams are respectively arranged to support the trolleys d d and d d in contact
with their respective circuit lines through the medium of the arms V V and the
stands oo which stands are secured to the side beams by means of the lag screws
or bolts (see Figures 2 and 16) and insulated from the said side beams by

page_text: .
means of the interposed non-conducting plates o' and non-conducting bushings
Fig. 16.
The trolley arms V V are made yielding and provided, respectively, with a
pivoted screw rod V" (see Figure 16) which are connected by means of the turn
buckles V which are for the purpose of adjusting the height of the trolleys by
either drawing together or forcing apart the said trolley arms.
V represents binding posts secured to the stands o o from which the electric
current is taken when it has passed through the trolleys the trolley arms and their
stand. The purpose of the double trolleys is to make two points of contact with
each circuit line in order shat should one trolley be disconnected from the circuit,
as when passing the non-conductor of a switch or crossing or by other reasons, the
fellow trolley will at such times be connected and the circuit not broken.
C represents the hinged column of the carriage E secured to the carriage
beam G at its base by means of the base plate c² and hinge H in such manner that
the column will extend up through the conduit surface slot and adapted to tilt
sidewise slightly by turning on its hinge.
B represents an ordinary electric motor car truck mounted on the surface track T
above the trolley carriage E. S is a hinged socket arranged to turn down over the
upper end of the column C (see Figures 1 and 9) for the purpose of connecting the
trolley carriage with the motor truck B, so the trolley carriage will be advanced
on its track when the motor truck advances, and as a means of raising or lowering
said socket it is provided with a toothed segment S' secured to the axle B', (Fig. 2
and 9) and a corresponding segment S pivoted to bottom of car body is arranged
in mesh with segment S¹, when by operating the lever m the action of the segments
will turn the socket to disconnect or connect the column. The hand lever mis
operated through a door in the car floor. The interior of the socket is provided
with a spring S³ (see Figure 13) which acts as a cushion to yieldingly support the
socket or to yield should the column be forced deeper into the socket by reason of
inclinations of the track bed or the like, also, the socket is of a sufficient depth to
permit a limited vertical play of the column therein, so as not to become disengaged
should the motor car truck pass over an obstruction.
*
a represents the circuit line protector of column C and is provided with the two
longitudinal chambers or holes a" all and with, the end cavities yy and y' y' (see
Figure 10) which protector is arranged in a vertical recess of the column C and
held therein by means of the cross plates. (See Figure 9.)
Z. and Z respectively represent the positive and negative circuit connecting
wires connected with their respective binding posts V2 of carriage E at their lower
end, from thence leading to and up through their respective chambers or
holes aa of the protector a, and from thence respectively to the positive and
negative poles of the electric motor of car B (not necessary to be more fully shown
than illustrated in Figure 1) which wires are insulated and for the purpose of
conducting the electric current from the positive circuit line W through the trolley
mechanism and the motor of the car or truck B and return by a like passage to the
negative circuit line W, thus connecting, the circuit and conducting the same
through the said motor for the purpose of operating the same to give motion to the
truck B in the usual manner.
In service, the carriage E is arranged on the track R R, as shown in Figures 1
and 2, with the trolleys in contact with their respective circuit lines, and the
column C arranged extending up through the surface slot under the motor truck B
and connected with the socket S, as shown in said figures, when the wires Z Z are
connected with the motor mechanism, and the circuit may be connected or dis-
connected at the motor to give motion to or stop the truck in the usual manner
which is not necessary to be herein described, as that forms no part of this
invention, it only being necessary in the complete operation in electric railways.
The result attained by the use of the oval shaped slot chamber and the
prom nences of the yokes and conduit concrete walls at the inner terminal of the
surface slot is that all water entering at the slot will be conducted to and

page_text: discharged at said prominences below the point of securing the circuit line hangers
at either side in the conduit, thus ensuring the discharge of such water at the centre
between the circuit lines and carriage track and thoroughly preventing it from
moistening the circuit line hangers or the said lines; also, should it occur that
sticks, bars, or the like should at times fall into or otherwise enter the conduit
through the surface slot they will positively be guided to the centre and fall
between the circuit lines and carriage tracks and not obstruct the conduit or
interfere with the circuit lines, for the reason that should they enter in a vertical
position the entrance and inner terminal of the slot will guide them directly
downward, and should they fall or enter in a horizontal or angling position their
engagement with the concave walls of the chamber e¹ will bring them to a parallel
position with the inner slot terminal and thus cause them to fall centrally, and
thus such form of surface slot with its inner prominences serves as a protector
for the circuit lines and carriage track in the conduit against moisture and
obstructions.
The purpose of the protector a is to protect the circuit connecting wires Z Z
where they pass up through the conduit surface slot, so that they will not
become worn.
The purpose of the ball-and-socket joint of the hangers I is to permit a limited
side sway
of the circuit lines WW1 so the lines will better accommodate themselves
to the trolleys.
As a means to prevent one from receiving an electric shock when adjusting the
turn buckle of the trolley arms the pivotal pieces VI of the screw rods V thereof
(see Figure 16) are made of non-conducting material, thus insulating the turn buckle.
The purpose of making the conduit track rail brackets detachable is, in addition:
to adapting them to be replaced by others, to adapt them to be removed until after-
the conduit concrete walls are made, thus leaving the interior free from obstructions.
which would prevent the sliding along of the form used when constructing the
conduit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is-
1. In a conduit electric railway, the combination with the conduit yokes provided.
with the depending prominences D', adjacent the inner portion of the surface slot,.
of the concaved plates F, secured to said yoke prominences and arranged to form
the side walls of the surface slot, and as a means for supporting the concrete filling
between the yoke frames along the slot sides within the side arches of the conduit
substantially as set forth.
2. In a conduit electric railway, the conduit comprising the yoke frames provided
with, depending prominences adjacent the surface slot and arranged at suitable
regular intervals apart, the concave plates respectively secured to the opposite:
facing sides of the said prominences, and the concrete walls between the yoke
frames, wherein a continuous unbroken arch is formed at each side of the surface
slot, substantially as described and shown.
3. In a conduit electric railway provided with the conduit track rails R R and
the surface slot and surface track rails T T, the combination, with an electric
motor car and the circuit lines W W suspended by means of the non-conducting
hangers within the conduit, of the carriage E, mounted and adapted to travel on
the conduit track-rails, of the trolleys d d and d¹¹, supported by the carriage
through the medium of the insulated stands oo and the arms V in contact with
their respective circuit lines, the column C hinged to and supported by the
carriage and arranged extending upward through the conduit surface slot, the
hinged socket S adapted to turn down over and inclose the upper end of the column,.
the binding posts of the trolley stands, the circuit connecting wire protector a
of the column; and the circuit connecting wires Z Z' substantially as and for the
purpose specified...

page_text: 4. The combination, with the carriage E provided with the longitudinal
beams JJ, of the stands o, provided with the trolley arms V and the trolleys and
with the binding posts V2, and secured to said beams by means of screws or bolts,
the interposed non-conducting plates o¹ and bushings Q, for insulating the trolley
stands from the carriage, and the turn buckle for adjusting the trolleys, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. The combination, with the carriage E, provided with the longitudinal beam G
of the column C hinged to said beam, the hinged socket S of the motor-car, and
the circuit conductor wire protectora arranged in a recess of the column, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a conduit electric railway provided with a carriage track in the conduit,
a central conduit surface slot, and a surface car track, the combination, with an
electric motor car mounted on the surface track and a positive and negative circuit
line suspended by means of non-conducting hangers in the conduit, of a carriage
mounted on the track in the conduit, provided with trolleys arranged in contact
with the respective circuit lines, supported by means of stands and arms and
insulated from the carriage by means of interposed non-conducting plates, and with
a central hinged column extending upward through the conduit surface slot, and
with a positive and a negative circuit conducting wire arranged to conduct the
electric current from the trolley mechanism in contact with positive circuit line to
the motor car on the surface track and similarly return the current to the negative
circuit line, and the hinged socket for connecting the conduit carriage with the
surface motor car, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. In the electric railway described, the combination, with the conduit carriage E
and the motor truck B of the column C hinged to the carriage at its lower end and
connected through the medium of the hinged socket S with the motor truck,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
8. In the electric railway described, the hinged column C for connecting the
conduit carriage with the surface motor truck and provided with the vertical
recess, and chambered protector a for guiding and protecting the circuit connecting
wires, substantially as set forth.
9. A conduit electric railway provided with a carriage track and a positive and
a negative circuit line in the conduit, a carriage arranged to travel on the conduit
track, a pair of trolleys arranged in contact with each said circuit line, supported
by and insulated from the carriage, a column hinged to and supported by the
carriage and arranged extending upward through the conduit surface slot, an
electric motor car provided with a hinged socket arranged to enclose the upper end
of the column, and with circuit-conducting wires connecting the respective trolleys
with their respective poles of the motor car, substantially as set forth.
10. In the electric railway described, the combination with the conduit carriage E
provided with the longitudinal beams J J and G, of the stands o, provided with
the arms and the trolleys and with the binding post V, the interposed non-
conducting plates o¹ and bushings Q, for insulating the stands from the carriage,
and the hinged column C provided with the vertical chamber and chambered
protector a, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
11. The combination with the trolley stands and the arms V thereof, of the
turn buckle mechanism VV connected with said arms through the medium of
the non-conducting pivotal sections V substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
12. The combination, with the yoke frames D, provided with the socket
chambers K, of the detachable brackets D' for supporting the conduit track rails,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 24th day of November 1891
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.