Improvements in or Applicable to Electric Tramways or Railways.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to Electric Tramways or
Railways.
I MAGNUS VOLK of Ditchling Rise Telegraph Manufactory, Brighton in the
County of Sussex, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS OR
RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in constructing the channel or tube for
containing the conductor or conductors used for electric tramways or railways and
in insulating the said conductor or conductors.
In carrying out my improvements I provide a channel or tube of suitable
material such as wrought iron or steel and of rectangular or other suitable section ;
the channel or tube is constructed in suitable lengths and has a continuous slot on
the upper surface. The lengths to form the channel or tube are connected together
on the one side by a flat plate or similar means (in cases where only one insulated
conductor is used) and on the other side by a flanged iron box, provided with a
moveable cover, the adjacent ends of the channel or tube having an opening com-
municating with the said flanged iron box. Where two insulated conductors are
used a flanged box must be placed on each side of the channel.
In each flanged box insulators are placed of the kind used for ordinary overhead
telegraph lines that description being preferred which contain an insulating fluid,
thus preventing the creeping over the surface of a film of damp and dirt which
would cause loss of current from leakage.
The insulators are so placed in the box as to admit of ready removal for
examination or cleansing.
The conductor rail is made in similar lengths (of any convenient section) to those
used for the channel and the adjacent ends are bolted to a forked bracket (to allow
of expansion and contraction) which bracket (without touching the channel or
tube) projects into the flanged box and is supported by the insulators before
named in such a manner that the insulators are subjected to no other strain than
that of compression.
This method of insulating the conductors is also claimed as being applicable for
conductors used overground as well as those placed in an underground channel.
Among the advantages resulting from my improvements may be mentioned
the following videlicet;—that in laying the channel no disturbance of the road is

page_text: required beyond removing the ordinary granite pitching so that there need be no
interference with the tramway rail ties or gas and water pipes; that the channel
can be supplied in lengths ready to place in position; that it can be thoroughly
flushed, the water being carried off by means of drains placed at suitable distances
apart; that the entry of mud, dust and water through the continuous slot in the
channel or tube will not affect the insulation; that the channel may be flushed
thoroughly to remove dirt &, without affecting the insulation; that the insulators
are placed in such a position as not to be liable to damage by the travelling
collector or other causes; that the insulators are accessible for cleaning & and can
be removed without interference with the traffic; that the method of construction
admits of the use of insulators such as are used for overhead telegraph wires,
thereby enabling a much higher degree of insulation to be maintained, than is
possible by the use of insulating blocks or washers hitherto used for this purpose
and on which the accumulation of mud and water rendered them useless for the
required purpose,

page_text: Railways.
:
I MAGNUS VOLK of Ditchling Rise Telegraph Manufactory, Brighton, in the
county of Sussex, 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 relates to improvements in constructing the channel or tube for
containing the conductor or conductors used for electric tramways or railways and
in insulating the said conductor or conductors.
:
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents a plan of
the adjacent ends of two lengths of a channel or tube constructed according to my
invention for containing a conductor used for electric tramways or railways;
figure 2 is a vertical transverse section on line A, B of figure 1 illustrating the
method of insulating the said conductor; figure 3 is a vertical section on line C, D
of figure 1. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
In carrying out my improvements I provide a channel or tube T of suitable
material such as wrought iron or steel and of suitable section such as that shewn
in figure 2; the channel or tube T is constructed in suitable lengths and has a
continuous slot t, in its upper surface. The lengths to form the channel or tube
are connected together on the one side by a flat plate P and bolts P¹, as shewn in
figure 1 or by similar means and on the other side by a flanged iron box B
provided with a moveable cover the flanges b and b¹ being bolted at P, to the
channel or tube T in a similar manner to the plate P; the adjacent ends of the
channel or tube T have an opening O forming a communication between the said
flanged iron box B and the tube T. (Where two insulated conductors are used a
flanged box is placed on each side of the channel instead of a flanged box on one
side and a flat plate on the other side).
In each flanged box B insulators I, I, are placed of the kind used for ordinary
overhead telegraph lines, that description being preferred which contain an
insulating fluid thus preventing the creeping over the surface of a film of damp and
dirt which would cause loss of current from leakage.
The insulators I, I, are fixed in the box B by their stems a³, which are screw
threaded being screwed into the bottom of the box or into a plate thereon; their
upper ends are also screw threaded and screw into a forked bracket s; further a
cover a², is provided for the box B, which cover can be easily removed by taking
out the screws 6'; by these means the insulators I, I, can be readily removed for
examination or cleaning.
The conductors c, c, are made in similar lengths (of any convenient section) to
those used for the channel T and the adjacent ends are bolted to the forked
bracket s, (to allow of expansion and contraction) which bracket (without touching
the channel or tube T) projects into the flanged box B and is supported by the
insulators I, I, before named in such a manner that the insulators are subjected to
no other strain than that of compression.

page_text: This method of insulating the conductors is also claimed as being applicable for
conductors used overground as well as those placed in an underground channel.
Among the advantages resulting from my improvements may be mentioned the
following videlicet, that in laying the channel T no disturbance of the road is
required beyond removing the ordinary granite pitching so that there need be no
interference with the tramway rail ties or gas and water pipes; that the channel
can be supplied in lengths ready to place in position; that it can be thoroughly
flushed, the water being carried off by means of drains D placed at suitable distances
apart; that the entry of mud, dust and water through the continuous slot t, in the
channel or tube T will not affect the insulation; that the channel may be flushed
thoroughly to remove dirt & without affecting the insulation; that the insulators
I, I, are placed in such a position as not to be liable to damage by the travelling
collector or other causes; that the insulators are accessible for cleaning & and can
be removed without interference with the traffic; that the method of construction
admits of the use of insulators such as are used for overhead telegraph wires,
thereby enabling a much higher degree of insulation to be maintained than is
possible by the use of insulating blocks or washers hitherto used for this purpose
and on which the accumulation of mud and water rendered them useless for the
required purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The use of insulators (such as are used on overhead telegraph lines) for the
continuous conductor or conductors of an electric tram line the said insulators
being placed in a box at the side of the central tube or channel and not in the tube
or channel itself substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. The herein described construction of channel or tube for containing the
conductor or conductors used for electric tramways or railways substantially as
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
3. The improved electric tramway or railway hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawing.