Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1894-Accepted, 2nd June, 1894
COMT DUID
[Communicated-from abroad by WILLIAM BURRAGE PURVIS, of 439, North
12th Street, Inventor, and MEYLERT MELVILLE ARMSTRONG, of 941, Drexel
Building, President, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America.]
Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention consists of means as hereinafter described for automatically lifting
portions of an electric conductor in order that the same may come in contact with
sections of a conduit containing said conductor, and charge the same, so that the
current may be transmitted to a motor on a car or vehicle.
Referring to the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation and partial longitudinal vertical
section of portions of an electric railway embodying my invention.
Figure 2 represents a transverse section of a portion on line x, x, Figure 1, on
an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of the conduit.
Figures 4 and 5 represent side elevations of portions of opposite ends of a car,
on a reduced scale, and
Figure 6 represents a transverse vertical section of a modification.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
A designates the wheels of a car, and B designates the body of the same mounted
on said wheels.
C designates a motor, which may be of any well known form, and secured to
any suitable portion of the car.
D and E designate wheels journalled on axles F, which are mounted in rods G,
Connected with the
the latter being guided in bangers H, secured to the car.
rods G are springs J which cause the wheels D and E to bear at all times against
a metallic tube K, in a conduit L, said springs J also permitting the body of the
car to rise and fall without affecting said wheels D and E.
M designates brushes journalled on studs N, which are mounted in rods P, the
Connected with the rods P
latter being guided in hangers Q, secured to the car.
are springs R which cause the brushes M to at all times come in contact with the
tube K, so as to remove from the same any dirt or obstacle in the path of said
brushes, said springs also permitting the body of the car to rise and fall without
affecting the brushes M.
S designates a bar which is supported on the rods G, and provided with brushes T,
which contact with the studs or axles F.
U designates an electro magnet suspended from the bar S in any suitable position,
and adapted when charged, to attract the electric wire or conductor V, which is
located in the conduit L, and adapted to be raised from the bottom to the top
thereof.
W and W', Figures 4 and 5, designate switch boards on the platform of the car
for controlling the electric current supplied to the motor C.

page_text: "
The tube K is formed. in sections, and each section is insulated from the other,.
as at a, Figure 3, so that only the section with which the electric conductor V is in
contact will be charged.
The tube K is lined on the inside and outside with tubes X and Y, which latter
are formed of any suitable non-conducting material, and slotted, the former as at Z,
and the latter as at A¹, so as to permit the tube K to be exposed, where such slots
occur, in order that any one section of said tube K may become charged when the
electric conductor V comes in contact with the same.
.
B', Figure 2, designates an electric wire leading from the bar S, to the electro-
magnet U, and from thence to the switch board W, Figure 2, and B' designates an
electric wire leading from said switch board to the motor C.
C2, Figures 1 and 5, designate an electric wire connected with the wire B¹, and
leading from the same to the switch board W₁, and D' designates an electric wire
leading from the switch board W' to the motor C.
E', Figure 1, designate electric wires leading from a battery F to the electro-
magnet Ù.
In Figure 6, the conduit L is represented as being formed in the rail on which
the car wheels travel, it being evident that in this case a separate conduit between
the rails may be dispensed with.
The operation is as follows:-
An electric current is passed from any suitable source through the conductor V,
which in its normal position rests in the bottom of the conduit L. The electro-
magnet U is then charged by closing the circuit connecting it with the battery F
This attracts the conductor V and causes the same to come in contact with the
metallic tube K, and charge the latter by closing the circuit connecting it with:
the battery. When a section is charged it attracts the conductor V and causes
the same to come in contact with the metallic tube K, and be charged, it being
noticed, as herein before stated, that the inner tube X which is of insulating
material, is slotted to permit the conductor V to come in contact with the tube K.
The current in the tube K passes from the same through the wheels D and E to
the axles F, and from these latter through the brushes T to the bar S, and from
said bar through the wire B'into the electro-magnet U. The latter is now further
charged from the conductor V and is capable of not only retaining said conductor
in contact with the tube K, but also transmitting power to the motor sufficient to
propel one or more cars.
The current then passes from the magnet U through the wire B' to the switch
board W, and when the lever w, Figure 4, of the same is so placed as to close the
electric circuit, the current from said switch board passes through the wire B' to
the motor C, and the same then becomes operative and propels the car.
The current from the motor C passes through the axle c and wheels A to the
rails on which said wheels travel, and from thence to the ground.
It is evident that the car may either be set in motion or stopped by means of
the lever w of the switch board W.
.
When the switch board W is in use, the lever w¹ of the switch board W',
Figure 5, is so placed as to break the circuit from the magnet U to the same, so
that all of the electricity from said magnet will pass to the motor through the
switch board W. This is the case when the car travels in the direction indicated
by the arrow 1, Figure 1. When however, the car is to travel in a direction
opposite to that indicated by said arrow the lever w of the switch board W is so
placed as to break the electric circuit from the magnet U to the same.
lever w' of the switch board W' is then placed so as to close the electric circuit
from the magnet U to the same, the current in this case passing from said magnet
through the wire C' to the switch board W₁, and from the latter through the
wire D to the motor C, and from thence through the axle c and wheels A.to the
rails on which said wheels travel, and finally to the ground.
If desired, a permanent magnet may be employed in lieu of the battery F³,
the purpose herein before explained.
The
for

page_text: ΟΙ the salu.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature
nvention and in what mauuer the same is to be performed, as communicated to-
me by my foreign correspondents, 1 declare that what 1 claim is :-
1st. A tube composed of insulated sections, inside and outside tubes formed of
non-conducting material and slotted, and a loose electric wire within said inside.
tube, said parts being combined substantially as described.
2nd. A car with hangers, axles mounted on rods guided in said hangers, springs.
on said rods, wheels on said axles, a bar carrying brushes contacting with said
axles, and a magnet on said bar, said parts being combined substantially as.
described.
3rd. In a car, the spring-controlled wheels D and E, supported by said car, the
cross bar S, the electro-magnet U, suspended from said bar, the motor C and the:
wires B and B, said parts being combined substantially as described.
4th. A car with hangers, a motor ou said car, spring-controlled wheels depending
from said car, an electro-magnet suspended from said car, a switch board and wires.
substantially as described connecting said magnet, motor and switch board, said.
parts being combined substantially as described.
5th. A car provided with the motor C, the switch board W, the bar S, the
magnet U, the wire B' leading from the bar S to the magnet and switch board W,.
the wire B leading from said switch board to said motor, and the wire E³ leading
from a battery to said magnet, substantially as described.
6th. A car provided with the motor C, the switch board W₁, the wire C³, the
wire B connected with said wire C, and the wire D' leading from said switch
board to said motor, a maguet, wheels on said cars, a bar connected with the
bearings of said wheels, and brushes, on said bearings, in combination with a
conduit having a tube with which said wheels are in contact, and a raising and.
lowering electric conductor in said tube, substantially as described.
7th. A car provided with the wheels D, E the bar S connecting the bearings of
said wheels, the brushes T, on said bar, contacting with the studs F of said
bearings, the wire B₁, a magnet which is connected with said wire and said bar,
and a motor in combination with a conduit tube and an electric conductor therein,
said tube being exposed to said wheels D and E, substantially as described.
SM. 1901
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..