Improvements in the Conduit System of Electric Railways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
Improvements in the Conduit System of Electric Railways.
JOHN EDWARD PARKER Commercial Cable Co. 1 Broad Street New York
City U.S.A. Clerk do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a system of underground electrical propulsion (commonly
called the trolley system).
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 represents an iron conduit (a) about fifteen inches deep by nine inches
wide, with a flange B on the underside three inches wide or thereabouts.
This is set on a level concrete bottom, in the centre of the track the top flush with
the roadway. The flange at the underside is for the purpose of rendering the
conduit immovable in its place, when the earth is filled in.
The sections may be about ten feet long (or more if convenient) and are joined
together with an iron shoe bolted to the conduit, making a continuous iron trench,
at proper intervals the iron shoe is fitted with a grating at the bottom so as to allow
a means of draining accumulated water into the sewer.
Fig. 2. is an iron crossframe which is inserted in the trench at regular intervals
and bolted to the side thereof.
About three inches from the bottom we have a bar half an inch thick with a hole
in the centre for the reception of the shank of the insulator. Fig. C is an insulator
of glass or porcelain (or some other suitable substance) being bell, or umbrella
shaped underneath, the same as those used on telegraph lines, with a channel on the
top about of an inch deep, for the reception of the metal conductor.
The top of Figure 2 has a projection inward, so as to support the iron cover of
the conduit. Its height is the same as that of trench, less three quarters of an inch,
which is the depth of said covering, bringing it on a level with the street, and
leaving a slot about 1 inch wide in the centre of the conduit.
Fig. 3 shews the arrangement on the inside of the conduit.
Dis the conductor of metal about 2 inches broad, and thick enough to fit exactly
in the channel on the top of the insulator. The various sections of the conductor
are connected together & rivetted or otherwise fastened. The conductor projects
about one inch above the top of the insulators.
E, the insulators as previously described.
F is the trolley guard, and is an immovable piece of steel wide enough to ride
easily in the slot of the roadway.
It carries at the lower end at the back, a moveable fork of steel with a wheel at
the end (flanged in the centre) which rides on the upperside of the roadway slot.
This trolley guard serves three important purposes, c. To keep the slot clear
of obstacles. The fork attached to the back of it carries in its arms the trolley,
and prevents its receiving injury by touching the sides of the slot-it always keeps
the trolley in the centre of the guard, and as it is not so thick as the guard itself
cannot possibly touch the sides of the slot.
The wheel at the end which runs in the slot, and is kept always pressing on the
upper part of the slot, by a strong spring, carries the return current to earth after
it has passed through the motor.
Il is the trolley and is made of ebonite or vulcanite, or some other suitable
nonconductor, and is less in diameter than the guard so that it can pass in the slot

page_text: without injury, and is placed far enough away from the guard to insure that it may
not suffer from the heat caused by friction of the guard in the slot.
The end of the trolley nearest the conductor is horn shaped which insulates the
trolley wheel and effectually prevents any escape of the current.
A wire through the centre of the trolley carries the current to the motor.
A flanged wheel at the end of the trolley rides on the top of the conductor, and
the trolley is kept in its place by a strong spring-pressing it on the conductor.
June 16th 1894.
JOHN EDWARD PARKER.
Improvements in the Conduit System of Electric Railways.
Jons EDWARD PARKER Clerk Commercial Cable Company 1 Brond Street
New York City State of New York United States of America do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to electric railways (conduit system) and my object is to
design a simple, safe, and comparatively inexpensive system of operating electric
milways by means of an electric conductor placed in a conduit in the ground.
Like figures of reference refer to like parts wherever used throughout this
Specification.
Fig. 1 is an elevation (partly in section) view of the system in operation.
Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a view of the metal frame and contact wheel forming the trolley guard.
Fig. 4 is a drawing of the iron crossframe used in the conduit, with insulator and
conductor attached.
Fig. 5 is a view of the same without the insulator & conductor.
Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of the trolley.
Fig. 6 is a view of the contact wheel.
Fig. 7 shows one side of the conduit cover.
Fig. 8 is a drawing of the iron conduit and flange thereof.
Referring to the drawings, Fig. 8 is an iron conduit rectangular in shape about
eighteen inches deep by nine inches wide (more or less as may be found most
convenient) having on its under side a continuous flange three inches wide or there-
abouts, (A B). This conduit is set on a firm level bottom in the centre of the
track, the top being flush with the rondway. The flange on the under side is for,
the purpose of rendering the conduit immovable, and it may be spiked to the
crossties of the railroad track in order to further effect this object. The sections
may be about ten feet long (or more if convenient) and joined together in any
convenient manner making a continuous iron trench, and at proper intervals
provision is made for drainage purposes.
In Fig. 5 C is an iron frame which is placed crosswise in the conduit at regular
intervals and bolted to the sides thereof. Across the frame about midway we have
an iron bar with holes in the centre to which is bolted the wooden shank of the
insulator. The top of the frame is turned inward so as to provide a support for
the cover of the conduit (the half of which, being the covering for one side of the
conduit) is shewn in Fig. 7 the other side having a similar covering leaving a slot
between the two.
The cover is bolted or keyed to the crossframe C.
Fig. 4 shews the insulator and conductor attached to the crossframe. E is an
insulator of glass or other suitable ponconducting material similar in shape to those.
used on telegraph lines with a hollow formation and having a slot across the top,
into which fits a flat metal conductor (D) projecting above the top of the insulator.

page_text: This conductor may be bevelled at the upper edge so that dirt cannot accumulate
on it.
In Fig. 1, F is a bar of metal running from the bottom of the car into the slot of
the roadway and is for clearing away obstructions, and also serves as a part of the
trolley-guard. G is a frame of metal (shewn in detail in Fig. 3) with a slot 9 in
the centre of less width than the slot in the roadway. It is attached to F by a
spindle and is moveable upwards, and is kept pressed downwards by a strong
spring 3. It also engages with F which has a stop to hold it in position. The
contact wheel (shewn in Fig. 6 in detail) is placed in the wider part of the trolley
guard-slot and its lower part rides in the roadway-slot. It is made of two discs of
hardened steel with a washer of india rubber or asbestos or other suitable material
and a spindle in the centre, which is screwed up until the wheel fits in the roadway
slot. This gives it an almost imperceptible expansion at the extreme edge of the
wheel and as it passes along it not only makes the necessary contact for the return
current, but also keeps the sides of the slot in good condition for making an
electrical contact by cutting away the rust and dirt from the sides of the slot.
The trolley is made of ebonite or vulcanite or other suitable nonconducting
material, and passes through the slot of the trolley guard G. It is hollow or funnel
shaped at the end nearest the conductor, so as to provide the necessary insulation
for the trolley wheel.
The wire or conductor which carries the current runs inside the ebonite trolley,
and at the end we have a metal wheel which rides on the upper side of the flat
conductor-thus the current comes from the generator at the dynamo station, along
the flat conductor and to the motor of the car by means of the trolley, wheel and the
conductor within the trolley, and after passing the motor and through F G I it
passes to the earth at the slot in the conduit. The trolley is carried on a bearing
under the car and held down on the conductor, by a strong spring. It will be
readily seen that the trolley cannot possibly touch the side of the roadway slot
because the slot in the trolley guard being of less width than the roadway slot and
being placed exactly in the centre of F and F keeps it exactly in the centre of the
roadway slot under all circumstances even when the car is running in a curve.
It will also be observed that this system is absolutely safe because the conduit is
in direct contact with the earth throughout its whole length and any derangement
of the conductor can only cause a contact with the metalwork of the conduit which
makes perfect earth, and therefore no damage can result to life or property, the
current being rendered harmless by its contact with the earth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. In an electric railway a rectangular metal slotted conduit (A) having a
continuous flange (B) and a removable cover (a) substantially as described.
2nd. In an electric railway and in combination a rectangular metal slotted
conduit (A) having a continuous flange (B) a removable cover (a) and a metal
crossframe C substantially as described.
3rd. In an electric railway and in combination a flat metal conductor (D) and a
hollow slotted insulator made of nonconducting material (E) substantially as
described.
4th. In an electric railway and in combination a rectangular metal slotted
conduit (A) having a continuous flange (13) a removable cover (a) a metal cross-
frame Ca fat metal conductor D and a hollow slotted insulator made of
nonconducting material (E) substantially as described.
5th. In an electric railway and in combination a metal bar F dependant from the
bottom of the car and passing into the roadway slot, and thereon pivoted a metal
frame (G) having a slot (g) in the centre thereof and a wheel (1) (made of two
dises of hardened steel and a washer of india rubber or asbestos or other more
suitable material between said discs) placed in the wider part of said slot, and also

page_text: running in the roadway slot, said frame being moveably engaged with another
similar bar (F) also dependant from the bottom of the car and passing into the
roadway slot, said frame being pressed downward by a strong spring (*) and held
in position by a stop placed on F substantially as described.
6th. In an electric railway the trolley (4) passing through the slot in the metal
frame G and made of ebonite or vulcanite or other suitable nonconducting material
and having a hollow insulating formation at the lower part n metal wheel (') at
the end thereof, and in connexion with the metal conductor running through the
centre of anid trolley substantially as described.
7th. In an electric railway and in combination a flat metal conductor (D) a
hollow slotted insulator made of nonconducting material (E) a metal bar (F)
dependant from the bottom of the car and passing into the roadway alot, and thereon
pivoted a metal frame (G) having a slut in the centre thereof, and a wheel I
(made of two discs of hardened steel and a washer of indin rubber or other suitable
material between said discs) placed in the wider part of said slot and also running
in the roadway slot, the said frame being moveably connected with a similar
bar (F) also dependant from the bottom of the car and passing into the roadway
slot, and said frame being pressed downward by a strong spring (9), and a
trolley (4) dependant from the bottom of the car and passing through the slot in
the metal frame G and made of ebonite or vulcanite or other suitable nonconducting
material and having a hollow insulating formation at the lower part and a metal
wheel () at the end thereof, and in connexion with the metal conductor running
through the centre of said trolley substantially as described.
February 25th 1895.
JOHN EDWARD PARKER