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

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Conduit System of Electric Traction.
I, JOHN BRIERLEY HOWARD of the Firm of Brierley and Howard, Penny
Bank Chambers, Halifax in the County of York, Patent Agents do hereby
declare the nature of this invention which has been communicated to me by
Wilhelm Simon, Wolfgang Beissbarth and Julius Beissbarth all of Nurnberg in
the Empire of Germany.
This invention consists of apparatus whereby the electrical current is received
by a carriage which runs in an underground channel, and is thence conveyed to
the electro-motor mounted upon said carriage, and the drawing force of the motor
depends upon the more or less strong contact of the latter, against the rails of
contact.
The connection of the tramcar with the motor carriage is shown in side elevation
by Fig. 1, and in end elevation by Fig. 3.
The motor carriage in Fig. 3 is shewn as drawn on line A. B. (Fig. 1). Fig. 2
is a plan view of the motor carriage. The motor carriage m runs while working
upon two wheels c against which are the contact wheels d, which at the same time
act as friction wheels. The carriage m is connected at each end by means of rods e
which extend to the platform of the tramcar, so that the guard can lift one end
of the carriage by means of a spindle or lever and handle, and the contact wheels d
are lifted into contact with the rails b, so that the motor which is in connection
with the contact wheels d, is brought into operation.
The contact wheels d are through cog wheel gearing revolved and according as
the carriage m is attracted more or less strongly to the rails b the car travels
quicker or slower. The motor will always expend the same strength, whether the
contact wheels are firmly, or only slightly pressed against the rails, in the latter
case the wheels d will partly slide, whereas in stronger contact of the wheels & the
sliding does not take place and the speed of the car will become greater corre-
sponding with the increased revolving velocity of the motor. The motor revolves
always in the same direction and its motion is transferred on the one hand through
direct gearing of the cog-wheels which are arranged upon the axes of the wheels
to the axle, while on the other hand an intermediate wheel is inserted, so that
each pair of wheels d, when in contact with the rails 6 must carry the car
forward. The rods c are supported by anchors which come from the body of
the car.
In order to allow for any probable variations of distance between the tramcar
rails, and the current rails b, springs i are interposed between the rods e and
carriage m.
Dated this 13th day of February 1804
JOHN BRIERLEY HOWARD,
Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Conduit System of Electric Traction.
I, JOHN BRIERLEY HOWARD, of the Firm of Brierley and Howard, Penny
Bank Chambers Halifax, in the County of York, Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention; which has been communicated to me by
Wilhelm Simon, Wolfgang Beissbarth, and Julius Beissbarth, all of Nurnberg in
the Empire of Germany, 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 electric tram and railways having
conductors in a conduit or channel below the permanent way, and the object of
this invention is to construct electric tram or railways of this kind in such a manuer
that contact cannot be made with the conductor by any object or person not on a
car, and on which the conductors are well protected.
The invention consists in the combination with a conduit of supporting and con-
ductor rails in the same, a motor carriage in the conduit, combined contact and
driving wheels on the carriage, and geared with the motor on the carriage, and
means for bringing said wheels into contact with the conductor rails.
The invention also consists in the construction and combination of parts and
details as hereinafter fully described.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention, the following is a
complete description of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a car of the improved electric tram or railway, the
conduit being shewn in longitudinal section, and the motor carriage in the same in
side elevation.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the motor carriage.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the car and motor carriage, the conduit being shewn in
transverse section on the line A. B. Fig. 1.
Similar letters of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout.
The motor carriage m is provided with a pair of supporting wheels c at each end,
which wheels run on the rails a in the bottom part of the conduit in the street or
road between the ordinary rails B, and having the usual longitudinal top slot A.
Two current conductor rails are secured to the top of the conduit, and along the
same the two pairs of contact and friction or driving wheels a on the motor carriage
can run.
The shafts on which the contact wheels d are rigidly mounted are driven by
gearing from an electric motor p, mounted on the motor carriage in such a manner
that the wheels of the opposite ends of the motor carriage rotate in opposite
directions.
Two rods e passing through the conduit slot A. 1, pass through apertured
lugs m¹ m³ on the ends of the motor carriage frame and are surrounded below said
lugs by springs i, which in turn rest on the bottom heads of the rods e. The
upper ends of the rods e are connected with bell crank levers s, pivoted on the
under side of the car and connected by means of suitable devices with the vertical
crank shafts or hand levers w on the ends of the car.
Brace rods t are pivoted to the floor of the car c and to the rods e.
When the car is to be started, the shaft or lever w at that end of the car
toward the direction in which the car is to travel, is operated to raise the corre-
sponding end of the motor carriage, whereby the wheels d at the raised end of the
carriage m are. brought into frictional contact with the conductor rails b, the
corresponding wheels c being lifted of the rails a, and the wheels c at the opposite
end of the carriage trailing on the rails a. As soon
as the contact is thus
established between the conductor rails b, and the wheels d, the electric motor is
started and according to the greater or less amount of friction between the said

page_text: wheels d, and the conductor rails b, the speed of the motor carriage increases or
decreases, and by means of the rods e and brace rods t, the car c is pulled along by
the motor carriage.
As soon as the friction between the wheels d and the conductor rails 6 is decreased
by slightly lowering the raised end of the motor carriage, the speed of the car
decreases, and when the raised end of the motor carriage is lowered upon the rails a,
the circuit is broken and the car stops.
When the car is to run in opposite direction, the opposite end of the motor
carriage is raised in the manner hereinbefore described.
The springs i prevent undue jars and jolts while raising or lowering either end
of the motor carriage.
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 combination with a conduit having supported and conductor rails, a
motor carriage in the conduit and upon the supporting rails, an electric motor on
said carriage, combined contact and motor wheels on said carriage, and means for
raising one end of the carriage and bringing the contact wheels into contact with
the conductor rails, substantially as set forth.
(2) The combination with a conduit having supporting and conductor rails, of a
car above the conduit, a motor carriage in the conduit, and connected with the car,
an electric motor on said carriage, combined contact and driving wheels on said
carriage, and means for bringing said wheels into contact with the conductor rails,
substantially as set forth.
(3) The combination with a conduit having supporting and conductor rails, of a
motor carriage in the conduit, a car above the conduit, from which conduit the
ends of the motor carriage are controlled from the car, an electric motor on said
carriage, and combined contact and driving wheels on said carriage, and in gear
with the motor substantially as set forth.
(4) The combination with a conduit having supporting and conductor rails of a
motor carriage in the conduit, a car above the conduit, from which car both ends
of the motor carriage are controlled from the car, an electric motor on said
carriage, a set of combined contact and driving wheels at each end of the car, and
gearing for rotating said sets of wheels in opposite direction from the motor,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of October 1894.
J. B. HOWARD,
Applicant.