Improvements in and connected with Electric Conductor Conduits and Turn-outs for Tramway and Railway Propulsion.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1900
Improvements in and connected with Electric Conductor Conduits and
Turn-outs for Tramway and Railway Propulsion.
I, ALFRED MILLS TAYLOR, of 62, Heathwood Gardens, Old Charlton, in the
County of Kent, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:
By my improvements I am enabled to employ rolled steel rails of standard
dimensions; between them I provide a space or slot as usual in underground"
conductor systems for the stem of the plough attached to the car to pass along
and also for the stem of a steel wire brush or the like, also attached to the car,
to pass along for cleaning or clearing the conduit between the rail webs. At
regular intervals I provide on opposite sides of the conduit boxes which connect
with the conductor chambers that run parallel with the rails. These boxes have
each an intermediate chamber between the conduit and the' conductor chamber.
Electrical contact is at these places established between the body of the plough
and the conductors by means of yielding circuit closing plugs or bolts which are
forced further apart by the body of the plough as it passes between them and
thereby close the circuit, a spring or elastic medium being provided for making
them approach each other when the plough has passed. The said plough is so
long and the plugs and boxes are spaced so far apart longitudinally that the
plough before it leaves two plugs enters between the two next. Where a plug
enters the conduit between the rails it is formed as or provided with a valve
which normally closes the said conduit from the intermediate chamber, so that
water and mud are excluded from the latter except in the moment that the car is
passing; any water that might find its way into it collects only in the bottom
clear of the insulating tube and is allowed to pass into the, conduit by: a small.
drain hole provided for that purpose; the aforesaid brush keeps the conduit clean
by carrying along all dirt and mud to the manholes which are provided at
intervals. Each plug is guided in its axial direction; for instance in a steel
lining cemented into a porcelain insulating bush or tube which latter may be
secured in place in the box by pitch run in between two walls in the box. The
box is provided with a removable lid. The conductor chamber is filled with a
suitable fluid medium under pressure; this medium may be air or oil, or a
non-freezing mixture of ci and glycerine. Any water that may condense in or
find its way into the conductor chamber is by the fluid pressure forced through a
small spring-closed-valve, in each box or in some of the boxes into a cavity
communicating with the aforesaid small drain hole leading from the intermediate
chamber into the conduit; this valve may be loaded to a higher pressure than
the normal so that it will only open when the pressure is thus occasionally as
required abnormally raised for the purpose of expelling the water. Where the
plug passes into the conductor chamber it is fitted with a rubber ring or equiva-
lent device for securing an air tight joint between the said conduit chamber and
the intermediate chamber.

page_text: The plug may be formed with a yielding part to accommodate itself to proper
contact with the conductor and to break the contact with a minimum amount
of motion.
Either one of a pair of contact plugs may be dispensed with and a yielding
dummy plug substituted, when it is desired to use the conduit, in connection
with a ground return system.
To avoid the sides of the plough touching the walls of the conduit in going
round curves &c. I employ dummy insulating studs of porcelain or other material
fitted at frequent intervals into the web of the rails.
From the foregoing it will be seen that my arrangements while greatly
simplifying and cheapening the construction present the following advantages:
the employment of ordinary rails of standard dimensions, thus superseding the
heavy and yet weaker cast iron conduit; the intermediate chamber protects the
insulating surface wherein the plug works as it is closed against the open conduit,
it reduces the overhang of the conduit lip by enabling all the mechanism to be
placed outside the conduit, and further it enables the section of the conduit to be
made quite uniform for the brush to sweep through thus preventing the lodg-
ment of dirt at any point; the brush in the conduit cannot splash any water or
mud upon the plug insulating surface; the fluid pressure in the conductor
chamber by itself even if no spring is employed to bring the plug back acts to
produce this effect, and the drainage valve at each box can be operated from the
power station by simply raising the air pressure.
My conduit also lends itself to employment with currents of higher potential
than 500 volts and, more especially, to the employment of three-phase currents,
for working three phase motors on the car; or to the employment of what is
known as the 3 wire system. For either of these two latter systems the rails
forming the conduit are used as the third wire; and in the last mentioned system
the two motors on one car may either be worked in the usual way or be joined in
series for 1000 volts, on inter-urban lines, thus ensuring the balance of the load
on either side of the neutral wire no matter how few cars are on the line.
Dated this Third day of March 1899.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in and connected with Electric Conductor Conduits and
Turn-outs for Tramway and Railway Propulsion.
I, ALFRED MILLS TAYLOR, of 62, Heathwood Gardens, Old Charlton, in the
County of Kent, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:.
The improvements to be described refer to a conduit for electric conductors,
to street boxes in connection with the conduit and a plough for conveying the
current to and from the motor or motors on the vehicle to be propelled to means
for directing the plough at points or turnouts, and to means for clearing the
conduit of mud.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical cross section through the
slot rail conduit, showing a street contact box on the right, while the corre-
sponding street box on the left is not shown, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a street box,
the lid being removed, and Fig. 3 a section on line X X Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross

page_text: section through the rail conduit and end view of the plough as it passes a
sump.
A, A, are rolled steel rails forming a conduit between them and by preference
of standard dimensions. One of these rails may conveniently be used as a tram-
way rail. They are by preference. as shown in Fig. 4 clamped together at
intervals by lash plates B. The rails as well as the street boxes rest on the
concrete bed upon which the paving sets are laid.. Between the rails is provided
a space or slot as usual in underground conductor systems for the stem of the
plough attached to the truck to pass along. The stem for attachment of a steel
wire brush at each end of the truck.might also pass along in the slot but I prefer
to attach brushes to the plough as will be explained further on, for the purpose of
cleaning or clearing the conduit between the rail webs of any water, mud, or
other light obstructional matter and sweeping it into sumps connected to the
drain.
At regular intervals I provide on opposite sides of the conduit street boxes
which connect with the conductor chambers M that run parallel with the rails.
These boxes have each an intermediate chamber D Figs. 1 and 2 between the
conduit A A and the conductor chamber C. Electrical contact is at these places
established between the body of the plough and the conductors by means of
yielding circuit closing insulated plugs or bolts E.which are forced further apart
by the body of the plough as it passes between them and thereby closes the
circuit; a spring F (or other elastic medium) being provided for making them'
approach each other to the normal dead position when the plough has passed.
On the outer end of the plug E is mounted a contact piece. H which is adapted
to enter the yielding split contact socket I; the latter is connected by a fuse
with the current conductor in any suitable or usual manner ensuring the necessary
insulation from the street box. Both the contact piece H and socket I are as
shown easily renewable..
Where a plug E enters the conduit between the rails A it is formed as or
provided with a valve of insulating material which, normally closes the said
conduit from the intermediate chamber D, so that water and mud are excluded
from the latter except in the moment that the plough is passing any water that
might find its way into the chamber D collects only in the bottom clear of the
insulator G and is allowed to pass into the conduit by a small drain hole DI
provided for that purpose. It will be understood that the two sides of the plough
must be insulated from each other as they have to acquire opposite polarity
when passing between two opposite plugs E.
Each plug is guided in its axial direction, for instance in a steel lining Eª
cemented into the porcelain insulators G.G¹ (or 'tubes) which latter may be
secured in place in the box by pitch run in between two walls C2 in the box.'
The box is provided with a removable lid C3 so that the chambers C and D) may
be readily examined. The conductor chamber C may be filled with a suitable
fluid medium under pressure; this medium may be air or oil, or a non freezing
mixture of water and glycerine. Any water that may condense in or find its
way into the conductor chamber when air is used as the pressure medium is by
the fluid pressure forced through a small spring closed valve C¹ in each box
or in some of the boxes, into a cavity C communicating with the drain hole D¹.
This valve may be loaded to a higher pressure than the normal fluid pressure in
the chamber C so that it will only open when the air pressure is thus occasionally
as required abnormally raised (say by a pumping engine at the power station)
for the purpose of expelling the water. Where the plug E passes into the
conductor chamber it is fitted with a rubber ring washer G2 or equivalent device
for securing an air tight joint between the said chamber C and the intermediate
chamber D except when plough passes. By means of the intermediate chamber I)
and the conical valve E the insulator G₁ is protected from mud and water that
might otherwise enter from the conduit A A.
Either one of a pair of oppositely placed contact plugs and. boxes may be

page_text: dispensed with and a yielding dummy plug substituted when it is desired to usė
the conduit in connection with a ground return system.
To prevent the sides of the plough from touching the walls of the conduit in
going round curves I employ dummy insulating studs K see Fig. 4 of porcelain
or other suitable material fitted at frequent intervals into the web of the rails. A.
Fig. 4 also shows a front view of the plough with brush O, as it passes a sump
with manhole cover L'. These sumps placed at intervals communicate with
the drain.
L
The plough is so long and the plugs and street boxes are spaced so far apart
longitudinally that the plough before it leaves two plugs E enters between the
two next. To enable the plough to pass between the dummy studs K round
curves or to enter into turn outs its two sides M¹ are made of a flexible construction.
From the foregoing it will be seen that my arrangements while greatly
simplifying and cheapening the construction present especially the following
advantages.
1. The employment of ordinary rails of standard dimensions (thus superseding
the heavy and yet weaker cast iron conduit) so that the height of the conduit
formed by the rails can be the same as that of the pairing sets.
2. The intermediate chamber D protects the insulator G wherein the plug E
works as it is normally closed against the open conduit A A.
3. The overhang of the conduit lip is reduced, all the mechanism being placed
outside the conduit A A.
4. The section of the conduit is quite uniform so that the brushes can sweep
the mud through it into the sumps thus preventing the lodgment of dirt at anj
point.
5. The brushes in the conduit cannot splash any water or mud upon the
insulator G.
*6. The fluid pressure in the conductor chamber, if the spring F should break
will force the plug E back into the "dead" position.
7. The draining valves C¹ can be operated from the power station by the
compressed air.
8. My conduit also lends itself to employment with currents of higher potential
than 500 volts, and more especially to the employment of three-phase currents
for working three-phase motors on the car; or to the employment of what is
known as the three-wire-system. For either of these two latter systems the
rails A forming the conduit are used as the third wire, and in the last mentioned
system the two motors on one car may either be worked in the usual way or be
joined in series for 1000 volts, on suburban or inter-urban lines, thus ensuring
the balance of the load on either side of the neutral wire, no matter how few
cars are on the line.
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. In combination with a slot rail conduit for the plough in underground
electric conductor systems the application and use at suitable intervals at opposite
sides of the conduit, of street contact boxes each consisting of a conductor
chamber, an insulated piston or contact plug passing laterally through the wall
of the conduit into the conductor chamber and adapted to be forced by the
passage of the plough into connection with the line conductor in the conductor
chamber, and lastly of a chamber intermediate between the conductor chamber
and the conduit, which chamber by a valve on the contact plug is normally shut
off from the conduit, so that the insulator is normally protected against the entry
of mud or water from the conduit substantially as set forth.
2. A slot rail conduit with street boxes and contact plugs and with dummy
plugs at curves and points in combination with a flexible plough substantially as

page_text: set forth and for the purpose of enabling the plough to pass the curves and points
without touching the sides of the conduit.
3. A slot rail conduit with street boxes and contact plugs and with dummy.
plugs at curved and points in combination with sumps at intervals communicating
with the conduit, and with a flexible plough provided with brushes. for sweeping
any mud collecting in the conduit into the sumps substantially as set forth.
4. The construction of slot rail conduit shewn on the drawing in combination
with street boxes of the construction shewn on the drawing.
Dated this Fourth day of December 1899.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London,, W.C., Patent Agents.