Improvements in Conduit Tramways, and Rails and Fittings for the same.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 8th Aug.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Conduit Tramways, and Rails and Fittings for the
same.
We, JAMES MORE, the younger, Associate Member of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, of 49 Orlando Road, Clapham, in the County of Surrey, an1 GEORGE
FLETT, Engineer, of "Llangollen," Weybridge, in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
Our invention has reference to improvements in tramways and rails for the same,
in which a conduit or slot opening is employed between two rails and in which the
electrical conductor or conductors rest or lie beneath the road surface within the
conduit.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing our improved rails we
provide the slot rail with a projecting guard plate or extended web which projects
beneath the ordinary base or foot of the rail and projects into the conduit formed
or placed in the roadway.
When rolling our improved rail we provide it with a flange preferably on one-
side only for a bearing surface or upper enclosing surface, while the other side we
slightly carry inwards so as to narrow the opening when so desired which is formed
between it and its companion rail when placed in position; and make a drip edge
to prevent surface water mud etc. from running to the bottom of the web guard;
the extended web or guard formed upon the rail we produce when rolling the same,
making the head of the rail and the upper or main web of any desired shape and
strength.
When producing our extended flanged rail in one simple manner we may bend
over one side of the flange to form the guard instead of making the guard rail from
the continued web, the length of that part of the flange which is to be turned over
and bent parallel to or in line with the web being made of any desired width to
suit the depth of the shield or guard web which is to be formed.
When placing our slot rails in position upon the road we carry them upon
suitable yokes by means of bolts, keys or other well known fastenings, making the
yoke of cast or wrought metal of any suitable shape which may be necessary or
desirable for the section or form of conduit and the shape of rail which is to be
employed. Thus when the two slot rails are in position upon the yokes there is an
opening forming the slotted way between the heads and there is a projecting guard
from each rail which forms a shield or protector to the upper sides or portions of
the conduits behind each of the guards. Behind these projecting guard rails and
under the flanges of the rail we place our electrical conductors one on each side
when so desired, or we arrange that the cable or travelling rope in the case of a
cable tramway shall run in this protected area.
We form or line the conduits in one convenient manner from a stoneware,
earthenware or like material trough, jointed together or in one piece if possible, so
that the whole of the interior of the conduit is of an even surface and is capable of
being readily drained by any ordinary branch pipes or connections which may be
arranged for clearing the line. This lining may be backed up with concrete or we
may form the conduit of concrete without lining. We carry insulators or electrical
conductor holders from the web or flange of the slot rail the sides of our stoneware
or earthenware tube lining or from projecting chair like brackets arranged upon

page_text: the yokes, and we secure the insulators or carriers to the brackets or yokes by
keys or bolts or by any other well known. system of connection now employed for
like purposes.
a
We do not limit the application of our invention to any particular shape of slot
rail or to any particular form of yoke, but we modify the arrangement of our
guard.or extended web or side flange together with the form and arrangement of
our yoke and conduit to suit the nature of the road on which the tramway is to be
laid, or to suit other particular requirements, and we employ any well known
stretcher bars and tie rods and other systems of connecting to the wheel rails at
present in uso for ordinary electric or cable conduit tramways.
Dated this 18th day of December 1895.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Conduit Tramways, and Rails and Fittings for the
"
same.
We, JAMES MORE, the younger, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
of 49 Orlando Road, Clapham, in the County of Surrey, and GEORGE FLETT,
Engineer, of " "Llangollen Weybridge, in the County of Surrey, 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:-
Our invention has reference to improvements in tramways, and rails for the same,
in which a conduit or slot opening is employed between two rails and in which the
electrical conductor or conductors rest or lie beneath the road surface within the
conduit.
In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of our improved tramway conduit and
its fittings.
Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the same.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing our improved rails we
provide the slot or central rail A with a projecting guard plate or extended web A¹
which projects beneath the ordinary base or foot of the rail A³ and we allow this
extension A' to project into the conduit or opening B formed or placed in the
roadway.
When rolling our improved rail we provide it with a flange A³ preferably on one
side only for a bearing surface or upper enclosing surface, while the other side A³
we may carry to a small extent inwards so as to narrow the opening C when so
desired, which is formed between it and its companion rail when placed in position.
The contracting of the opening at C by the inner projecting edges. As forms a drip
edge to prevent surface water, mud and other foreign material from running to
the bottom of the web guard A¹. The extended web or bottom guard A' formed
upon our rail we produce when rolling the same, making the head of the rail A*
and the upper or main web A of any desired shape and strength.
When producing our extended flanged rail in one simple manner we may bend
over one side of the ordinary bottom flange to form the bottom guard instead of
making the guard rail portion A' from the continued web, the length of that part
of the flange which is to be turned over and bent parallel to or in line with the web
being made of any desired width to suit the depth of the shield or guard portion A'
which is to be formed..

page_text: We sometimes bend our lower guard web or flange A' to an inclined or curved
path instead of making it truly vertical.
When placing our slot rails in position upon the road we carry them upon
suitable yokes D by means of bolts, keys or other well known fastenings E, making-
the yoke of cast or wrought metal of any suitable shape which may be necessary
or desirable for the section or form of conduit or opening B and the shape of rail
which is to be employed. Thus when the two slot rails are in position upon the
yokes there is an opening forming the slotted way between the heads A and there.
is a projecting guard or lower shield A' from each rail which forms a screen.
barrier or protector to the upper sides or spaces F of the conduits behind each of
the guards. Behind these projecting guard rails A¹ and under the flanges A³ of
the rail we place our electrical conductors Gone on each side when so desired.
We form or line the conduits in one convenient manner from a stoneware,.
earthenware or like material. trough H H jointed together or in one piece if
possible, so that the whole of the interior of the conduit or opening B is of an even
surface and is capable of being readily drained by any ordinary branch pipes or
connections which may be arranged for clearing the line. This lining may be
backed up with concrete or other suitable material or we may form the conduit or
opening B of concrete without lining. We carry insulators or electrical conductor
bolders from the web or flange of the slot rail from the sides of our stoneware or
earthenware tube lining or from projecting chair like brackets K arranged upon.
the yokes, and we secure the insulators or carriers to the brackets, rails or yokes
by keys or bolts or by any other well known system of connection now employed
for like purposes.
When so desired for any special tramway we may employ only one of our
improved guard rails for use with an ordinary flanged slot rail to form a protected
or screened cable or conductor area on one side only of the main conduit or
opening.
We do not limit the application of our invention to any particular shape of slot
rail or to any particular form of yoke, but we modify the arrangement of our guard
or extended web or lower side flange or screen flange together with the form and
arrangement of our yoke aud conduit to suit the nature of the road on which the
tramway is to be laid, or to suit other particular requirements, and we employ any
well known system of stretcher bars, tie rods and other connections for securing in
position the conduit or slot rails to the wheel rails, at present in use for ordinary
electric or cable conduit tramways.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven..
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
1. In an electrical or other conduit tramway the combination and arrangement
of central slot or open rails having extended webs or lower guard flanges formed
thereon, for forming protected enclosures within the road conduit or opening
beneath the surface substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The improvements in central rails for tramways having a lower guard web or
flange and an inner projecting contracting smaller flange or rib substantially as-
hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1896
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.