Improvements in Electric Tramways and Railways on the Conduit System.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Tramways and Railways on the Conduit
System.
I, JOHN CHARLES LOVE, of 82, Gower Street, in the County of London,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to electric tramways and railways of that class
wherein the conductors for conveying the electric current from the generating
station to the electro-motors on the cars are located within a slotted conduit be-
neath the roadway, the current from such conductors being led to the electro-
motor by travelling contact devices carried by a leg extending downwardly from
the car through the slot in the conduit.
My invention has special reference to the contact devices which, when in the
form of sliding devices, are composed of a pair of weighted fingers carrying the
contact pieces and so disposed that the said pieces are caused to lie against the
electric conductors by the action of gravity alone. thereby obtain an effectual
electrical contact without undue pressure on the conductors so that not only are
the conductors subjected to little strain but the friction which has hitherto been
very, considerable, is greatly diminished. Moreover owing to the reduction in
the strain on the conductors, the insulators by which the conductors are supported
in the conduit, are much less likely to be broken or fractured than heretofore.
My invention also has reference to rolling contact devices which I furnish
with a pair of trolley wheels similar to ordinary tram wheels adapted to run upon
the underside of the conductors which are made of suitable cross-sectional shape
and very firmly supported so that they are practically as rigid as tram-rails.
Another part of my invention has special reference to the construction of the
leg carrying the contact devices, and its mode of connection with the car, whereby
it can swing and also slide laterally in accordance with the movements of the
The con-
car when travelling, without becoming subjected to undue strains.
struction is furthermore such that the connection or disconnection of the said
leg to or from the car can be very expeditiously and conveniently effected.
I also, according to my present invention, provide simple devices for coupling
the adjacent ends of the electric conductors, so that their expansion and con-
traction by differences in temperature will be permitted without detrimentally
affecting the electric connection established between the said ends by the coup-
ling devices.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which :--
Figure 1 is a transverse section and
Figure 2 a longitudinal section of a conduit and a portion of the under framing
of a car provided with my improved sliding contact-devices.
*רד
on and iaw

page_text: igure a side view, and
Figure 5 a transverse section on the line 11 of Figure 4, showing on a larger
scale the aforesaid contact-devices, the leg carrying the same and the means for
connecting the leg with the car.
Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken through one of the contact pieces on
the line 22 of Figure 4.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 are respectively a side elevation, a plan and a transverse
section on the line 33 of Figure 8, showing the coupling device for electrically
connecting together the adjacent ends of the conductor.
Figures 10 and 11 are similar views to Figures 1 and 2 but show my improved
rolling contact-devices.
Figures 12 and 13 are respectively a side view and an end view on a larger
scale showing the lower part of the leg with the aforesaid rolling contact-devices
carried thereby.
Figure 14 is a sectional view of one of the trolley-wheels composing the roll-
ing contact, removed from the other parts of the device.
Figures 15, 16, and 17 are respectively a side elevation, a plan and a trans-
verse section on the line 44 of Figure 15, showing another form of the coupling
device used for electrically connecting together the adjacent ends of the con-
ductors, when rolling contact devices of the kind shown in Figures 12 to 14 are
employed.
In all these figures like letters of reference indicate similar parts.
AA are the electric conductors, B B the insulators supporting them; CC clamp-
ing blocks carrying the insulators and forming part of the yokes D D with which
the conduit E is provided at intervals as is well understood; F F are the slot-
rails, between which the leg G carrying the contact devices projects from the
under frame H of the car; and I is the coupling piece for electrically connecting
the adjacent ends of the conductors.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 9, the said leg G (see Figures 3
to 6) is composed of two plates tightly connected together face to face by screws
or otherwise, with the conducting wires g g between them. At the lower end
of the said leg are brackets having lugs g g to receive the fingers g³ which con-
stitute the sliding contacts proper. These fingers are each pivotally mounted
between the aforesaid lugs by a pin 3 and their upper ends are extended later-
ally to form the contact pieces . These pieces are of such a length that they
will bridge over the gap existing between the adjacent ends of the electric con-
ductors A where the coupling pieces I exist. The aforesaid fingers are so shaped
that the contact pieces 9 project outward beyond the centre about which the
said fingers pivot whereby under ordinary conditions, the said fingers tend by
the action of gravity alone to remain always in their outward position as repre-
sented by Figures 1 and 3. In order to prevent the said fingers from turning
outwardly too far about their pivot-pins when the contact pieces are not touching
the conductors, I provide them with shoulders g³ which are adapted to act as
stops, that will come against the portion g6 of the brackets. g'g' are weak springs
interposed between the contact pieces and the leg G. These springs serve to
prevent vibration of the contact pieces and any chance of their being uninten-
tionally thrown backward toward each other too far and so remain permanently.
out of contact with the conductors. It is obvious that these springs may if
desired be made stronger so as to assist gravity in keeping the contact pieces
in contact with the conductors. The ends of the said contact pieces are tapered
as shewn in Figure 6 so that on occasions when the contact pieces, in leaving
one pair of conductors, and again coming into contact with a fresh pair, will be
guided by the said inclined ends into proper contact with the fresh pair of con-
ductors as the car travels along.
The connection of the upper end of the leg G with the underframe H of the
car is effected by a socket h (Figures 3, 4 and 5) provided with lugs h¹ h¹ that
are pivotally mounted on a transverse rod H¹ bolted to the angle irons H². The

page_text: said socket has one of its side portions cut away at h³ so that ready access can
be had to the conducting wires g when it is desired to connect or disconnect
them to or from the wires g. h³ is a pin by which the said leg is held in place
within the socket h. By removing this pin (which is held in place by a linch-
pin ) and disconnecting the wires g g the leg can be easily withdrawn
downward from the socket h when desired by an attendant located within suit-
able enlarged portions of the conduit, and can in as ready a manner be replaced
into the socket by sliding it upward. This socket is loosely mounted on the
aforesaid transverse rod H¹ so as to be capable of swinging and sliding thereon.
The swinging movement is limited in either direction by the cross bars H* H*
of the underframe of the car, against which the projections 5 on the socket are
adapted to bear.
When the car is travelling, the said leg tends to somewhat
drag behind and this capability of swinging enables such drag to take place with-
out unduly straining the leg. It also permits the leg to give way in the event
of its meeting with any impediment as the car travels along. The sliding move-
'ment of the socket is limited by the stops h6 h on the transverse rod H¹, the
object of this movement being to enable the car to move laterally within the
limit afforded by the aforesaid stops, without straining the leg G by bringing
it into contact with one or other of the slot rails F F.
The coupling device I, used with the sliding contact device shewn in Figures 1
to 6, comprises two lengths of metal (see Figures 7, 8 and 9) the former
of which is of L section. Between these two pieces the adjacent ends a a¹
of the conductor are placed, the end a being brazed or otherwise permanently
and electrically connected to the said piece ¹, while the other end is held in
place by being tightly gripped between the pieces when the transverse bolt 2³
is tightened up. The grip on the conductor a', while being sufficiently firm to
obtain a good electrical connection between the coupling piece and the conductor,
will permit the contraction and expansion of the conductor to take place with-
out liability of the said conductor becoming injured. The said piece is
preferably formed with a rib or projection that engages with a corresponding
recess in the conductor, as shewn in Figure 9, so as to prevent lateral movement
between the coupling device and the conductor
When it is desired to employ a rolling contact device I prefer to construct
the same in the manner illustrated in Figures 10 to 14. The leg G and the
means of connecting the same to the car are similar to those already described
with reference to Figures 1 to 5. At its lower end the said leg is furnished with
a pair of brackets 96 g which project longitudinally outward and terminate in
upturned ends or lugs g. These ends or lugs are forked to receive the ends of
arms which are held in place by pivot pins go. The opposite ends of the
arms carry the trolley-wheels go which are similar in shape to an ordinary
tram-wheel, that is to say they have a cylindrical rolling surface 911 and a
flange g These wheels are adapted to run against the underside of the con-
ductors A as shewn at Figures 10 and 11, the aforesaid flanges g2 acting in
conjunction with the conductors to guide and keep steady the contact devices
as they travel along. The said flanges are preferably bevelled, as best shewn
in Figure 14, so that in the act of sliding the leg upward into the socket h, the
wheels g10 will be correctly guided into position with respect to the conductors A
by the said flanges coming between the conductors as they pass up between them.
The axles g13 of the wheels are formed in one piece therewith and are adapted
to enter and revolve in bosses with which the free ends of the said arms
provided. The wheels are held in place by linch-pins 14 passing through the
axles. In order to keep the trolley-wheels in electrical contact with the con-
ductors, I provide beneath each arm a flat spring g which tends to keep the
arm and its wheel pressed upward. I prefer that the strength of this spring
should not be greatly in excess of that necessary to overcome the weight of the
trolley-wheels, so that when the said wheels leave the conductors, the springs 15
are

page_text: will not throw the free ends of the arms and the wheels completely over about
their pivots.
The connecting device employed with this kind of rolling contact is illus-
trated in Figures 15 to 17 and comprises a plate of approximately ☐ section
and a comparatively long shoe . Between these parts the adjacent ends of the
conductors are held by a bolt forming part of the shoe and passing through a
hole in the plate . This shoe also serves to bridge over the gap between the
conductors and is tapered towards its ends, so that the trolley wheel will not meet
with impediment in passing over the said shoe. The plate has a rib to engage
with a shoulder formed on the conductor as shewn at Figure 17 and prevent lateral
movement between the conductor and the coupling device. This rib and shoulder
might be omitted in the present construction as the conductor is formed of approx-
imately triangular section to engage with a correspondingly shaped recess 28 in
the plate 5.
The aforesaid insulators B are similar in construction to those set forth in the
Complete Specification of a prior application for Patent No. 17984 of 1898.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, in a conduit system of electric railways or tramways, is:-
1. A sliding contact device provided with pivoted fingers that are kept in elec-
trical contact with the conductors by the action of gravity substantially as
described.
2. A rolling contact device comprising pivoted arms carrying trolley-wheels
that are kept in contact with the underside of the conductors by springs inter-
posed between the said arms and the brackets carrying them, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with the leg carrying the contact devices of a socket which
is capable of both swinging and sliding on a transverse rod carried by the car
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
4. The coupling devices for electrically connecting together the adjacent ends
of the conductor, substantially as described with reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9
or Figures 15, 16 and 17 of the accompanying drawings.
5. A sliding contact device constructed substantially as described with refer-
ence to Figures 3 to 6 of the drawings.
6. A rolling contact device constructed substantially as described with refer-
ence to Figures 12 to 14 of the drawings.
7. The construction and arrangement of the contact devices, and the combi-
nation therewith of means for connecting the same to the car substantially as
described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 or Figures 10 to 14 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 1st day of September 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.