Improvements in Electric Railways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1894-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Railways.
We, JAMES FULTON CUMMINGS, Electrician, and EUGENE MATHEW
ENGELMAN, Manufacturer, both residing at 51 Lewis Street in the City of
Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of electric railway in which the motor on the
car is maintained in travelling contact with an electric conductor or conductors in
an underground conduit, and the object of the invention is to devise a construction
in which interruption of traffic from causes incidental to the underground system
are least liable to occur and to provide means for making repairs and keeping the
system in running condition if any of the usual causes of break down, such as the
grounding of conductors does occur. To this end the invention consists in an
improved construction of conduit, travelling contacts, conductors, and means for
testing them, whereby the objects of the invention are sought to be obtained, all as
more fully hereinafter described.
The invention comprises two track rails, and an underground conduit provided
with a slot on top and containing the supply conductors. It is built in sections of
suitable length bolted together and made water tight and provided at intervals
with connections for keeping the interior free from water.
The tube is provided along the slot with two outwardly bulging guard flanges
which extend about the depth of the pavement and form abutments therefor. On
one side this flange with a portion of the adjoining wall forms a removable section
secured by means of flanges and bolts or other equivalent means, whereby ready
access into the interior of the tube is obtained without disturbing the pavement,
which at this point is formed by a removable strip.
The cross section of the tube is preferably heart shaped, cast in halves, bolted
together and lateral braces connect the top and bottom of the conduit at intervals
with the rails or their supports.
Two elastic flaps may be secured along the inner side of the flanges, so that they
fold and close over the slot from opposite sides, to prevent the ingress of extraneous
matter into the conduit.
Within the conduit are supported by means of brackets the longitudinal angle
bar supports and to these the naked conductors which are of similar cross-section
are secured and insulated therefrom by insulating strips interposed between, all so
arranged, that the two conductors are parallel to each other, with their contact
faces exposed inwardly on opposite sides of the vertical centre through the slot of
the conduit. The contact device is intended to travel in the space between the
conductors in contact with both, and it consists of two horizontal grooved
travellers, which are journalled in insulating sliding boxes, of a frame suspended
by hangers from an equalizing bar carried by the car. The terminals of the motor
circuit on the car pass down through the hangers and are respectively connected to
the travellers.
The travellers are pressed outwardly by springs to hold them firmly in metallic
contact with the conductors, and they are made vertically, self-adjusting by being
loose upon their shafts, and held between flat coil springs.
The conductors are composed of insulated sections of suitable length, and the
sections of each conductor are connected through suitable feeders which contain
safety fuses with the two main conductors of the generator.

page_text: The main conductors are insulated and preferably enclosed in suitable conduits.
buried in the ground under the side walks or wherever convenient and the
connection with the feeders and the safety fuses are placed in suitable junction boxes
for the purpose of affording ready access for repair.
The equalizing bar is pivotally secured to one of the axles or to the frame of the
truck and is held suspended by equalizing springs free to allow the travelling
contacts to adjust themselves to the inequalities of the track. The generator
circuit is provided with two switches by means of which either pole of the dynamo
may be connected with a ground.
The construction as described and shown does away with many of the disturbances
to traffic to which other constructions are liable, thus by means of the laterally
spring pressed and vertically self-adjusting contact wheels, the best of metallic
contacts is maintained at all times.
Means are provided for overcoming troublesome short circuits arising from
various contingencies which experience has shown must be guarded against. Thus
if for instance one or more sections of one of the conductors should become grounded
it would make no difference, but should a section of the other conductor also
become grounded the safety fuse in the feeder thereof, would blow out and
thus disconnect the section of the conductor, but traffic may be maintained just
the same by grounding that pole of the dynamo, the conductor of which is
grounded, as thereby a ground connection is provided for the current when the car
passes over the cut out section of the conductor. With the facilities provided
repairs may thus be expeditionsly carried on without interfering with the traffic of
the cars.
In order to test the distributing conductors and find if any ground exists
anywhere and to locate the same quickly, an indicating system is provided which
consists of a switch board, having a series of fixed contacts which are separately
connected by test wires with the sections of the distributing conductors so that each
section thereof is represented by a contact on the switch board. A movable contact
is adapted to contact with any one of the contacts and thereby connect any section
of the distributing conductors in circuit with the battery, one terminal of which is
attached to the movable contact while the other is grounded. A galvanometer or
other suitable indicating device operated by the passage of a current is interposed
between the switch and the battery. By passing the movable contact seriatim
over the fixed contact a ground on any one of the sections will be readily detected
by the passage of the current through the respective test wire, said current
manifesting its presence on the indicating device. Thus by making frequent
tests any short circuit in the distributing conductors can be readily found and
located, and the contacts are suitably marked to identify the proper section of the
distributing conductor.
Dated this 13th day of March 1894
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Electric Railways.
We, JAMES FULTON CUMMINGS, Electrician, and EUGENE MATHEW
ENGELMAN, Manufacturer, both residing at 51 Lewis Street in the City of
Detroit Michigan, United States of America, 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 :-
The invention relates to that class of electric railway in which the motor on the
car is maintained in travelling contact with an electric conductor or conductors in

page_text: an underground conduit, and the object of the invention is to devise a construction
in which interruption of traffic from causes incidental to the underground system
are least liable to occur and to provide means for making repairs and keeping the
system in running condition if any of the usual causes of break down, such as the
grounding of conductors does occur. To this end the invention consists in an
improved construction of conduit, travelling contacts, conductors, and means for
testing them, whereby the objects of the invention are sought to be obtained, all
as more fully hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the claims.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a diagram plan, showing the system of distribution and appliances for
testing the conductors thereof, which is preferably employed.
Fig. 2 is a cross section through the conduit.
Fig. 3 is a diagram plan of the travelling contact device and
Fig. 4 is a diagram side elevation of the same in connection with the car.
A A' represent the two tracks rails, and B the underground conduit provided
It is built in
with a slot C on top and containing the supply conductors H H¹.
sections of suitable length bolted together and made water tight and provided at
intervals with connections D for keeping the interior free from water.
The tube is provided along the slot with two outwardly bulging flanges a b,
which extend about the depth of the pavement and form abutments therefor. On.
one side this flange with a portion of the adjoining wall forms a removable
section D' secured by means of flanges c and bolts d or other equivalent means,.
whereby ready access into the interior of the tube is obtained without disturbing
the pavement, which at this point is formed by a removable strip e.
The cross section of the tube is preferably heart shaped, cast in halves, bolted
together and lateral braces f g connect the top and bottom of the conduit at
intervals with the rails or their supports.
Two elastic flaps E may be secured along the inner side of the flanges a b, so
that they fold and close over the slot from opposite sides, to prevent the ingress
of extraneous matter into the conduit.
Within the conduit are supported by means of brackets F, the longitudinal
angle bar supports G and to these the naked conductors H H¹ which are of similar
cross-section are secured and insulated therefrom by insulating strips I, interposed
between, all so arranged, that the two conductors are parallel to each other, with
their contact faces exposed inwardly on opposite sides of the vertical centre.
through the slot of the conduit. The contact device is intended to travel in the
space between the conductors in contact with both, and it consists of two horizontal
grooved travellers M M³, which are journalled in insulating sliding boxes N, of a
frame O suspended by hangers P from an equalizing bar Q carried by the car.
The terminals T T' of the motor circuit on the car pass down through the
hangers P and are respectively connected to the travellers M M¹.
The travellers are pressed outwardly by springs K to hold them firmly in
metallic contact with the conductors H H¹, and they are made vertically self-
adjusting by being loose upon their shafts R, and held between flat coil springs S.
The conductors are composed of insulated sections of suitable length, the electric
breaks between the sections being indicated at e¹, Fig. 1 and the sections of each
conductor are connected through suitable feeders J J which contain safety fuses f¹
with the two main conductors U U₁ of the generator V.
The main conductors U U₁ are insulated and preferably enclosed in suitable.
conduits buried in the ground under the side walks or wherever convenient and
the connection with the feeders and the safety fuses fare placed in suitable.
junction boxes for the purpose of affording ready access for repair.
The equalizing bar Q is pivotally secured to one of the axles or to the frame
of the truck and is held suspended by the equalizing springs Q¹ Q' free to allow
the travelling contacts to adjust themselves to the inequalities of the track. The
generator circuit is provided with two switches W W by means of which either
pole of the dynamo may be connected with a ground.

page_text: The construction as described and shown, does away with many of the disturbances.
to traffic to which other constructions are liable thus by means of the laterally
spring pressed and vertically self-adjusting contact wheels, the best of metallic
contacts is maintained at all times.
Means are provided for overcoming troublesome short circuits arising from
various contingencies which experience has shown must be guarded against. Thus
if for instance one or more sections of one of the conductors H H should become
grounded it would make no difference, but should a section of the other conductor
also become grounded the safety fuse in the feeder thereof, would blow out and
thus disconnect the section of the conductor, but traffic may be maintained just
the same by grounding that pole of the dynamo, the conductor of which
grounded, as thereby a ground connection is provided for the current when the cap
passes over the cut out section of the conductor. With the facilities provided
repairs may thus be expeditiously carried on without interfering with the traffic of
the cars.
In order to test the distributing conductors and find if any ground exists any-
where and to locate the same quickly, an indicating system is provided which
consists of a switch board m, having a series of fixed contacts n which are separately
connected by test wires o with the sections of the distributing conductors so that
each section thereof is represented by a contact on the switch board. A movable
contact p is adapted to contact with any one of the contacts n and thereby connect
any section of the distributing conductors in circuit with the battery, one terminal
of which is attached to the movable contact while the other is grounded. A.
galvanometer g' or other suitable indicating device operated by the passage of a
current is interposed between the switch m and the battery. By passing the
movable contact seriatim over the fixed contact a ground on any one of the
sections will be readily detected by the passage of the current through the respective
test wire, said current manifesting its presence on the indicating device. Thus
by making frequent tests any short circuit in the distributing conductors can be
readily found and located, and the contacts are suitably marked to identify the
proper section of the distributing conductor.
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. The herein described system of electrical distribution for underground conduit
electric railway.
2. The herein described underground conduit and traveller for street railway.
JAMES FULTON CUMMINGS.
EUGENE MATHEW ENGELMAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.