Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9.h Nov., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan.. 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
We, LUDWIG HANISCH, of 73 Chaussee Strasse, Hoerde, Westphalia, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer, and the HOERDER
BERGWERKS & HÜTTEN-VEREIN, of the same place, a Corporation organized
under the laws of the Kingdom of Prussia, 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 relates to electric railways having a subterranean feed conductor,
and comprises a chanuel constructed of sheet-metal and designed for the reception
of the said feed conductor, this channel being deepened and widened for collecting
and leading away the water or the like which may pass into the same through the
longitudinal slot provided at its top for the communication between the car and the
conductor.
The principal feature of this sheet-metal channel. consists in cross-pieces cut
out conformably to the channel section and secured outwardly to the channel
walls so as to stiffen them. There are various ways of connecting the cross-
pieces to the channel, but we preferably bolt or rivet a cross-piece between each
two sections of the channel. Moreover we may establish a solid connection
between the channel and the rails by securing them on the extremities of the cross-
pieces, an arrangement which dispenses with the employment of other means for
supporting the rails.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown by way of example how our said
invention may be carried into practice.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a track with the improved channel.
Figure 2 shows a transverse section of a modification of the arrangement
represented by Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a transverse section,
Figure 4 a longitudinal section and
Figure 5 a plan of another modification of the arrangement represented by
Figure 1.
Figure 6 shows a transverse section of an arrangement similar to that of
Figure 3.
The channel a represented in Figure 1 consists of tubular sections, which are
open at the top and have terminal flanges a¹ by means of which they are bolted
together. Between each couple of flanges is clamped one of the cross-pieces b.
Each cross-piece is constructed of only one plate, being formed in the press and
provided, for the purpose of stiffening the same with bulges 60 and two flanges, an
upper one band a lower one 62. The sides of the channel but not the terminal
flanges, are prolonged upwards in the vertical direction beyond the flanges b' of the
cross-piece b. These prolongations a³ are strengthened, one by an angle iron d and
the other by an iron bar e rolled to the form shown, and are secured by angle
irons and boxes g respectively to the flanges 61 of the cross-piece b. It is assumed
that only one wire h which serves for feeding the current to the motor and is
carried by insulators i fixed to the side of the channel is provided in the latter,
while the rails serve as return conductors. The removable cover closing the
channel ahove, excepting the slot k for the contact device, consists of an angle
iron which is removably fixed by angle pieces m to the edge a of the channel
stiffened by the iron bar e, these angle pieces being clamped by the heads of bolts n

page_text: passed through the iron bar e the edge a³ of the channel and the wall of the box g,
and having slits which are open below and by which they ride upon the said bolts,
so that, after loosening the nuts of the bolts n in the boxes 9 provided with
removable covers, the angle irons I can be raised.
In the arrangement shown by Figure 2 the channel is situated vertically below
one of the rails c, the slot k for the contact device running alongside of the rail,
and the section of this rail and of the said slot being of such a shape that the upper
part of the slot serves as a substitute for the groove of the rail in which the flanges
of the wheels run.
In the third arrangement represented by Figures 3, 4 and 5 the channel is placed
as in Figure 1 in the centre line of the track, the cross-pieces being prolonged at
either side so as to support by their extremities the rails c which are fixed by the
usual means to the upper flanges of the cross-pieces. The lower flanges in this
example have been omitted, the cross pieces being sufficiently strengthened by
their lateral prolongations. Each section of the channel consists of two longitudinal
halves preferably formed in the press and fitted together by means of flanges a²,
and each half may be provided with a lateral longitudinal groove a serving to
stiffen the comparatively flat sides of the channel.
The modification represented in Figure 6 differs from the one described in
the foregoing passage of the Specification, a second wire being provided for
the return current, which is likewise rendered accessible by a cover l, the slot k
being situated in the middle of the way which in this case is perfectly
symmetrical.
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. A subterranean feed channel for electric railways, constructed of sheet metal
and provided with stiffening cross-pieces outwardly connected thereto, substan-
tially as shown and described.
2. A subterranean sheet-metal channel for electric railways, stiffened by cross-
pieces, which are clamped between the channel sections, substantially as shown an:
described.
3. A sheet-metal feed channel for electric railways, stiffened by cross-pieces, each
consisting of only one plate which may be strengthened by bulges 6° and flanges b', b
substantially as shown and described.
4. A subterranean feed channel for electric railways, the sections of which are
composed of two longitudinal halves each pressed from a metal plate with terminal
and longitudinal connecting flanges and lateral longitudinal stiffening grooves aº,
substantially as shown and described.
5. A. subterranean feed channel for electric railways, with stiffening cross-
pieces, the rails being fixed on these cross-pieces, substantially as shown and
described.
6. A subterranean feed channel for electric railways arranged vertically below
one rail, the longitudinal slot for the contact device being arranged so as to form
the groove of the said rail.
7. The general arrangements of subterranean feed channels for electric railways,
substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 9th day of November 1894
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.