Improvements in and relating to Conduit Electric Railways.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Conduit Electric Railways.
We, WILLIAM TASKER DULANY, Junior, Electrician, and OSCAR FISHER
SHAW, Attorney-at-Law, citizens of the United States of America, residing
respectively at 1600 Third Avenue, in the City, County and State of New York,
and at 66 Downing Street, in the City of Brooklyn, County of Kings and State of
New York, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :---
The objects of this invention are to provide in connection with two conductors
or trolley wires placed within a conduit and insulated therefrom, a trolley standard
containing within the wearing plates, flat metal plate conductors made in series,
with fuse blocks or cut outs above and also under the points of contact of the
standard, with the slot of the conduit, so that if the wearing plate on one side of
the standard becomes cut or worn through while a car carrying the standard makes
one of its trips, the plate conductor on the opposite side will continue to transmit
power to the motor of said car.
Another object is to provide a cross fuse connection between the conductors of
the standard to connect them, so that if the wearing plate on either side of the
standard becomes worn through or "short circuited" that the said cross fuse
connection becomes operative and supplies the necessary current to operate the
car motors by crossing the current from right to left in the conductor plates and
vice versa.
Another object in making cross fuse connection between the conductor plates is
to supply four paths for the current to travel in case of accidents to the standard
and conduit system before reaching switches for the car, namely, up both sides of
standard if no fuses are "burnt out," up standard from right to left through cross
fuse if the section fuse g on left side below the wearing plate and the corre-
sponding upper fuse h on the right hand side of the block P of the standard are
"burnt" and vice versa.
Another object is to divide the conduit system into sections; said sections being
connected to their respective feeders conductors, and said feeders are connected at
their switch board terminals in such manuer as to form a metallic circuit.
Another object is, to provide the portion of the standard within the conduit with
water and mud deflecting shields to protect the fuses of the plate conductors and
the journals of the trolley, and prevent "short circuiting."
Another object is, if a ground circuit is used, to divide the conduit system into
sections, said sections being connected through suitable fuses to their respective
feeders conductors, and said feeders are connected at their switch board terminals
with, and made to pass through ampere meters to easily localize from said terminal
any defect or ground on a section or part of the system.
66
"
Another object is to provide a conduit having yoke-plates the top of which is in
the form of three inverted arches, the central one constituting a part of the conduit,
earthenware endless troughs connecting said yoke-plates at the bottom of the conduit.
aud angle plates forming the top thereof.
Another object is to provide the electric railway conduit with drain pipes leading
to a cess-pool, and a pipe from the latter leading into a sewer, and within said pipe
a float or check valve to prevent backing up of the sewer water into the conduit,
and in connection therewith an electric motor, a controller and an automatic switch
actuated by the float or valve.

page_text: hese objects by the construction mustrated m the accompanying
drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a trolley standard constructed in
accordance with our invention said standard having only one of the trolley arms
mounted thereon;
Figure 2 is a side view of the lower portion of the trolley standard broken
away at the top to show the position of the four conductor plates and their
insulators;
Figure 3 is a top view of the standard showing the means for connecting the
conductor plates e with their respective fuses h, and fuse terminals ³ and from the
latter through the wires to the motor, and also the wires through which
the fuse terminals are connected together.
Figure 4 is a top view of the front (or rear) bar of the standard with portions of
the side plates and insulated conductors.
Figure 5 is a front view of the lower portion of the series of plates constituting
the conductors with the fuse-blocks connecting the upper conductors e with the
bottom conductors e².
Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section of the plate conductors ee and e
with their connecting fuse-blocks for crossing the electric current from the
lower to the upper plate conductors if one of the fuses in the standard is
burnt out.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the head block of the standard showing
tongues p* pendent therefrom on the front and rear of the standard to protect it on
the level of the slot of the track conduit.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the plate conductors and fuse blocks nearly
similar to that shown in Figure 6, but showing all the plate conductors and their
fuse blocks.
Figure 9 is a side view of the lower portion of a modified form of trolley standard
used with a 66 ground-circuit in which are employed only two upper plate
conductors connected by fuses with the lower plate conductor.
Figure 10 is a top view of said modified form of trolley standard to show the
manner that the conductor plates e are connected to their upper terminals through
the fuses h.
Figure 11 is a transverse vertical section of a portion of the modified standard
showing its cross fuse connections.
Figure 12 is a front view of the lower portion of the series of plates constituting
the conductors on one side of the standard with the fuse uniting two plates of said
series.
Figure 13 is a perspective of the conduit cleaning brush attached to the lower
end of the side plates of the standard.
Figure 14 is a plan view of a series of sections of trolley conductors, each
section being shown connected with a switch board terminal or ampere meter.
Figure 15 is a transverse vertical section of the track and conduit through one
f the yoke-plates, showing the two trolley wire conductors within said conduit and
the feeder cables of the conductors on the outside of the conduit proper.
Figure 16 is a transverse vertical section on a larger scale of one of the
conductor supporting brackets carrying insulators and conductor clamps.
Figure 17 is a side view of the conductor clamp within its insulator.
Figure 18 is a central longitudinal section of a portion of the conduit through
the earthenware trough bottom and one of the yoke plates.
Figure 19 is a transverse vertical section of one half of the conduit through the
earthenware trough bottom.
Figure 20 is a transverse vertical section of a portion of the conduit through
one of the yoke plates, showing one of the drain pipes of the conduit leading to a
cess-pool, and a pipe from the latter leading into a sewer, and within said pipe a
float ball valve or check valve to prevent backing up of the sewer water into
the conduit; above the cess-pool is represented an electric motor, a controller and

page_text: an automatic switch actuated by the float or valve, and on a lower level than said
motor and connected therewith, a pump having its suction pipe leading from the
cess-pool and its discharge pipe leading into the sewer.
In said drawings A represents the trolley standard, and B the trolley journal
bearings that are projecting from the sides of the standard adjacent to the bottom
thereof, and are secured thereto by means of flanged cap-plates a.
The standard
consists of side plates that are bolted to the front and rear bars K, each of said
bars being provided with a tongue, as shown in Figure 4, that extends some distance
between the plates and to which the latter are bolted, the space between the
tongues of the bars K and the side plates k constituting a rectangular conduit for
the reception of the flat metal conductors e e² and their mica insulators ff" ƒ³.
The central insulator f separates the conductors e and e, the insulators f² protect
them from contact with the side plates k, and the insulators protect them from
contact with the tongues of the bars K and the inner edges of the conductors e from
each other.
The inner end of each trolley journal B is provided with a flanged head to permit
But upon
it to be secured to the plate conductors by means of the cap plates a.
each journal B, and around the flange of its head is placed a sleeve of insulating
material that protects it from contact with the side plates k and with the cap
plates a.
Each conductor consists of three pieces, riz. the bottom plate conductor and
the two upper plate conductors e that are united to the conductor e2 by means of
fuses 9 and of any suitable construction, but preferably as shown in Figures 6
and 8, of short plates having their ends grooved to receive the ends of the
conductors.
The location of the fuses g and g² is shown to be at a short distance from the
trolley journals B. They may be at a higher point, but said point must be below
the location of the wearing plates 2 and beneath the shields J. Said plates k² of
the standard are located thereon, when in use, on the level of the edges of the slot
of the underground conduit.
The upper end of the standard is received in a metal head block P, said block
having pendent therefrom a rectangular sleeve p through which bolts p2 are made
to pass horizontally to engage with the bars K of the standard and fasten the
trolley standard to head block P. The head of the block P has bolts p³ passing
vertically therethrough to secure it to the frame of the car trucks. The headt
blocks of the standard is also provided with fuses (cut outs), the electric current
The head block is
passing thence through conductors 2 to the motors of the car.
also provided with tongues secured in vertical grooves therein and pendet
therefrom on the front and rear to protect the front and rear bars K on the level of
the slot of the track conduit.
To prevent mud and water that may be descending upon the standard from
reaching the fuses g and or the trolley journals and their arms, and producing
"short circuit" shields J are bolted to the side plates of said standard a short
distance above said trolley journals and fuses g. Said shields consist of arches
formed of angle bars bent suitably with their outer flange turned up nearly parallel
with the standard, and the lower portions of said arches extend a suitable distance
in front and rear of the standard.
The trolley arins d are pivotally mounted upon the outer end of each journal 13
and are retained thereon by means of a washer and nut n². Each trolley arm d
is provided with two grooved rollers connected in tandem to better facilitate their
passage over the ends of each independent section conductor in the underground
conduit without interrupting the electric current.
To keep the rollers d normally pressed upon the conductor wire a spring C is
coiled upon the end of each journal B, and has one end secured to said journal,
while the opposite end of said spring bears upon the inner end of each arm d.
In the modification shown in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, the standard is to be used
with a ground circuit, the upper plate conductors are shown at e, the lower plate

page_text: conductors at 2, and the fuse connections at g and g²; and in the head block the
fuses are shown at h, the electric current passing thence through wires /² to the
controller and thence to the motor of the car.
Figure 13 shows a fan-shaped brush Q having a metal back bolted to the bottom
or lower end of the standard between its two plates & projecting from the bottom
of said standard beyond its conductors for the purpose of sweeping (cleaning) the
dirt or mud out of the conduit and depositing the same into "catch basins" situated
at suitable distances apart and having conduits connecting both tracks, one with the
other; said conduits are to have a man hole plate between said tracks for the
purpose of better facilitating the removal of the same and to prevent clogging up
of the conduits by the dirt &c. The back of the brush has openings to receive
bolts a' made to pass through them in fastening the same to the plates k of the
standard A.
To facilitate the detection of any defect in any of the sections of the trolley
conductors N each conductor N is connected by means of its feeder conductor N²
and through suitable fuses at their switch board terminal, with, and through
ampere meters F preferably located in the power-house or office of the railway
line, and thus prevent any car from being stalled for any great length of time
upon any part of the line, as the defect can be immediately perceived and located
and repairs be promptly made by the employees.
In the third sheet of the drawings, M represents one of the yoke plates to
support the track rails and the combined side and top, or angle plates of the
conduit. Said yokes are of cast iron, and are made to rest upon a concrete
foundation C of suitable depth. They consist of a horizontal bottom plate M²
and a top plate M³ made integral therewith and curved in the form of three
inverted arches, with intervening horizontal surfaces M between them to constitute
flat supports for the angle plates D³ of the conduit proper D, and horizontal
surfaces M at the ends to support the I-shaped track girders E on top of which
are secured the track rails (although the top of these may also constitute the
track rails). Adjacent to the surfaces M' the top plate M³ has standing lugs M
to prevent the angle plates D' from being spread abnormally, from which would
result an enlargement of the slot of the conduit. Adjacent to the inner end of the
surfaces M the top plate M³ has lugs M', the lower portion of which covers the
flanged foot of the girders E3 and the upper vertical portion forms a side rest
for the web of said girders. Said web is bolted to the lugs M' and the outer
flange of the girders is bolted to the top plate M³. The foot of each angle
plate D is bolted also to said top plate, and its upper portion is connected by
means of bracing bolts D³ with the web of the girders. The horizontal upper
flange of each plate D2 has adjacent to the slot of the conduit a pendent flange
to reinforce it in that locality, an angular bracket rib D on its underside 1,
strengthen it, and upon its top it is provided with wearing plates D' having
preferably a serrated top surface, and secured to the upper flange of the plate Dz
by bolts passing through holes of sufficiently large diameter to permit longitudinal
expansion of the plates D'.
The top plate M³ of the yoke is connected to, and supported by the bottom
plate M by slightly inclined end plates M, intermediate braces m and a central
brace m' integral therewith. The yoke plates M of the conduit are (alongside
of the braces me and m³) provided with brackets m integral therewith to support
the ends of the molded earthenware trough-like bottom D of the conduit. Said
troughs have horizontal flanges d' on their sides that are bolted to the bottom
Hange of the angle plates D with the interposition of cement or other packing
between them to render the joint water tight if desired. The ends of the
troughs De being imbedded in melted sulphur or cemented to the yoke plates
and to the ends of each other, if made to rest upon the body of the yoke plates
so as to make water-tight connection. The intention being thereby to completely
insulate the metal yoke plates from the bottom of the conduit and to prevent the
infiltration of any water or moisture into the conduit from the surrounding earth,

page_text: and also to prevent any water which may fall into the conduit from coming into
contact with the yoke plates.
Said troughs may also be made of "insulating fiber" which consists of sheets of
paper pasted together and soaked or boiled in a compound of asphaltum and
other mineral substances that render it water-proof.
The bottom of the conduit is connected at intervals with the city sewerage
system for the purpose of draining it, and if located near tide water, where the
backing up of the water, and flooding of the conduit is to be provided against,
I use suitable flood valves attached to, and placed in the sewer connections which
are used in conjunction with hydraulic force pumps, electrically connected to, and
into the conduit circuits through suitable switches, controlled and started by a
float placed in the cess pool into which the conduit is drained.
To the yoke plates M of the conduit are attached brackets m and m', the inner
ends of which project within the conduit and support insulators m² carried in
movable blocks m³, Figures 16 and 17, and said insulators carry clamps m* for the
trolley conductors N. The feeder conductors N2 that carry the electric current
from the power station to each section of the trolley conductors of the under-
ground system, are carried upon the inverted side arches M of the yoke plates,
over which any suitable pavement S is laid.
In Figure 20, D represents the conduit, and M a portion of one of the yoke
plates. Alongside of the track carried by the yoke plates, or between the two
tracks, if double tracks are used, is placed an underground chamber covered by a
man-hole frame 2 and its cover 3. Within said chamber there is partitioned off
the cess pool 4 into which drainage water is received from the conduit D through
the pipe 5. From the cess pool the water generally flows by gravity through the
pipe 6 to the sewer 7. But to prevent the backing up of the sewer water into the
cess pool and thence into the conduit, a float ball-valve 8 is placed in a valve
chamber 9 mounted upon the pipe 6, the valve 8 normally resting upon a spider or
ribs formed on the interior of the valve chamber 9. To remove the water that
may be flowing into the cess pool 4 while its ordinary discharge pipe 6 is closed by
the valve 8, a suitable pump 10 is located in the underground chamber alongside of
said cess pool or in a room at a short distance therefrom, its suction pipe 11
entering the bottom portion of the cess-pool while its discharge pipe 12 leads
directly into the sewer 7, beyond the bottom of the valve chamber.
Alongside of the pump there is a chamber 13 that is constructed substantially
water-tight and contains an electric motor 14 connected by a chain belt with the
pump, an electric regulator 15 and an automatic electric switch 16 of suitable
construction, the latter having a pivoted arm, the outer end of which is in the
path of a chain 17 carrying two operating knobs and a weight at one end. The
upper portion of said chain passes over two guide pulleys and has its opposite
end attached to the pivoted arm of a float 18, a portion of said chain 17 consisting
of a rod that passes through a stuffing box in the floor of the motor chamber to
prevent water from the cess-pool from entering the motor chamber. The power
to actuate the motor and its adjuncts is preferably taken from the cables N³ to
terminal or testing underground boxes and thence through ordinary fuse plugs 19
upon the encased wires 20 as shown.
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. An underground trolley standard having two sets of plate conductors, each
set being separated from the other by insulating material and inclosed in insulating
material, front and rear bars, side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars
and enclosing the insulated sets of plate conductors, each set consisting of three
plates, namely, two upper plates united to the end of a lower plate by a fuse cut
off, substantially as described.
2. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two conductors,

page_text: insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of two
upper and a lower plate apart from each other, and a fuse cut-off uniting said
plates on a lower level than the wearing plates, substantially as described.
3. In an underground trolley standard, the combination of two conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, and a head block secured to
the upper end of the standard, each conductor consisting of three plates, one
plate being at the end of the other two but apart from each other, and a fuse
cut-off uniting said plates on a lower level than the wearing plates, and a fuse cut-off'
connected with the upper end of each top conductor plate, substantially as
described.
4. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, and a metal head block secured
to the upper end of the standard and having vertical grooves therein, and from
said grooves pendent tongues p' to protect the front and rear bars of said standard,
substantially as described.
5. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of
three plates, one plate being at the end of the other two, but apart from cach
other, and a cross fuse cut-off uniting said plates, a trolley journal B having a
flanged head, an insulating sleeve surrounding said journal and head, and a
cap plate a secured to the side plates of the standard, substantially as described.
6. In an underground trolley standard, the combination of two conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of
three plates, one plate being at the end of the other two, but apart from each
other, and a cross fuse cut-off uniting said plates on a lower level than the wearing
plates, and a mud deflecting shield secured to the standard over said cross fuse
cut-off, substantially as described.
7. An underground trolley standard having two plate conductors separated by
insulating material and enclosed in insulating material, front and rear bars, side
plates and wearing plates secured to said bars and enclosing the insulated plate
conductors, each conductor consisting of two plates united end to end by a fuse
cut-off, substantially as described.
8. In an underground trolley standard, the combination of two plate conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of
two plates placed end to end but apart from each other, and a fuse cut-off uniting
said plates on a lower level than the wearing plates, substantially as described.
9. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two plate conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, and a head block secured to the
upper end of the standard, each conductor consisting of two plates placed end to
end but apart from each other, a fuse cut-off uniting said plates on a lower level
than the wearing plates, and a fuse cut-off' connected with the upper end of each top
conductor plate, substantially as described.
10. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two plate conductors,
insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars.
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of
two plates placed end to end but apart from each other, and a fuse cut-off uniting
said plates and said cut-off, a trolley journal B having a flanged head, an insulating
sleeve surrounding said journal and head, and a cap plate a secured to the side
plate of the standard, substantially as described.
11. In an underground trolley standard the combination of two plate conductors,

page_text: insulating material separating and enclosing said conductors, front and rear bars,
side plates and wearing plates secured to said bars, each conductor consisting of
two plates placed end to end but apart from each other, and a fuse cut-off
uniting said plates and said cut-off on a lower level than the wearing plates,
and a shield secured to the standard over said fuse cut-offs, substantially as
described.
12. The combination of an underground trolley standard having plate conductors,
insulators, and plates enclosing them and extended downward beyond said
conductors, with a conduit cleaning brush having its back secured to the lower ent
of said plates, substantially as described.
13. In an electric railway conduit, the combination of yoke plates having a flat
bottom and a top integral therewith, consisting of a central inverted arch and two
lateral inverted arches with horizontal surfaces M' between them, and upon said
surfaces angle plates D2 bolted to the yoke plates, substantially as described.
14. In an electric railway conduit, the combination of yoke plates having a flat
bottom and a top integral therewith consisting of a central inverted arch and two
lateral inverted arches with horizontal surfaces M between them, and upon said
surfaces angle plates D2 bolted to the yoke plates, flat surfaces M³ at the ends of
the yoke plates and lugs M7 overhanging them, substantially as described.
15. In an electric railway conduit, the combination of yoke plates having a flat
bottom and a top integral therewith having a central inverted arch with horizontal
surfaces M alongside of said arch, and upon said surfaces angle plates D² bolted
thereto, and wearing plates D³ secured on top of said angle plates, substantially as
described.
16. In an electric railway conduit, the combination of yoke plates having a flat
bottom and a top integral therewith having a central inverted arch with horizontal
surfaces M alongside of said arch, and upon said surfaces angle plates D² bolted
thereto, with moulded troughs De having their ends resting upon the yoke plates
and their side flanges secured to the angle plates, substantially as described.
17. In an underground electric railway conduit having a drainage cess-pool
connected therewith, an electrically operated pump having its suction pipe within
said drainage cess-pool, and means whereby said pump is automatically started and
stopped by variations in the level of the water in said drainage cess-pool,
substantially as described.
18. In an underground electric railway conduit, the combination of a drainage
cess-pool for said conduit, a pipe leading from said cess-pool to a sewer, a float
valve within said pipe, an electrically operated pump having its suction pipe
within said cess-pool and its discharge pipe leading into said sewer beyond the
valve, a float within the cess pool, and means as described connected with said float
whereby said pump is automatically started and stopped by variations in the level
of the water in said cess-pool, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of January 1895.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.