Improvements in Trolley Systems of Electric Propulsion, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Trolley Systems of Electric Propulsion, and in
Apparatus therefor.
I, ANTHONY GEORGE NEW, of Palace Chambers, Bridge Street, in the City
of Westminster, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in trolley systems of electric propulsion
and in apparatus therefor my system being arranged for the propulsion of vessels
which in their passage through the water are always more or less close to a bank
such as canal boats or vessels passing through narrow or shallow waters.
In such cases it is of course necessary that the boats should be able to overtake
and pass others going in the same direction or to meet others and pass and to this
end my invention consists in a construction and arrangement of parts whereby
a trolley travelling on a conductor (which may be carried on the bank on posts or
in other ways) coming forward and overtaking or meeting another one will change
the leads connecting it to the boat for the leads of the other boat in advance
or met.
According to one arrangement for effecting this in the case of an overtaking
trolley the latter when coming in contact with the overtaken one releases mechanism
which effects an exchange of leads, one method of effecting the change being. by
arranging the leads with sliding contacts on arms which are free to revolve on the
trolleys, and are arranged in such a manner that when they meet these arms
revolve and interlock and thus effect the necessary exchange. In order to regulate
the side on which the leads pass one another an automatic arrangement may be
employed to take advantage of the fact that tension is always evident on the leads
due to the pull of the boat, and that consequently the lead which should go on the
outside will have a tendency to do so automatically, said arrangement augmenting
and facilitating this tendency to such an extent as to make the operation more
certain.
It is obvious that the arrangement may be also employed in connection with
road vehicles.
Dated the Dond day of T... 100%
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
.55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Trolley Systems of Electric Propulsion, and in
Apparatus therefor.
I ANTHONY GEORGE NEW of Palace Chambers Westminster 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 ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in trolley systems of electric propulsion
and in apparatus therefor, my system being arranged for the propulsion..of, vessels
which in their passage through the water are always more or less close to a bank
such as canal boats or vessels passing through narrow or shallow waters.
In such cases it is of course necessary that the boats should be able to overtake
and pass others going in the same direction, or to meet others and pass, and to this
end my. invention consists in a construction and arrangement of parts whereby. a
trolley travelling on a conductor (which may be carried on the bank on posts or in
other ways) coming forward. and, overtaking or meeting another one will change
the leads connecting it to the boat, for the leads of the other boat in advance
or met.
According to one arrangement for. effecting this. in. the case of an overtaking
trolley the latter when coming in contact with the overtaken one releases mechanism
which effects an exchange of leads, one method of effecting the change being by
arranging the leads with sliding contacts on artns which are free to revolve on. the
trolleys, and are arranged in such a manner that when they meet these..arms
revolve and interlock and thus effect the necessary exchange. In order to regulate
the side on which the leads pass one another an automatic arrangement may be
employed to take advantage of the fact that tension is always evident on the leads
due to the pull of the boat, and that. consequently the lead which should go on
the outside will have a tendency to do so automatically, said arrangement
augmenting and facilitating this tendency to such an extent as to make, the
operation more certain.
It is obvious that the arrangement may be also employed in connection with road
vehicles.
In order that the nature of my invention, may be the more readily understood
1 herewith refer to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which ;—
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of one of. the trolley-blocks,
Fig. 2 is an end view. of the same,
Fig. 3 is a section on the line ay
Fig. 4 a view of Fig. 1 from above, and
Fig. 5 two trolley-blocks A & B shown in section when meeting one another.
Each of the trolley blocks (which are all exactly alike) is made with three
internal passages all of which extend across from side to side the upper passage
running horizontally from end to end while the other two run diagonally meeting
near the centre of the block at M. These passages are closed by doors D, D', D2,
of which the doors, D and D¹ are normally kept closed by the levers L and Li
pivoted at p and p¹ respectively, and retained in position by the springs s and s.
The levers L and L' are further provided with the bevelled chisel-shaped
projections C and C¹.
The trolley blocks are made with grooves top and bottom for the reception of
the conductors K and K' on which they slide and have hooks H, H¹ to retain them
securely in position. The two sides of the block are separated by plates of
insulating material ii the whole being fixed together by screws r, rr as shown in
Fig. 2, the right side of the block is therefore in conducting connection with the

page_text: upper conductor K and the left, sidewith. conductor K³. The conductors
(shown in the drawing.as chains) which convey, the, current to the boat.or, car, are
in electrical connection respectively, with the metal wheels W. and W. These
wheels are electrically insulated from one another but.mechanically, connected by a
sleeve or tube of insulating material o which is traversed by the metallic spindle a
which is fixed in the wheel W and electrically connects it with the hook which is
pivoted on the extreme end of a and so with the conductor l. The hook h¹.
depends from a metal collar which runs loose on the insulating sleeve o but is
connected electrically, with the wheel W₁ by means of, the brush which presses
on W or if preferred by a spiral spring. The wheels W, W with their.
connecting parts traverse the passages in the trolley (the periphery of the wheels
projecting on either side) freely. in all directions but are only actually..shown..in.
Fig. 3 to avoid unnecessary complication in the drawings.
The action of the mechanism is as follows:-
Suppose that two trolley-blocks A and B impelled by the conductors connected
with their respective boats or cars are approaching each other A from the left.
and B from the right as shown by the arrows in Fig. 5. Owing to the pull on the
conductors the roller W W¹ will run up the diagonal passage in A till it arrives
at the door D against which it will press and in virtue of the pressure it so
exercises will pull along the trolley A since the door D is unable to open being
held closed by the lever L.
Similarly the roller W W' in the trolley B will run down to D₁ which it will
not however be able to open as it likewise is held closed by the lever L'. When
however the two trolley blocks approach one another so close that C & C¹ meet
the bevelled edge of C comes into contact with and slides along the bevelled edge
of Cthe result being that the longer ends of the levers L and L' are thrown
over L to the right and L¹ to the left freeing the doors D and D' which
simultaneously open and allow the roller in A to pass through D into B when it
runs along till it reaches its further end and is stopped by its door D while at the
same moment the roller previously in B passes through D¹ into A when following
the pull of the conductors it runs up to M opening the door D² which immediately
closes behind as it descends to D¹. An interchange of rollers has thus been
effected between A and B which thereupon begin to recede from one another the
doors D and D' closing by their own weight and the levers L and L¹ returning to
their original positions in virtue of the action of the springs s and s².
In the case in which one car or boat overtakes another the interaction of the
trolley-blocks is similar. Let it be assumed in this case that the trolley block B is
the one which belongs to the vehicle or boat which is overtaking the other, while
A belongs to the one which is being overtaken. The bevelled ends of the levers L
and L' come into contact with one another as above explained but do not at once
free the doors D and D¹ owing to the tension of the springs s and s¹. On the
contrary the trolley-block B shoves the block A on before it until a certain
tension is exercised by it on the conductors connecting it with the boat or car.
The roller W W₁ yielding to the backward pull so exercised on it runs up to the
door D and the tension on the springs having gradually increased owing to the
increasing pressure which the one trolley-block exercises upon the other
the levers L L' move over sufficiently to free the doors D and D₁ and the inter-
change is effected in precisely the same manner as when the two cars or boats meet
and in the manner above described. In this case as when the vehicles or boats
meet the vehicle or boat connected with B must pass inside the other.
Should the boats or cars reverse their direction and again wish to repass one
another A and B will again approach and an exchange of leads and rollers take
place as before the roller in A running up over the door D² to D as soon as the
direction of the boats or cars is reversed.
It will thus be seen that the trolley-blocks never pass one another but when the
boats or cars pass merely meet and exchange rollers and leads and then recede
from one another.

page_text: The invention has been described in reference to a system of two overhead
conductors but it may be equally well applied in the case of a single conductor
provided that a wire or some equivalent device is made use of either above or
below in place of the second conductor to steady the trolley-blocks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
In a system of overhead electric propulsion for boats or vehicles the employment
of trolley-blocks with doors, levers and interior passages effecting when the boats
or vehicles meet and pass one another an interchange of rollers and conducting
leads essentially as and for the purpose shown and described.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1896.
ANTHONY G. NEW.