Improvements in Electric Railway systems.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act, 1
heing date of first Foreign Application (in (3rd Dec., 1894
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 15th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 15th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
Improvements in Electric Railway systems.
I, MALONE WHELESS a citizen of the United States domiciled at Corcoran
Building F and 15th Streets, Washington District of Columbia, United States of
America, Electrician, 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 :-
This invention relates to an electric railway system in which electric current
is supplied to a motor on the car, by means of contact shoes on the car which meet
successive groups of terminals located in the car track at such distances apart that
the shoes on the moving car before they quit one group of terminals, will reach and
contact with the group next in advance.
The nature of my improvements and the manner in which the same are or may
be carried into effect can best be explained and understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of a short section of a double track railroad equipped
with my invention. In this figure no details are attempted; simply the general
scheme is outlined, showing two boxes located between the tracks and each
connected to two sets of track terminals, with three terminals in each set.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of two of the track terminals of a set.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the third track terminal of the same set.
Figure 4 is a diagram of the circuit connections.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the pick up section magnet or solenoid and
set of contacts controlled by it, which enter into the diagram of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan of the contact carrying frame connected to the armature core
of the solenoid in Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a side elevation partly in section of a modification.
Figure 8 is an end elevation partly in section of the same.
Figure 9 is a plan of the movable contact carrying frame connected to the
armature of the magnet in Figure 8.
Figures 10 and 11 are vertical cross sections at right angles to each other of one
of the pick up magnet boxes and its immediate connections.
In the general view (Figure 1) the double track road is shown at T T. For
each track there are groups of track terminals A A' A³, three in each group,
these groups being at such distance apart that the contact shoes (of which there
are three, one for each track terminal) on the car will reach their appropriate
terminals of the group in advance before they quit those of the group next in rear.
The terminals are held in boxes which (as shown in Figure 1) may be provided
with ears resting on and bolted to the sleepers or cross ties of the road; or as
shown in Figures 2 and 3, these ears may be dispensed with, in which case the

page_text: verminal boxes can be set in cement or concrete in their appropriate places between
the track rails.
Between the two tracks are placed the feeder or service boxes, B-each box
serving two groups of track terminals, one for each track. The connecting cables
or wires between the feeder boxes and the track terminals are carried through
piping P of any suitable kind, leading from the track terminal boxes into the
feeder boxes. The service line L which supplies the current taken from the
power house is a continuous insulated cable laid between the tracks and forming
an all metal circuit wholly independent of the track-rails..
The box for two of the track terminals A and A' is a single, hollow casting C,
having sockets c, a connecting tube or pipe c¹ between the same, and an outlet
receive the pipe P which leads to the feeder box.
to
Each track terminal consists of an iron bolt a which is inserted from below up
into a block a² of grauite cement or other suitable durable non-conducting, material,
perforated for the passage of the stem of the bolt. The bolt is drawn up against
the bottom of the biock by screwing through a nut as held immovably in a socket
in the top of the block, and upon its upper, projecting.end is held. the terminal cap a'
which is detachably secured to the bolt so that it may be removed and renewed
whenever desired... It is thus secured in the present instance by means of a square
out a fitting and.held in a.corresponding recess as formed in the neck of the cap a¹
(this. recess being open on the side to admit the nut,) and having in its bottom a
hole for the free passage of the screw threaded end of the bolt. The wire connection
for the bolt is held between the head of the bolt and the bottom of the block a.. In
applying the terminal to its box the block with its bolt and wire connection fitted
to it is first seated in cement a in its socket c, the wire connection being inserted
into and through the pipe or passage in the bottom of the box. And then the cap
(which I prefer to make of steel) is screwed upon the projecting upper end of the
bolt, all as clearly indicated in Figure 2. The terminal. A is mounted in a similar
way in its box, which. as shown in Figure 3 is a single. socket box... The horizontal
broken line y in Figure 2. represents the level of the paving or filling between the
track raile. The two pipes P from each group of track terminals join a tubular
shank, which enters its appropriate, feeder box B. This box is shown in detail
in Figures 10 and 11. It is made preferably of cast iron, having a hody formed
of a single casting with a removable top, held to it by bolts with a packed water-
tight joint of any preferred kind, between the two. The box is set in the ground
with its top level with the paving or other roadway between the tracks..
The shank Penters an opening formed for it in the side of the box, this opening
being slightly larger than the pipe so as to receive the inner end of a packing
sleeve of soft rubber or other suitable insulating material, this sleeve having a
reversely bevelled exterior, (as seen at the right of Figure 11) and the opening in
the box. having a bevel to correspond to that bevel on the sleeve which it meets.
Upon the outer bevel of the sleeve is fitted a metallic yoke p', provided at each end
with a hole for the passage of a retaining, bolt p³ Figure 10. For each bolt there
is formed in the exterior of the side wall of box B, a pocket b to receive the head
of the bolt. The two bolts for each yoke are fitted by their heads to these pockets,
and then the yoke is pushed up towards them until their screw-threaded onter ends
pass, through the holes in the yoke; then nuts p. are screwed upon these projecting
ends and the yoke is by them drawn up as close as possible towards the side of the
box. By this operation, the bulge, upon the packing, sleeve will be squeezed and
compressed into the opening in the box through which the shapk P passes, thus
making a very perfect water-tight joint, between them, and, at the same time
effectually insulating the shank from the box. The same connection is provided
for, the service cable at the points where it passes through the box.
Each box (as seen in Figure 10) contains two electro-magnetic pick-ups M, one
serving a group of track terminals in one track, the other serving the corresponding
group of terminals in the other, track. They are mounted upon slate or other
insulating slabs d supported upon ribs on the interior of the box.
"

page_text: In construction and arrangement they are identical so that a description
will answer for both.
In the electro-magnetic pick-up shown in Figures 7-11; the magnet spool is
horizontal and placed upon top of the slate slab d, and is held in position by yokes e,
which pass over the opposite ends of the spool, and have their screw threaded ends
extended down through the slab d, as well as through the bottom of a housing d¹
which is applied to the underside of the slab and surrounds and protects the contacts
controlled by the magnet. Upon the ends of the yokes which project through the
bottom of the housing are screwed nuts e¹ by the action of which both the housing
and the magnet are held in place. The armature of each magnet is attached to
stems which extend down through guide holes in the slab d and are attached to
the metallic conducting bridge piece f¹ which carries and puts in electrical com-
munication the pair of carbon contacts g g' (each held to the bridge piece by an
iron socket g²). Opposed to these movable contacts are the contacts h h', which
are insulated one from the other and are fixed to the under-side of the slab d.
Contact his connected by a feeder n to the supply side of the service cable:
contact h¹ is connected to the winding 8 on the magnet spool, this winding leading
from the spool to the track terminal A, by connection 11. The spool has also
another and separate insulated winding 9. which by connection 1 (Figures 7 and 2)
is connected to track terminal A', and at its other end communicates with wire 11,
as seen in Figure 7, this being a portion of the energizing circuit of the pick-up
magnet.
The magnetic pick-up in Figures 7-11. constitutes a direct and maintained
unbroken connection between the return side of the service cable and the track
terminal A². But it may be found desirable to break the connection on this side as
well as on the supply side, and in such event, I can substitute the arrangement
shown in Figures 45 and 6. in which I have represented the pick-up-magnet as a
solenoid, although of course the type of magnet shown in the figures already
described is equally available for the purpose.
In this arrangement instead of one set there are two sets of movable contacts.
Contacts g. g' correspond in function to the like lettered ones in Figure 7 and like
the latter are connected electrically by a metallic bridge f¹. The other pair i. ³,
are similarly connected by a bridge the two sets are mechanically connected but
electrically separated by cross bars k of vulcanized fibre or other insulating
material which are connected to and moved with the core of the solenoid. There
is a set of fixed contacts h. h insulated from one another to operate in connection
with the contacts g. g' and there is a second set of fixed contacts jj insulated from
one another to operate in connection with the two contacts. Contact j is
connected to the return side of the cable and contact is connected to the track
terminal A. Thus when the magnet is de-energized and the armature drops there
will be break both upon the return and on the feeder side of the cable in the
connections between them and their respective track terminals.
The last described arrangement is that which I have embodied in the diagram
Figure 4, which I shall-now proceed to describe in order to make plain the electrical
conditions.
- The horizontal broken line y, is the level of the paving or roadway. All above
the track terminals A. A' A belongs to and is carried by the car which is supposed
to be upon the track. The car is provided with three conducting shoes, indicated
atrone for each track terminal. They are insulated from one another and
from the body of the car, and are of such length that each one will reach its next
Shoe which
track terminal by the time it quits the one it may then be on.
co-operates with track terminal A is connected by wire t with one-terminal of the
motor on the car: the other terminal of the motor is connected by wire a to the
shoe which co-operates with track terminal A³. The shoe which co-operates
with track terminal A' is connected by wire 20 to oue pole of a source of electrical
supply on the car such as a primary or storage battery V, the other pole of which
is connected by wire 19 to shoe r.

page_text: The contacts controlled by each pick-up magnet are of course normally open.
Whenever and as soon as the shoes on the car meet their respective track
terminals then, as indicated in Figure 4, an energizing circuit from battery V.
through the coil 9 of the pick-up magnet will be closed-this circuit being from one
pole of battery wire 20, shoe truck terminal A¹ wire 1, coil 9, wire 11, track
terminal A shoe r wires t and 19 to other pole of battery. This energizes the
pick up magnet which by attracting its armature, closes the contacts controlled by
it, thus closing the motor circuit-this circuit being from supply side of cable
feeder n, contacts hy, g', h¹ wire 7 coil 8, wire 11, track terminal A, shoe r wire t,
motor, wire x, shoe, track terminal A² wire 12, contacts j, i¹, i, j, wire 13, to
return side of cable.
In case of the employment of but one set of contacts as contemplated in the
pick up arrangement of Figures 7-11, thus dispensing with the contacts i, i, j,
then the track terminal A² would be connected directly to the return side of the
cable.
The diagram represents but one of the pick up magnets with which each service
box is provided: the other pick up magnet, pertaining to the other track, is
arranged in a similar way in relation to the group of terminals in that track.
The hereinbefore described arrangement of service boxes between the two tracks
of a double track road, with leaders therefrom to track terminals between the
track rails of the respective tracks is applicable also to a system in which there
are but two terminals in a group A. A¹, and the track rails are used as a return
conductor, thus dispensing with the third terminal A2 and its corresponding shoe
on the car.
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 :
1. An electric railway system comprising a car provided with three contact
shoes insulated from one another and from the body of the car, a source of
electrical supply having its opposite poles connected to two of the said shoes
respectively, and a motor having one of its poles connected to one of said last
named shoes only, and its opposite pole connected to the third shoe, in combination
with track terminals in groups of three, one for each shoe, set at such intervals
apart that the contact shoes on the car will reach one group before they leave the
other, an all metal service conduit, a feeder from the supply side and a return wire
from the return side of said service circuit connected to the two track terminals
of each group, through which the motor circuit is completed, normally open
contacts in each feeder connection, an armature for closing said contacts, a pick-up
magnet for each armature having its energizing coil connected to the appropriate
two of each group of track terminals, and circuit connections whereby when the
car shoes meet a group of track terminals, the energizing circuit of the pick-up
magnet will be closed, substantially as and for the purposes bereinbefore described.
2. An electric railway system comprising a car provided with three contact
shoes insulated from one another and from the body of the car, a source of
electricitical supply having its opposite poles connected to two of said shoes respec-
tively, and a motor having one of its poles connected to one of the said last named
shoes only, and its opposite pole connected to the third shoe, in combination with
track terminals in groups of three, one for each shoe, set at such intervals apart
that the contact shoes on the car will reach one group before they leave the other,
an all metal service conduit, a feeder from the supply side and a return wire from
the return side of the said service circuit connected to the two track terminals of
each group through which the motor circuit is completed, normally open contacts
in each feeder and return connections, an armature for closing both sets of the said
contacts, a pick-up magnet for each armature having its energizing coil connected
to the appropriate two of each group of track terminals, and circuit connections
whereby when the car shoes meet a group of track terminals, the energizing.circuit

page_text: of the pick-up magnet will be closed substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
3. In an electric railway system, substantially as described, a double track road
having groups of track terminals set in each track at suitable intervals apart,
service boxes therefor set between the tracks, each containing two pick-up magnets,.
one for each track, and appropriate circuit connections, and leaders between the
two groups of track terminals in opposite tracks and the devices within the box to
which they are electrically connected respectively, as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
4. A track terminal holder comprising a socketed box or receptacle formed with
a passage below the socket for the connecting wiring of the terminal, in combination
with a non-conducting block set and held in the said socket and a track terminal
pin passing up through the said block and provided with a separable contact cap
seated thereon, substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 15th day of February 1895.