ELECTRIC RAILWAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: JAMES ENRIGHT Electrician 202 Holland Road Kensington, London do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for ELECTRIC RAILWAYS to be as follows:-
;-
The object of my invention is to propel and Light carriages by Electricity.
I require a line of rails, Generators of Electricity, and motors such as are now
in use. The novelty of my system lies in the circuit arrangement and consists in
having a well insulated conductor fixed in any convenient place near the rails.
The end remote from the Generator is insulated. Branches come from this main
conductor to contact posts which are set up either between the rails or on either
side of them. Normally these branches are broken so that a current cannot pass
through them. When a train comes up to a contact post with which a branch is
connected, the break in the branch is inade good and a current passes into the train
in the manner following:
The contact post consists of two parts,-one the lower secured to a block of
wood (in preference to the sleeper) driven into the ground between the sleepers,-
the other part a metallic hood of any shape over hanging the first so that no
rain &c can possibly get to the insulating material by which they are connected.
On the train is fixed a metallic bar or plate suspended by India-rubber or other
suitable bands, and of any suitable shape. As the train passes along the bar or
plate floats over the the upper surface of the contact posts after the manner
of a boat over a wave. The weight of the plate or bar (suitably weighted) if
required) serves to make good contact between the upper surface of the post and
the bar or plate. On the train is a battery one pole of which is connected to the
bar or plate, the other goes to Earth through the wheels or otherwise. From
the contact post a wire is led to an Electro-magnet which acting on an armature
completes the circuit (after the manner of a Relay) of the branch between the main
cable and the contact post, allowing the current to flow from the Generator to
the motors on the train through a second contact post and second bar or plate
on the train, or even without these latter but by a more complex arrangement.
Thus it comes to pass that a battery (storage cells may be very conveniently used)
is used to complete the circuit through which a powerful current from any source
afterwards flows to drive and light a train. This powerful current once established
may be made to maintain more firmly than the battery can the contact in the
branch by being led round the Electro-magnet already referred to. The Electro
magnet is doubly coiled for this purpose. The contact completing the main circuit

page_text: may thus be made high up the Telegraph post supporting the main cable where it
can be kept clean and dry. The number of contact posts along the line depends
on the lengths of the two insulated brass plates and must be such that at least one
contact post is always in contact with that one of the brass bar or plate to which
the main cable is connected. The branch from the main cable may-but not
preferably be connected to more than one contact post. The plates or bars on
the train may be in sections which sectious are connected by a flexible insulated
wire. Instead of a battery on the train any other source of Electricity may
be used.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I JAMES ENRIGHT Electrician 202 Holland Road, Kensington do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for ELECTRIC RAILWAYS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to propel and light carriages by Electricity.
I require a line of rails, Generators of Electricity, and motors such as are now
in use.
The novelty of my system lies in the circuit arrangement and consists
in having a well insulated conductor fixed in any convenient place near the rail.
The end remote from the Generator is insulated. Branches come from the main
conductor to contact posts which are set up either between the rails or on either
side of them.
Norinally these branches are broken so that a current cannot pass through them.
When a train comes up to a contact post with which a branch is connected, the
break in the branch is made good and a current passes into the train. The main
circuit wire is supported on on posts or suspended by cords high enough and
Blender enough to make the insulation as good as may be desired. But if this
main conductor be also further connected permanently to every contact post the
insulation must fall to a low standard Hence the advantage of making the con-
nection with each post when that post is in use, and leaving it at other times
unconnected with the main circuit. The roof of the contact post is insulated metal
to which the branch from the main circuit is attached. From the train is suspended
an insulated bar in such a position that as the train moves along it shall rub on
the contact post. This contact bar on the train is connected to one terminal of the
motor on the train, the other terminal is put to earth through the rails or other-
wise. Hence when the contact bar is over. a post the current from the main circuit

page_text: or circuits operates the motor or may be distributed to lamps to light the train!
All this happens only if the gap in the branch to the contact post be bridged
over-otherwise not. I will now describe how the train on reaching any post,
bridges over the gap in the branch connected to it and the chief novelty of my
system lies in the method of effecting this. On the train is placed a battery one
pole of which is connected to the insulated contact bar, the other to one terminal
of the motor. The other terminal of the motor is put to earth through the wheels
and rails or otherwise. In the branch coming from the main circuit to each contact
post at a suitable height from the ground, and in a properly prepared chamber is
inserted an electro magnet. One terminal is put to Earth, the other is connected
to the branch which as already explained is joined to its corresponding contact
post. It follows from this arrangement that when the contact bar touches the post
the battery on the train is closed and the Electro magnet is excited. The move-
ment of its armature bridges over the gap in this branch in the manner described
in a specification lodged by me on the 19th of March 1885. The line wire circuit
(or main circuit) is now completed, (and is maintained so by a shunt from itself
being coiled round the electro-magnet) through two routes viz-(1) direct to earth
by the wire which carries the battery current to Earth. (2) to Earth through
both battery and motor on the train. A shunt from the main circuit however
breaks the former of these routes the moment it (the main circuit) is established
leaving only one route open which is that through the battery and motor;—and
as long as the contact bar or bars remain in contact with the post (or posts as more
than one post may with advantage be connected to the same branch from the main
circuit) the motor will thus receive the current from the distant generator. The
current passes through the battery. Even when the battery used consists of storage
cells and have a small resistance this is not desirable and I arrange as follows that
when the current from the main circuit begins to pass, the greater part of it shall
be shunted and pass direct from the contact bar to the motor;-If a storage cell
be used the current from it when used as I describe will be opposite in direction
to the main current by which it is charged (but it is always easy to arrange that
the battery current shall be opposite in direction to the main current) There-
fore when a galvonometer is placed in circuit between the battery and the contact
bar (let us say) there will be a defection in one direction when the battery current
alone flows but in the opposite direction when the main circuit current Hows and
overpowers it. I use this movement to close a low resistance shunt in the manuer
described in the specification already reffered to which diverts the greater part of
the main current from the battery sending it directly through the motor to earth.
The galvonometer is wound with part of this shunt so that once it (the shunt
circuit) is established it maintains itself-as long of course as the main circuit
is not interrupted by the train's passing to the next post. But when it so passes
the same cycle of events will occur. It is clear that this method of temporarily
connecting a well insulated main wire circuit with the train, is applicable to other
systems than that of contact posts and suspended bars as where short insulated
rails and a brush or wheels are used as the inode of making the Electrical connec
tion between the trains and the generators. I will now describe (1) the contact
bar (2) the contact post.
1) The contact bar is length of metal or wood shod with metal fixed to each
carriage by spiral springs, straps or chains. It is bent upwards at both ends and
by virtue of its shape floats easily over the contact post. Its weight must be
sufficient to make good contact with the post as well as to keep itself and the post
free from dirt, snow, etc. There may be more than one on each carriage. These
are all joined by a flexible insulated wire, and there is a disposition of contact
posts such to ensure that at least one shall always be in contact with the system
of insulated bars.
2) The contact post consists of two metalic parts insulated by wood from one
another. The foot or lower part is a hollow cylinder about five inches high with
a projecting flange as base by which it is screwed to the sleeper. The upper

page_text: surface of this foot is a circular plate of metal with a perforation at its centre
capable of receiving an inch and half vertical bolt On the circular plate is
screwed an ellipsoidal piece of hard dry tarred wood one inch thick Suitable
dimensions are 12 inches by 9; projecting 3 inches on either side beyond the
circular plate aforesaid. On the wood are fixed by screws four small cylindrical
wooden pillars 1 inches high and 1 inches in diameter. These are parafined.
On these pillars is fixed by screws another ellipsoidal piece of hard dry tarred
wood thick but projecting very slightly all round beyond its fellow under it.
From this it is built up with hard dry tarred wood into a dome shaped structure
to a height of from 10 to 14 inches from the sleeper. The wood is now perforated
vertically to receive the 14 central bolt which keeps the parts together without
lessening the insulation. Its wide flat head is buried in and covered by wood at
the top and the nut by which it is screwed is put in and screwed home from
below in the hollow cylinder composing the foot. Both nut and bolt are
prevented from coming into contact with the metalic foot by wooden collars
and washers. Such contact however would not materially effect the insulation.
A metallic casting roofs in the whole so as to prevent rain etc reaching the wood.
The branch from the main line wire is electrically connected to this metalic roof
underneath and it is bound to tend made to clasp the wood structure tightly by
2 bolts of suitable-strength which pierce it about 3 inches from its lower edge and
pass-from-side-to-side-coming-into-close contact below with the-under-surface of
that plank which rests on the four pillars aforesaid. The bolts are screwed-by-
nuts. The outer surface of this metallic roof forms an inclined plain about 6 inches
wide at its crest over which the contact bar floats and so makes contact. Its
longnitudinal section which is the shorter is approximately the arc of a circle—