IMPROVED MEANS FOR FACILI TATING COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRIC LIGHTING IN RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS JAMES MORTIN of Woking in the County of Surrey Farmer do
hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR FACILI
TATING COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRIC LIGHTING IN RAILWAY TRAINS" to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to means for effecting an electrical communication
throughout a railway train as from guards to drivers or from passengers to guards
or drivers or for effecting the lighting of railway trains by electric light by
apparatus arranged in such manner that no extra coupling is required in making
up the train.
Various ways have before been proposed for making connection between the
ends of an insulated conductor carried by the body of one carriage of a railway
train with the ends of an insulated conductor carried by the adjoining carriage but
when this is done it is evident that from differences in the load carried by the
carriages or from wear of the springs or from differences in construction, the bodies
of some carriages will sometimes be higher than others and render such system
useless.
According to my Invention I suspend a longitudinal bar along both sides of the
carriage by means of clamps taking a bearing from the top of the centre of the
springs these bars are therefore virtually carried by the axles. The bars are
connected by means of cross bars and to these along the central line of the carriage
I suspend an insulated conductor. At each end of the carriage I pass the insulated
conductor through a tube carried by the cross bars along the central line of the
carriage, and by means of coiled springs I cause the ends of the insulated conductors
to project somewhat beyond the ends of the tubes. To each end of the conductor I
secure a metallic head or button. When a train is made up the metallic heads at
the ends of the conductor on one carriage will by the springs be pressed against
the metallic heads at the end of the conductor of the adjoining carriages and so a
continuous electric conductor will be obtained from one end of a train to another
without the use of any additional couplings.
Dated this 2nd day of Tenna 1001

page_text: "
and in
I THOMAS JAMES MORTIN of Woking in the County of Surrey Farmer do
bereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR FACILI
TATING COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRIC LIGHTING IN RAILWAY TRAINS
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
1
My Invention relates to means for effecting an electrical communication
throughout a railway train as from guards to drivers or from passengers to
guards or drivers or for effecting the lighting of railway trains by electric light by
apparatus arranged in such manner that no extra coupling is required in making
up the train.
Various ways have before been proposed for making connection between the
ends of an insulated conductor carried by the body of one carriage of a railway
train with the ends of an insulated conductor carried by the adjoining carriage but
when this is done it is evident that from differences in the load carried by the
carriages or from wear of the springs or from differences in construction the bodies
of some carriages will sometimes be higher than others and render such system
useless.
:
According to my Invention I suspend a longitudinal bar along both sides of the
carriage by means of clamps taking a bearing from the top of the centre of the
springs or from the axle boxes themselves-these bars are therefore virtually
carried by the axles. The bars are connected by means of cross bars and to these
along the central line of the carriage I suspend an insulated conductor. At each
end of the carriage I pass the insulated conductor through a tube carried by the
cross bars along the central line of the carriage and by means of springs I cause
the ends of the insulated conductors to project somewhat beyond the ends of the
tubes. To each end of the conductor I secure a metallic head or button. When a
train is made up the metallic heads at the ends of the conductor on one carriage
will by the springs be pressed against the metallic heads at the end of the
conductor of the adjoining carriages and so a continuous electric conductor will be
obtained from one end of a train to another without the use of any additional
couplings.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed I have shewn the improvements above
described.
Preferably I provide each carriage with a pair of insulated conductors as shewn
in the Drawing so that a circuit may be completed through the two conductors.
In some cases however it might be preferred to use a single insulated conductor
and complete the circuit through the ordinary buffers.
Figure 1 is a side elevation one half in section of the lower part of a railway
carriage with the above described means for forming a continuous insulated
electrical conductor or conductors throughout the length of a railway train
applied to it.
Figure 2 is an end view one half in section and Figure 3 is a plán view of the
same.
Figures 4 and 5 shew side and end views of one of the clamp bars which takes
its bearing from above one or other of the carriage springs. Figure 6 shews the
central portion of one of the cross bars which is to carry the insulated conductor or
conductors.
Figure 7 shews one end of the pair of insulated conductors.

page_text: In these Figures A. are clamp bars which can be secured to the top of the carriage
springs at or near their centre by clamp screws A¹. B B are longitudinal rods
carried by the clamp bars one along each side of the carriage. CC are cross bars
which connect the ends of the longitudinal rod which is at one side of the carriage
with the ends of the longitudinal bar which is on the opposite side of the carriage.
Each rod C at its centre has projections standing out from it through which are
formed two holes-into each hole is fixed a tube D. A tubular rod E passes
lengthwise through this tube and between the rod E and tube D is a coiled
spring one end of which bears against an end piece screwed into one end of the
tube D and the other against a collar which is around the exterior of the rod E
and tends to keep this rod up to a similar end piece screwed into the opposite end
of the tube D. The two ends of a length of insulated copper wire G are passed
through and secured into the two tubular rods E which are at the two ends of the
carriage.
Each end of the metallic conductor has a head or button H formed upon it close
against the extremity of the rod E.
When a train is made up the metallic buttons H at the end of one carriage come
against the buttons H at the end of the next carriage and the spiral springs which
press the buttons H outwards from the ends of the carriages become compressed by
the screwing up of the couplings so that they always remain in contact whether
the train running or standing still.
The insulated conductor G being flexible will allow the buttons to be so pressed
inwards.
Branch wires are to be led from the insulated conductors G to the electric lamps
or to the signal mechanism in each compartment of the several carriages as will be
well understood according as the conductors are to be used for lighting the
carriages by electric lamps or are to be used for establishing electric com-
munication between the passengers and the guard or driver. By carrying the
electric conductors G with their buffer heads by a frame suspended from the axles
and not from the bodies of the carriage their buttons or buffer heads will always
be at the same height whether the carriage is full or empty and consequently the
buffer heads or buttons H can be made much smaller than would otherwise be
practicable and yet ensure that they shall always be in contact one with the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. Mounting an electric conductor or conductors upon a frame supported
from the carriage axles and providing this conductor or conductors with spring
buffer ends substantially as herein before described.
Second. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the Drawing for facilitating communication or electric lighting in
railway trains.
Dated thin 10th 1... CA
004