IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTORS FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS JOHN HANDFORD of 42 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTORS FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS" a communication to me
from abroad by Frank Julian Sprague of New York in the County and State of
New York, United States of America Electrical Engineer to be as follows:-
:―
This Invention relates to electric motors mounted upon railway cars or carriages
for the purpose of propelling the same, and its object is to so arrange and support
the motor that the relative positions of its armature and field magnet will not be
changed, and the mechanical connections between the armature and the driving
axle will not be disturbed by any movement of the car-body or carriage body on
its springs, while at the same time the driving axle is relieved of dead weight.
In accomplishing these objects the yoke or back piece of the field magnet of the
motor is hung from a cross-piece of the truck of the car or carriage by heavy
springs; or from the car-body itself in case of a street car or other vehicle having
no truck.
The driving axle of the car or carriage at its middle portion is enclosed in
journals situated between collars on the axle and these journals are held by
clamping parts joined together on one side of the axle by a plate to which they
are bolted, and on the other side bolted to parts extending from the pole pieces of
the magnet. The clamping pieces are of non-magnetic metal. The field magnet is
thus sleeved or centred upon the axle.
The bearings of the armature shaft are carried directly upon the field magnet
pole pieces, being supported by arms attached to the journal boxes and to the said
pole pieces.
Upon the inner side of each of the driving wheels is either a cog gear wheel or
a friction wheel; or these may be secured directly to the driving axle.
Upon each end of the armature shaft is a cog wheel or a friction wheel and
these engage respectively with the cog or friction surfaces of the driving wheels to
propel the car or carriage when the armature revolves.

page_text: In order to relieve the driving axle of the dead weight of the motor centred
upon it, supporting springs are employed which are connected with the sleeve
centring the motor upon the axle or with the polar extensions of the field magnet
or at any other suitable point These springs extend to cross bars upon the truck
frame or to the car body if there is no truck. Their tension is adjusted by nuts
locked by other nuts. This adjustment may be such as to carry wholly or partly
the weight of this end of the motor or so as to actually exert a pressure upon the
lower side of the driving axle. By this, the hammering effect which would result
from supporting the motor directly upon the axle is reduced to the minimum.
Means are provided for adjusting the contact of the friction or cog surfaces
A screw passes through the plate which unites the clamping parts of the journals
and sets against another plate situated in contact with the journal boxes in such
manner that when the screw is turned, as the latter plate cannot move, the
former plate, the clamping parts and the field magnet and armature are drawn in
one direction or the other and the gears are thus adjusted.
The armature being carried rigidly by the field magnet, these two parts must
always maintain precisely the same relative position under every vertical or lateral
movement of the wheels or of the car body or carriage-body; and as the field
magnet which carries the armature is itself centred by the axle of the wheels to
which the armature shaft is geared, the engaging gears also must always maintain
precisely the same relative position except when purposely adjusted as before
explained.
Other forms of gearing, as belts or friction clutches may in some cases be
employed, as the relative position of axle and armature is always the same.
It is to be understood that with a carriage employing trucks, the carriage-body
is supported upon the said trucks by springs in the usual manner.
T
1
.

page_text: I THOMAS JOHN HANDFORD of 42 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 electric motors mounted upon railway cars or carriages
for the purpose of propelling the same, and its object is to so arrange and support
the motor that the relative positions of its armature and field magnet will not be
changed, and the mechanical connections between the armature and the driving
axle will not be disturbed by any movement of the car-body or carriage body on
its springs, while at the same time the driving axle is relieved of dead weight.
In accomplishing these objects, the yoke or back piece of the field magnet of the
motor is hung from a cross-piece of the truck of the car or carriage by heavy
springs; or from the car-body itself in case of a street car or other vehicle having
no truck.
The driving axle of the car or carriage at its middle portion is enclosed in
journals situated between collars on the axle and these journals are held by
clamping parts joined together on one side of the axle by a plate to which they
are bolted and on the other side bolted to parts extending from the pole pieces of
the magnet. The clamping pieces are of non-magnetic metal. The field magnet
is thus sleeved or centred upon the axle.
The bearings of the armature shaft are carried directly upon the field magnet
pole pieces being supported by arms attached to the journal boxes and to the said
pole pieces.
Upon the inner side of each of the driving wheels is either a toothed wheel or a
friction wheel; or these may be secured directly to the driving axle.
Upon each end of the armature shaft is a toothed wheel or a friction wheel and
these engage respectively with the toothed or friction surfaces of the driving
wheels to propel the car or carriage when the armature revolves.
In order to relieve the driving axle of the dead weight of the motor centred
upon it, supporting springs are employed which are connected with the sleeve
centering the motor upon the axle or with the polar extensions of the field magnet
or at any other suitable point. These springs extend to cross bars upon the truck
frame or to the car body if there is no truck. Their tension is adjusted by nuts
locked by other nuts. This adjustment may be such as to carry wholly or partly
the weight of this end of the motor or so as to actually exert a pressure upon the
lower side of the driving axle. By this arrangement the hammering effect which
would result from supporting the motor directly upon the axle is reduced to the
minimum.
Means are provided for adjusting the contact of the friction or toothed surfaces.
A screw passes through the plate which unites the clamping parts of the journals
and sets against another plate situated in contact with the journal boxes in such a
manner that when the screw is turned, as the latter plate cannot move, the former
plate, the clamping parts and the field magnet and armature are drawn in one
direction or the other and the gears are thus adjusted.

page_text: The armature being carried rigidly by the field magnet, these two parts must
always maintain precisely the same relative position under every vertical or lateral
movement of the wheels or of the car body or carriage body and as the field
magnet which carries the armature is itself centred by the axle of the wheels to
which the armature shaft is geared the engaging gears also must always maintain
precisely the same relative position except when purposely adjusted as before
explained.
Other forms of gearing, as belts or friction clutches may in some cases be
employed as the relative position of axle and armature is always the same.
It is to be understood that with a carriage employing trucks, the carriage body
is supported upon the said trucks by springs in the usual manner.
And in order that the said invention may be perfectly understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the accompanying sheet of drawings, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a plan of an electric railway
motor embodying the said invention and employing a toothed gearing between the
armature and driving wheels.
Figure 2 is a section of the truck with the electric motor in elevation.
and
Figure 3 is a view similar to figure 1 of a motor employing a friction gearing;
Figure 4, a view similar to figure 2 of this motor.
Referring first to figures 1 and 2, A is the frame of the truck of a railway
carriage and B B and B¹, B' are the wheels of the same. The truck body is
supported from the axles C, C₁ through springs in any usual manner.
D is the field magnet of an electro-dynamic motor and E the armature thereof.
The yoke or back piece a of the field magnet is bung from a cross piece F of the
truck by heavy springs b b or from the car body itself in case of a street car or
other vehicle having no truck.
The driving axle C at its middle portion is enclosed in journals c c situated
between collars d d on the axle, and these journals are held by clamping parts e e
joined together on one side of the axle by a plate f to which they are bolted and
on the other side bolted to extended parts g g from the pole pieces h h of the field
magnet. The clamping pieces e e are of non-magnetic metal.
The bearings i, i of the armature shaft are carried directly upon the field
magnet pole pieces being supported by arms kk attached to the journal boxes and
the said pole pieces.
Upon the inner side of each of the driving wheels is a toothed wheel which
may be made in one piece with the wheel, but is preferably made itself in two
parts bolted or otherwise removably attached to the wheel, or whether made in
one or two parts it may be secured directly to the driving axle. Upon each end
of the armature shaft is a toothed-wheel m and these engage respectively with the
toothed surfaces of the driving wheels and thus communicate motion to the said
wheels to propel the car or carriage when the armature is revolved.
The armature being carried rigidly by the field magnet these two parts must
always maintain precisely the same relative position under every vertical or lateral
movement of the wheels or of the car-body or carriage body; and as the field
magnet which carries the armature is itself centred by the axle of the wheels to
which the armature shaft is geared the engaging gears also must always maintain
precisely the same relative position.
At the same time the connection of the entire motor with the truck is through
springs so that its position is not affected by the movements of the truck on its
springs.
G and G¹ are contact rollers running on the intermediate rail K. Each contact
roller has bearings between the ends of curved arms H, H, pivotted at n between
supports o extending down from the car or carriage and having a spring p attached
to the other end connecting it with the car body or carriage body whereby the

page_text: roller is constantly maintained in good contact with the intermediate rail K which
forms one side of the supplying circuit. The other side of the circuit is formed
by the working rails L L and the ground.
In the form shown in figures 3 and 4, friction gears are used between the
arinature and driving wheels instead of toothed wheels as before.
I, I, are friction surfaces attached to the driving wheels or the driving axle
and J, J, are friction wheels engaging therewith on the armature shaft.
Means are provided for adjusting the contact of the friction surfaces.
A screw r passes through the plate f, and sets against a plate & situated in
contact with the journal-boxes in such a manner that when the screw is turned, as
the plate s cannot move, the plate f, clamping parts e e and the field magnet and
armature are drawn in one direction or the other and the friction gearing thus
adjusted.
A similar device is shown in figures 1 and 2 for adjusting the toothed gearing if
necessary. It is evident that any other form of gearing may be employed, as belts
or friction clutches since the relative position of the axle and armature shaft never
changes except when purposely adjusted.
Means are provided for relieving the driving axle of the car or carriage of the
dead weight of the motor, at the same time that the motor is centred upon such
axle. In order to accomplish this, supporting springs M are employed which may
be connected with the sleeve centring the motor upon the axle or (as shewn in the
drawings) with the polar extensions of the field magnet of the motor or at any
other suitable point. These springs extend to cross bars on the truck frame or to
the car body in case no truck is used. Their tension is adjusted by nuts t which
are locked by other nuts u. This adjustment may be such as to carry wholly or
partly the weight of this end of the motor, or so as to actually exert a pressure
upon the lower side of the driving axle.
By this means the hammering effect which would result from supporting the
motor directly upon the axle will be reduced to the minimum.
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 :-
1. The motor of an electric railway car or carriage having its field magnet
centred or sleeved upon a driving axle, its armature supported directly upon the
said field magnet, and having a shaft separate from the driving axle and gearing
communicating motion from the armature shaft to the driving axle, substantially
as herein before described.
2. The motor of an electric railway car or carriage supported partly or wholly
by springs from the car body, carriage body or truck, and having its field-magnet
centred or sleeved upon a driving axle, its armature supported directly upon the
said field magnet, and having a shaft separate from the driving axle and gearing
communicating motion from the armature shaft to the driving axle, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. The motor of an electric railway car or carriage centred upon the driving
axle at one end and having spring supports at the other end.
THS J. HANDFORD.