Improvements in Vehicles and Electric Locomotives for Single Line Elevated Railways.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1894-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicles and Electric Locomotives for Single Line
Elevated Railways.
I, FRITZ BERNHard Behr, of 10 Drapers Gardens, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of vehicles and electric locomotives
for a railway which has a single rail usually elevated on trestles, and lateral
guide rails fixed on each side of the trestles, the vehicles being placed astraddle
the rail and prevented from canting by horizontal wheels or rollers bearing on
the guide rails.
In constructing a vehicle for such a railway according to the present invention,
the chief object of which is to provide for steadiness and safety at high speeds,
a bogie is formed, consisting of a pair of wheels grooved to run on the rail,
arranged tandem, with their axle boxes resting on girders, one on each side,
these girders being fastened together at the middle between the two wheels and
also before and behind the wheels, so as to form a complete frame enclosing and
carrying the two wheels. From the middle of each longitudinal girder a foot
extends downwards and outwards, and on this foot is mounted the axle of a
horizontal wheel having a groove to take on the lateral guide rails, or a number
of small grooved wheels arranged around its circumference, each with a spring
bearing. Through the middle junction of the two girders passes a vertical bolt
which constitutes a perch pin, and from this is suspended by springs the framing
of the vehicle. It is preferred for each vehicle to have two, or for a very long
vehicle, three bogies as above described, arranged tandem.
A train may consist of a single long vehicle or of several vehicles connected
by joints on which they can turn in the horizontal plane sufficiently to allow for
curvatures of the line.
The bogie may be made to constitute an electric locomotive by having each
of its wheels arranged to form on each side of it a disc armature and commutator;
the coils of the armature revolving close to the sector shaped polar extensions
of a vertical electro magnet.
When there is such a magnet and a set of armature coils on each side of each
wheel the bogie will be driven by four electro motors, and, when great power is
required, each vehicle having its 2 or 3 bogies may thus be driven by 8 or
12 electro motors. The electric currents for the motors may be obtained from
accumulators on the train or from a stationary insulated conductor fixed along
the line under the path of the vehicles.
The conductor is preferably enclosed in a casing having a continuous slot below
or at the side through which passes a stem carrying the rubber, and a stream
of water or a current of air may be made to play on the rubber as it makes
contact with the conductor to prevent heating.
Dated this 19th day of July 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Vehicles and Electric Locomotives for Single Line
Elevated Railways.
I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEHR of 10 Drapers Gardens in the City of London,
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:-
This invention relates to the construction of vehicles and electric locomotives for
a railway which has a single rail usually elevated on trestles, and lateral guide
rails fixed on each side of the trestles, the vehicles being placed astraddle the rail
and prevented from canting by horizontal wheels or rollers bearing on the guide
rails.
In constructing a vehicle for such a railway according to the present invention,
the chief object of which is to provide for steadiness and safety at high speeds,
a bogie is formed consisting of a pair of wheels grooved to run on the rail,
arranged tandem, with their axle boxes resting on girders, one on each side, these
girders being fastened together at the middle between the two wheels. From the
middle of each longitudinal girder a foot extends downwards and outwards, and on
this foot is mounted the axle of a horizontal wheel having a groove to take on the
lateral guide rails, or a number of small grooved wheels arranged around its
circumference, each with a spring bearing. Through the middle junction of the
two girders passes a vertical bolt which constitutes a perch pin, and on the block
through which this pin passes is suspended by springs the framing of the vehicle.
Each vehicle has two bogies as above described arranged tandem.
A train may consist of a single vehicle or of several vehicles connected by joints
on which they can turn in the horizontal plane sufficiently to allow for curvatures
of the line.
The bogie may be made to constitute an electric locomotive by having each of
its wheels arranged to form on each side of it a disc armature and commutator, the
coils of the armature revolving close to the sector shaped polar extensions of a
vertical electro magnet.
When there is such a magnet and a set of armature coils on each side of each
wheel the bogie will be driven by four electro motors, and when great power is
required each vehicle, having its 2 bogies, may thus be driven by 8 electro motors.
The electric currents for the motors may be obtained from accumulators on the
train or from a stationary insulated conductor fixed along the line under the path
of the vehicles.
The conductor is preferably enclosed in a casing having a continuous slot at the
side through which passes a stem carrying the rubber, and a stream of water or a
current of air may be made to play on the rubber as it makes contact with the
conductor to prevent heating.
Such being the general character of the invention I shall explain structural
details of the carriages, electrical locomotives and conductor referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrams shewing respectively in longitudinal section and plan
a pair of the vehicles coupled.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the carriage through the pivot or perch pin of
one of the bogies.
Fig. 4 is a part longitudinal section and Fig. 5 is a part sectional plan of the
carriage.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5^ are views corresponding to Figs. 3, 4 and 5 showing a
modification in which blade springs are substituted for helical springs to carry the
passenger compartments.

page_text: Fig. 3 shews two half transverse sections of the electric locomotive, the right
hand taken through the pivot or perch pin of one of the bogies, the left hand
through one of the running wheels.
Fig. 4 is a part longitudinal section and Fig. 5B is a part sectional plan of the
locomotive.
Each of the bogies B has a framing consisting of two side girders-b. bone
arranged on each side of the pair of wheels W. W. and carrying bearings for their
axles. These girders are connected together by a block between the wheels, and
to this block is fixed on each side a frame which projects obliquely down to
carry a horizontal guide wheel ( which runs along the lateral guide rail g. Fig. 6
is an elevation and Fig. 7 is a plan shewing how each of the guide wheels is
mounted and pressed against the guide rail. The wheel G revolves on an axle
carried by arms g' of a bell crank lever which is pivotted to the frame 12 at 2 and
has its other arm g³ connected to the corresponding arm of the bell crank of the
other bogie of the same carriage by a rod on which there is a spring y³ under
compression whereby the two arms 9³ are urged towards each other, causing the
wheels G to press against the rail 9.
Through the block passes a vertical bolt C which operates as a perch pin. It
is surrounded by a helical spring c which is compressed between a disc c¹ that can
turn on the lubricated surface of and an upper disc c² to which are fixed
girders that extend obliquely downwards and form the main framing of the
carriage which is built upon the two sets of girders c³ the one set carried on the
spring c of the one bogie and the other carried on the spring of the other bogie.
Instead of employing a helical spring c, blade springs ct as shewn in Figs. 34 4^
and 5 may have their middles fixed to the disc c¹ and their ends c³ jointed to the
sides of the passenger compartments.
Referring now to Figs. 3B 48 and 5" each bogie B of the locomotive has also a
framing consisting of two sides girders bb, one on each side of the two wheels W W
which run on the rail R. The girders bb are connected between the wheels by a
block through which passes a vertical bolt C which operates as a perch pin or
pivot on which the bogie frame can turn in a horizontal plane. From the girders b
and block there projects obliquely downwards on each side a strong framing
carrying at its lower end an open casing in which is mounted one of the horizontal
guide wheels G which bears against the guide rail g.
The bearings for the axles of the guide wheels G may be arranged with springs
80 as to press the wheels against the guide rails g, or the wheels themselves may
contain the springs arranged to press outwards rollers mounted in sliding bearings
in the wheels, as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7 which represent respectively a plan
partly in section and a section partly in elevation of one of the lateral guide wheels
containing springs arranged to press outwards rollers mounted in sliding bearings
in the wheels, as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7. A boss F carries upper and lower
flanges between which are fitted several sliding frames f¹ having springs f
interposed between them and the boss F and limited in their movement each by a
pair of bolts of rectangular section passing through slots of the frames. In each
frame fare mounted three grooved rollers g' any one or two of which can bear
against the guide rail g, thus causing a comparatively slow rotation of the main
guide wheel G as the rollers g' are successively caused to revolve where they come
to bear against the guide rail. Although each roller may be caused to revolve
very rapidly, it can only be for a very short time and as it has to pass quite round the
circumference of the guide wheel before being again put in motion, it has time to
cool should it have been heated. There may be a greater number of the frames f¹
each carrying two instead of three rollers.
On an upward extension of the perch pin C are mounted free to turn two blocks
with interposed springs, the lower c' revolving on the lubricated surface of 6' and the
upper block e to which is attached the frame which carries the passenger compart-
ment of the vehicle. These compartments are thus free to oscillate vertically on
the springs without in any way interfering with each bogie which has its pair of

page_text: wheels W running on the rail R and its pair of guide wheels G running along the
guide rails g, and which being connected with the passenger compartments only
through the perch pin C is free to turn partly round on that as a pivot so as to
accommodate itself to curves of the line.
For
Each of the two wheels on each bogie, that is to say each of the four wheels of
the locomotive is arranged to operate as the armature of two electric motors.
this purpose, on each face of each wheel W are fixed a number of coils L consisting
of segments of thin iron packed together with insulating materials between them,
and coiled radially with insulated wire. Also on cach face of each wheel beyond
the coils L are fixed the insulated segments of a commutator / connected to the
coils these segments having elastically pressed against them suitable brushes,
which are not shown, as they may be made and arranged in any known manner.
To each of the side girders at each side of each wheel is fixed a field magnet
consisting of a middle part M in which is fitted the axle box of the wheel, two
coiled parts M' and two polar extensions M² of segment form, nearly touching
the faces and inner edges of the coils L. Thus each wheel of each bogie is caused
to revolve by two electro motors, one on each side of it, these being supplied with
current, either from accumulators carried by the train or from a conductor extending
along the line.
This conductor and the rubber carried by the train for conducting electrically
from it to the motors are arranged as shewn in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 where H is-the
conductor in form of a wire rope which usually lies as indicated at H' (Fig. 8) on
a grating covering a groove formed in a trough of insulating material. This
trough extends along the line carried on brackets 2 from the trestles and covered by
insulating material ³. The edges of hand h³ at h* are faced with steel, and these
edges are separated by a comparatively small space which is the only opening by
which access can be had to the conductor H. the conductor being thus almost
entirely enclosed. From any convenient part of the locomotive project downwards
two bolts K which are insulated from the metal of the train but are connected to
the coils of the motor. On these bolts is fitted free to slide between springs k k
within collars k¹¹ a metal block K' in a groove of which is held an arched block
of carbon or other conducting material which constitutes the rubber making
the contact with the conductor H as it is carried along by the train under the
conductor.
In order to provide against excessive heating due to the friction of the rubber,
water is forced down holes k³ bored in the bolts K and the block K' and up through
holes in the rubber k³, the water being thus directed against the lower side of the
conductor H. The spent water flows through the grating into the groove below
and issues from the groove by outlets arranged at intervals. On the plate K'
are mounted rollers which run on the faces in case of considerable vertical
oscillation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A vehicle for a single rail elevated railway consisting of two bogies each
having a pair of vertical running wheels and a pair of horizontal guide wheels
mounted on a bogie frame on springs on which is carried a pair of passenger
compartments one on each side, connected to the two bogie frames by perch pins,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. An electric locomotive for a single rail elevated railway having a pair of
bogies and passenger compartments arranged as above, but each vertical wheel of
each bogie being mounted between a pair of electro-magnets and being provided
with coils and a commutator on each of its faces so as to operate as an electro motor,
substantially as described.
3. Mounting the horizontal guide wheels on bell crank levers strained by springs,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

page_text: 4. The construction of horizontal guide wheel with rollers mounted on spring
frames within it, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7Aª.
5. The arrangement of electric conductor and rubber substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 8, 9 and 10.
1004
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.