Improvements in Trolley Supports for Electric Railways.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Trolley Supports for Electric Railways.
I, JOHAN MARINIUS ANDERSEN, a citizen of the United States, of 21
Hamilton Street, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States of
America, Mechanical 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 a novel construction of support or holding mechanism
for the trolley pole used in the overhead system of electric railways.
This invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient mechanism,
which, when mounted upon a car, projects but a substantially short distance
above the roof of the car, and which is so constructed as to enable the trolley
pole to be brought near to and substantially parallel with the roof of the car,
whereby the improved trolley pole-holder may be used on electric railways in
which the trolley wire is suspended but a substantially short distance above the
roof of the car, and whereby a car, thus equipped, may pass under low bridges,
or other similar structures situated but a substantially short distance above the
road bed. In accordance with this invention, the trolley pole-holder is mounted
to rock in a vertical direction upon a shaft or rod having bearings in a frame
pivotally mounted upon a suitable base or casting to enable the trolley-pole to
be turned toward either end of the car, the pivot of the said supporting frame
being located out of line with the trolley pole-holder and preferably in front of
the said shaft, as will be described. The trolley pole-holder is normally turned
into a substantially upright position by means of springs having one end secured
to a frame sliding on suitable ribs, or guides secured to or forming part of the
pivotal frame referred to, the other end of the said springs being secured to the
trolley pole holder, as will be described.
These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at
the end of this Specification.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings forming part of this Specification
Fig. 1, represents in side elevation, partially broken out, a trolley pole-holding
mechanism embodying this invention, the trolley pole being indicated by dotted
lines in its lowered position substantially parallel with the roof of the car, and
Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the trolley pole-holding mechanism shown in
Fig. 1.
Referring to Fig. 1. A represents a suitable base or casting, herein shown as
circular in form, which is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to the roof
of the car, represented by the heavy black line A. The casting A. has pivotally
mounted upon it a supporting frame A³, consisting, as herein shown, of side
pieces a a¹ and end pieces a² a³, the end a' being provided with a suitable hole or
opening through which is extended the pin a constituting the pivot pin for the
frame A', the said pin, as herein represented, being provided with a cap or head a°.
The supporting frame A³, in accordance with this invention, forms bearings for a
shaft or rod a, the said bearings being located behind the pivotal point of the said
frame and preferably being formed by enlargements or hubs a' forming part of the
side pieces a a¹.
The shaft a between the side pieces a a¹ has mounted upon it, as herein shown,
a sleeve a having secured to or forming part of it an upright tubular portion a³,
constituting a socket or holder into which is inserted the lower end of the trolley
pole a, shown only by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the tubular socket or portion a being
herein represented as divided by a longitudinal slot a¹ into two parts or halves,

page_text: which are adapted to be drawn together to grip the trolley pole by the clamping
screws a extended through suitable side lugs as ou the halves of the socket a
The sleeve as has extended from it on opposite sides of the socket or tubular
portion aº, arms bb preferably made substantially triangular in shape as herein
shown. Each arm b'is provided, as shown, with a curved slot 6 through which is
extended a pin or rivet 6, connecting two side plates constituting a link to
connect the trolley pole-holder with its operating springs 6. The side plates be b
of the link are preferably made substantially triangular in shape as herein shown,
and are pivotally connected to the arm by a pivot pin or rivet 7, the said plates
being also secured at their apices as by a pin 6, to a plate or casting 6° provided on
its opposite sides, as herein represented, with two slotted arms 10, each of which is
adapted to receive and engage a cross bar 6" on a screw or threaded rod 6" inserted
into the end of the coiled spring 6, connected at its opposite end by a similar
threaded rod b and cross bar 68, to slotted arms 617 on a casting or plate 618,
pivotally connected by a pin 6 to lugs or ears 6,20 on a cross bar 6, provided at its
opposite ends with guide-ways 6200 to embrace guiding ribs 6" on the sides a a¹ of
the frame A'. The cross bar is movable on the ribs 22 by means of a threaded
bolt or rod 623, extended through a threaded socket or hub in the sliding cross
bar 6, and through the end a of the frame A³, the said rod being provided outside
the frame A' with a collar 67.
In this improved trolley pole-supporting mechanism, the trolley pole-holder a® is
normally brought into the position indicated by full lines, Fig. 1, by the springs bº,
when free, but when it is in practical operation on a car, the trolley pole is inclined
backward and the trolley wheel is held up against the trolley wire by the
springs 6, and when the car passes under a substantially low bridge or like
structure, the trolley pole is automatically brought into substantially the position
indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 1, the springs being elongated by the movement
of the arms from their full line position to their dotted line position, Fig. 1, and
in the said movement, the pin or rivet travels in the curved slot 2, the curve of
which forms part of a circle having the pin 67 as a center. The supporting frame A
is shaped or constructed so that its side pieces incline or taper downwardly away
from the pivot of the trolley pole-holder, whereby the rear end a of the said frame
is brought substantially near the roof of the car, and the trolley pole-holder is
mounted at the front end of the supporting frame at the upper portion thereof, so
that, in the normal or vertical position of the trolley pole-holder, as represented by
full lines in Fig. 1, the springs 6' will be inclined rearwardly from the pivot a' of
the supporting frame toward the top of the car. By this construction, the trolley
pole-holder may be brought from its substantially vertical position into a position
substantially at right angles thereto, as represented in Fig. 1, by dotted lines, and
the trolley pole a¹ may be brought below a line or plane substantially parallel with
the top of the car, and by inclining the rear portion of the supporting frame so that
its rear cross bar or end a³ is below a horizontal line through the shaft a³ as
represented in Fig. 1, the pole al may be brought close to the roof of the car, so
that the trolley wheel may roll against the trolley wire, which may be located but
little distance above the trolley supporting mechanism.
Furthermore, by constructing a supporting frame, so that the trolley pole-holder
is pivoted in the said frame out of vertical line with the pivot for the frame, the
trolley pole support or holding mechanism may be made compact and of little
height, so that, it projects but a substantially short distance above the top of the
car, thereby enabling the overhead trolley wire system to be used on highways
provided with low bridges or similar structures spanning the highway, whereas,
heretofore the overhead electric trolley wire system could not be extended or used
on highways having low bridges without change to the bridges or other structures,
on account of the height of the trolley pole-holding mechanism above the car, and
also on account of the rear end of the trolley pole, when the latter had been brought
into its lowest position nearest the car, being at such time a considerable distance
above the car. So also, by making the trolley pole-holding mechanism compact

page_text: and so as to lie close to the top of the car, the electric car is given a neater and
less objectionable appearance.
By means of the pivotal frame A³, the trolley pole and its mechanism may be
swung on the pivot a', when it is desired to change the direction of the travel of
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. A trolley pole supporting mechanism comprising a base, a supporting frame
pivoted thereto at or near one end and consisting of side and end pieces, a trolley
pole holder secured to the side pieces to rock in a substantially vertical direction,
springs connected to the trolley pole-holder, a cross bar movable on the side pieces
of the frame and to which the springs are connected, and means to move said
cross bar.
2. A trolley pole supporting mechanism comprising a base, a supporting frame
pivoted to the said base at one end and provided with side pieces tapering or
downwardly inclined toward their rear end, a trolley pole-holder secured to said
side pieces to rock in a substantially vertical direction, and springs carried by the
said frame and connected to the trolley pole-holder.
3. A. trolley pole supporting mechanism comprising a base, a supporting frame
pivoted thereto at or near one end, and provided with side guiding ribs, a trolley
pole-holder secured to the said frame out of line with its pivot to rock thereon in
a substantially vertical plane, springs connected to the trolley pole-holder and to a
cross bar movable on the said side guiding ribs, and an adjusting rod extended
through the said cross bar and supporting fraine.
4. A trolley pole-supporting mechanism comprising a base, a supporting frame
pivoted thereto, a trolley pole-holder mounted in said frame to rock in a sub-
stantially vertical direction, an arm attached to the trolley pole-holder and
provided with a curved slot 6, a link pivotally secured to a solid portion of said
arm and provided with a pin extended into the slot 3, and springs connected to
said link.
Dated this 10th day of October 1893.
AMBROSE MYALL,
2, Lancaster Place, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.