Improvements in and connected with Electric Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
Improvements in and connected with Electric Railways and
Tramways.
I, ELIZABETH WARWICK, of 147, Belden Avenue, Chicago, United States of
America, Gentlewoman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement; -
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with electric railways
and tramways, and has reference more particularly to the construction and
arrangement of the trolley rail or conductor.
One object of the improvements is to enable a conductor of sufficient sectional
area to carry the whole current for working the line of railway or tramway, to be
used without, of necessity requiring the employment of feed wires or conductors,
and at the same time keeping the resistance so low that there is practically no
waste of energy.
Another object is to enable the conductor to be supported in a very efficient
and permanent manner, and at the same time permit of its free expansion and
contraction without interfering with the electrical continuity thereof.
When applying my invention to an underground or conduit system, the con-
ductor is clamped by insulating blocks to brackets on the yokes; or I employ
troughs of channel iron extending from yoke to yoke and connected at their ends
to the said brackets, the said conductor being supported in such troughs by insu-
lating pieces placed at suitable intervals apart. Where the ends of the conductor
meet together I provide a metallic coupling piece which is insulated from the
trough or contiguous metallic parts.
When my invention is applied to a surface system, that is to say, one in which
the conductor is placed on the bed of an ordinary railway or tramway the aforesaid
troughs are so formed as to permit of their being secured to the railways sleepers
or otherwise fixed in place between or at the side of the ordinary rails. In this
case as the conductor would be more exposed and unprotected than when situated
in a conduit, I prefer to embed the conductor in asphalt or other suitable insulat-
ing material, so that only the portion which comes into contact with the trolley
wheel will be left naked.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully by aid of the accompanying
drawings in which ;-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and
Figure 2 a transverse section on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1 showing the means
I employ for supporting the conductor when it is applied to a conduit system.
Figure 3 is a transverse section similar to Figure 2 but shows a modification.
Figures 4 and 5 are similar views to Figures 1 and 2 but show the conductor
supported in troughs extending from yoke to yoke.
Figure 6 is a plan, and
Figures 7, 8 and 9 transverse sections taken respectively on the lines 2,2 3,3
and 4, 4, of Figure 6, showing the said troughs adapted for use on a surface system.
Tiance 10 to 12
T

page_text: Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 AA are the conductors, B, B the
yokes and C, C the slot rails between which the trolley leg on the car projects
downwardly to reach the conductors A as. is well understood. Each of the said
conductors is preferably made of hard drawn copper and of the cross-sectional
shape indicated in the drawings.
The said yokes in Figures 1 to 3 are formed with lateral brackets bb to each of
which is fitted a detachable clamping block or cover. b. Between such bracket
and clamping block is arranged an insulating block 62 which is horizontally
divided into two parts so as to permit of the conductor being readily placed in
position between them. 6363 are bolts extending through the bracket and clamp-
ing block and serving to tightly clamp the parts together. The said insulating
blocks have flanges 64 which engage with corresponding recesses in the bracket
and cover so as to prevent the said blocks from shifting laterally. It will be
obvious. that instead of the insulating blocks being clamped to the bracket on the
yoke they may be clamped to suitable projections or supports specially "provided
for them in the conduit.
11
The trolley conductors are in cross-section of tapered or other suitable 'formation
and the extent to which they protrude from the insulating blocks is advantageously
made sufficient to permit of the trolley wheel to run against the side or top or
bottom surface thereof.
P
In Figure 3 the trolley conductors are of approximately rectangular shape and
are formed with recesses a a' for the reception of corresponding projections formed
on clamping blocks 65. These blocks are made of insulating material and are
superimposed upon the bracket b with which the yoke is formed. Bolts 63 63
extend through the said blocks and the bracket and thereby firmly retain these
parts together and support the conductor in position. The conductors are in this
figure especially intended for use with sliding contacts mounted on the trolley
leg of the car.
".
In Figures 4 and 5 the conductors are arranged in troughs DD each of which
is of such a length as to lie between two yokes, where it is supported at its ends
by brackets 6 on the said yokes. dd. are screws by which the troughs are con-
nected to the brackets. Within the troughs the conductor is supported by insu-
lating blocks which are arranged at suitable intervals apart and held in place
by screws d². Gaps or breaks a² are left between the various lengths of the con-
ductor and similar gaps are left between the ends of the troughs and the yokes,
to allow for expansion and contraction under changes of temperature.
In order to provide the necessary electrical connection between the lengths of
conductor at the breaks or gaps a², I place at each of these latter a metal shoe or
jointing block at having a recess of the same shape as the conductor. Into this
jointing block the ends of the adjacent lengths of the conductor fit with sufficient
tightness to make a good electrical contact, but not so tightly as to prevent the
expanding or contracting movement. If desired the said jointing block a' may
be dove-tailed and be supported by one of the insulating blocks d¹ in the same
manner as the conductor itself is supported.
г.
Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 the aforesaid troughs D are made with a web D¹
and a foot D to enable them to be connected by spikes or otherwise to the
sleepers E of an ordinary railway and the conductor is supported therein at
intervals by means of cross pieces or blocks d² of insulating material similar to
the blocks d employed in the previous example illustrated by Figures 4 and 5.
Jointing blocks a' are also employed for connecting together the ends of the
conductor as already explained in connection with Figures 4 and 5.
The conductor is in this case embedded in asphalt or other suitable insulating
material F, which extends almost but not quite to the top of the conductor with
its surface sloping downwardly therefrom as illustrated for the purpose of allowing
rain water to flow away from the conductor.
As the conductor and its trough project above the bed of the track like ordinary
rails, it is desirable in some cases to provide means for preventing anyone inad-
1 ☑

page_text: vertently putting his foot upon the said conductor in crossing the line. For this
purpose one side of the trough is represented as being extended upward at D³ to
a sufficient height above the conductor to keep the foot, when resting thereon, clear
of the said conductor, and suitable holes or apertures D are provided in the raised
side D³ for the escape of the rainwater as aforesaid..
When such a conductor is arranged by the side of the rails instead of between
the rails as in these figures, the higher side D3 of the trough is preferably placed
outward. The conductor and the ordinary rails of the track may be arranged at
any suitable levels relatively to one another. Although I have only shown one of
my improved trolley conductors yet I prefer to employ two, arranged side by side
or otherwise, one for the flow and the other for the return of the current, in order
to avoid using the ordinary rails for the return.
In Figures 10 to 13 I have illustrated another form of the trough and the con-
ductor. In this case the web of the trough is omitted and the feet are formed as
flanges on the sides thereof. At the bottom of the trough I arrange conducting
wires A which are supported in insulating blocks d. These wires may be utilized
for supplying current to the conductor or for supplying current for electric light-
ing or other commercial purposes. As in the previous example the conductor is
supported by insulating blocks d² at intervals and the ends of the conductors are
connected by metallic jointing blocks a', the whole being embedded in asphalt
or other insulating material F. The conductor is in this instance of approxi-
mately rectangular cross section with grooves A³ in its sides for the reception of
corresponding projections on the jointing blocks a*. In this case also the con-
ductor is located midway between the rails of the track.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the cross-sectional
shape of the conductor illustrated in the drawings as the shape may be varied to
suit circumstances.
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. A trolley conductor supported in a conduit by means of divided insulating
blocks clamped between a fixed bracket on the yoke or other rigid part of the
conduit and a detachable cover bolted or otherwise connected to said bracket sub-
stantially as described.
2. The combination with a bracket on the yoke or other rigid part of the con-
duit of superimposed insulating blocks formed to engage with recesses in the con-
ductor and adapted to be detachably connected to said bracket or rigid part by
bolts or otherwise substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with brackets on the yokes or other rigid parts of the
conduit, of troughs extending between the brackets and detachably connected
thereto, the conductor being supported within the troughs by insulating blocks
substantially as described.
4. The combination of a trough, a trolley conductor supported therein by insu-
lating blocks, metallic jointing blocks for connecting the ends of the conductor,
with or without a filling of asphalt or like material substantially as described and
for the purpose specified.
5. The improvements in electric railways or tramways substantially as described
with reference to Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 to 13 and for the purposes specified.
10th
P Amount 1000
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.