Hanger for Trolley-wires of Electric Railways.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Hanger for Trolley-wires of Electric Railways.
I, WILLIAM ANDREW MCCALLUM, residing at corner of Main and Hutchins
Avenue, Avondale, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America, General Manager
of the Electric Railway Equipment Company, 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:-
"6
My invention relates to 'hangers" employed in electric railway service to
suspend the "ears" carrying the trolley-wire from the cross-wires attached to poles
or from other supports. In the structures as heretofore made, more or less
difficulty has been experienced from the tendency of the parts to become unscrewed
and work loose under the constant vibration to which they are subjected.
My invention is intended to provide a remedy for this evil, and a simple and
practical construction easily made and kept in order; and to this end it consists in
the hanger constructed as herein set forth and claimed, in which the principal
features of novelty are in providing the hanger-cap and the point of the insulated
bolt with oppositely cut threads; providing the inner surface of the hanger-cap
and the upper surface of the insulated bolt with suitable dentations and inter-
posing between these a compressible washer to form a lock to prevent inter-
rotation under nominal conditions but allow of forcible displacement in taking
apart. Thus the insulated bolt is prevented from rotating while in use by the cap,
and the cap prevented from rotation by the bolt, and compressible washer.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which :—
Figure 1 is a general side elevation of the device complete;
Figure 2 a similar view, cross sectioned to show construction;
Figure 3 a plan view of the device and cap removed; and Figure 4 a side
elevation of the insulated bolt detached.
Referring now to the drawings A designates the holder or hanger proper, which
is preferably in the form of an inverted funnel with an upward cylindrical extension,
countersunk interiorly to form a shoulder a to receive and support a bolt B of hard
rubber or other insulating material, embodying a metal stem c projecting below the
funnel. The lower end or stem of the insulated bolt is threaded in the usual
manner to engage the ear d (indicated by dotted lines Figure 1) to which is
secured the trolley-wire as is customary.
"
The holder may be provided with opposite lateral wings w with grooved seats
for engagement of the cross-wire w¹, or is otherwise suitably provided to suspend
the device from its supports.
The upper surface of the insulated bolt is a little above the upper margin of the
holder, and is serrated with teeth, such for example, as indicated in the figures,
Upon the upper
having their inclinations all in the same circumferential direction.
cylindrical extension of the holder A is secured a screw-cap E by threads at
the interior wall of the cap engaging similar threads at the exterior wall of the
extension, the spiral of these threads being inclined oppositely to that of the
threads at the lower end of the stem c of bolt B. The inner face of the cap E is
provided with teeth corresponding" oppositely with those of the insulated bolt,

page_text: these having such relation to the threads of the cap, as that when the latter is
screwed home the teeth would prevent back movement if they were in side contact.
This function is accomplished by the interposition of a washer f of somewhat elastic
material, such as a disc of leather, or of rubber, between the cap and the upper
surface of the insulated bolt B which disc being compressed between the ratchet
surfaces, as the surfaces are drawn closer together in screwing down the cap,
engages the opposite toothed surfaces and prevents ordinary displacement, yet
permits the cap to be taken off when necessary by reverse movement of the parts.
It will be seen also that any rotation of the insulated bolt B tending to unseat from
the ear d rotates the cap E by the agency of the disc fand causes it to seat more
closely on the holder A. Thus the opposite threads of the cap E and of the bolt B
in conjunction with the disc f and the ratchet teeth of the bolt and cap, serve as a
check against displacement either of the cap from the bolt, or of the bolt from the
eard while at the same time, constituting a simple, practical construction easily
made and applied.
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. In a line-hanger of the character indicated, the combination with the holder
of a screw-cap having its inner face provided with teeth or corrugations adapted to
engage by backward rotation of the screw-cap, an insulated bolt seated in the
holder, and, provided with teeth or corrugations corresponding. with those of the
cap, and an interposed compressible disc, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a holder of an insulated bolt seated therein having a
toothed or corrugated upper surface, a screw-threaded cap having a corresponding
inner face, a suspending end of the bolt threaded oppositely from the cap, and a
compressible washer interposed between the cap and the insulated bolt, substantially
as set forth.
101
1000