Improvements in and relating to Heating Apparatus for use on Electric Railways.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Heating Apparatus for use on
Electric Railways.
I, MARK WESLEY DEWEY, of 150 North Salina Street in the City of Syracuse, in
the County of Onondaga, in the State of New York, United States of America,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to electric-heating apparatus for electric railways, and especially
electric railways wherein the propelling-motors are connected in the line-working
conductor in series or derived circuit.
The main object of my invention is to provide electric-heating apparatus for my
series electric-railway system, described and shown in United States Letters Patent
No. 419,841, dated January 21, 1890, and in British Patent No. 6492 of 1890 and
other series electric railways, and electric railways employing a constant, or nearly
constant, current of varied electro-motive force.
The object of my invention also, is to automatically regulate the current flowing
through the heaters independently of the motors.
"
In a series system of electric railway, the electric heaters, or the secondary generators
for the heaters, may be connected and maintained in the supply circuit in series and
the current flowing through the heaters automatically regulated. While not absolutely
necessary it is very important that the current flowing through the heater be auto-
matically regulated, especially in railway systems employing a so-called constant
current," as in the series systems, for the electro-motive force of the current is con-
tinually varying, and the current, although substantially constant, is fluctuated
considerably, and is liable at times to become too strong for the heaters, or of a
strength sufficient to fuse the heating devices of said heaters.
To this end my invention consists in the combination, with a series electric railway,
or a railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in the supply circuit, of
travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected to the supply-
circuit, to propel said vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles and connected in
the supply-circuit in series, and means to regulate the current flowing through the
heaters.
My invention consists, further, and more specifically in the combination, with an
electric railway, of a continuous line-working conductor, a vehicle, an electric motor
to propel said vehicle, electrical connections between said motor and working-conductor,
suitable means to create or locate electrical resistance or counter electro-motive force
in said conductor between the connections, an electric heater to heat said vehicle,
suitable means for supplying current to the beater from the line-conductor, and an
automatic current-regulator on the vehicle to control the current flowing through the
heater independently of the motor.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an electric railway and a vehicle or
motor-ar ambodving my invention

page_text: Fig. 2 is a diagram of an electric railway employing alternating currents and having
a permanently continuous working-conductor and showing propelling-motors and
electric heaters on vehicles in series or derived circuit.
Fig. 3 is a diagram of an electric railway provided with a source of direct current
and having a sectional working-conductor with circuit makers and breakers and
showing an electric heater in the vehicle-circuit connected to the working-
conductor.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing heaters in a secondary circuit of an inductional
transformer, and
Fig. 5 shows the motor and heater connected in circuit in series multiple and
an automatic current-regulator for the heater.
Referring specifically to the drawings,
A in the figures represents the vehicle or car ;
A the stationary source of electric current or currents for the railway;
B the supply-circuit or line-working conductor connected to the source and
arranged along the path of the vehicle or railway and supported ou supports or
.standards b.
C is the resistance or counter-electro-motive force device carried by the vehicle.
D is the vehicle circuit or conductor containing the propelling motor E and having
its terminals connected to the electrical connections or movable contacts e and c¹.
H is the heater to heat the vehicle and carried by the same, and J is the automatic
current-regulator for the heater.
Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A' is preferably a source of alternating
currents. Frepresents a slotted underground conduit along the railway and con-
taining the line-working conductor B; and (is the counter-electro-motive-force
device located between the collectors or contacts c and c¹ and fully described in my
patent, hereinbefore referred to.
The
It will be sufficient to say here that the counter-electro-motive-force device opposes
the flow of the current more or less in the line between the contacts c and c and
practically converts that portion of the line-conductor into a non-conductor.
effect of this device is to compel the entire current or a portion thereof in the line to
flow through the vehicle circuit or conductor D and through any consumption or
translating devices contained therein. By means of this device the propelling motors
or heaters on the cars are practically included in the line-working conductor or
supply-circuit B in series.
In Fig. 2 several vehicles or cars A are shown, having both their propelling motors
and electric heaters connected in the line circuit in series. The vehicle-conductor D
may be termed a "derived circuit."
in Fig. 1 is a shunt-circuit around the motor on the vehicle, and contains an
adjustable resistance d to control the current flowing through the motor to regulate its
movement; but it will be obvious that the shunt may be dispensed with and the motor
controlled, as usual, by sbifting its brushes on the commutator. The motor E is shown
connected to the driving-axle by a belt or chain g; but said motor and driving-
axle may be, of course, connected together in any other suitable manner.
The heater H located in conductor D in Fig. 1 may be of any suitable and well
known form of construction, or any other suitable electric heater.
. I is a shunt-path for the current around the heater H and containing a current-
controller or adjustable resistance i for the purpose of varying the current through
the heater, as desired, to control the temperature of the same.
When the shunt I is
open, as shown, the entire current in the vehicle-conductor flows through the heater ;
but as the resistance is cut out the current is shunted around the heater, which
consequently decreases the heat in the latter.
R is another shunt around the heater, and containing a variable resistance and
circuit maker and breaker, forming part of the automatic current-regulator. The
helix is located in direct circuit, or in the vehicle-conductor D, and the armature h¹
is preferably a ring or cap of metal, and is fixed to the pivoted lever e¹¹ of the regulator,
which latter is held in contact with an adjustable stop-screw e by means of the spring e¹.

page_text: As alternating currents are preferably employed in this case, the helix will repel the
armature instead of attracting it, and thus move the lever. In the position shown
the shunt R is open, allowing all the current to pass through the heater H assuming
that the resistance of said heater is sufficiently low to allow the entire current to pass
through it without fusing; but should the strength of the current be much increased,
even for an instant, the resistance in the heater would be destroyed or injured without
an automatic current-regulator. This regulator maintains the current perfectly constant,
and is operated whenever the current becomes too strong. All the current flowing
through the heater and the shunt I when the latter is closed, passes through the
helix and should the current increase in strength the helix would repel its armature /¹
and move the pivoted lever e¹¹ of the regulator against the resistance of the spring el
to close the shunt R and cut out resistance in proportion to the increase in the strength
of the current.
Referring particularly and briefly to Fig. 3, which is a diagram of an ordinary
series electric railway, A¹ represents preferably a source of direct current. B repre-
sents the supply circuit or line-working conductor cut up into sections of convenient
length, the sections being connected together by suitable circuit makers and
breakers a a a, which normally complete the circuit through themselves from one
section to the other. The circuit makers and breakers are springs attached to the
ends of the sections. C is the resistance, in this case located in the working-conductor
and passing between the springs and carried by the vehicle, and may consist of a
strip of insulating material of suitable length. Strips of metal are fixed to the sides
of the insulating strip and form the electrical connections or movable contacts cand c¹.
The terminals of the vehicle-conductor D are connected to the said contacts. E is a
direct-current motor connected to the vehicle-conductor. The heating apparatus in
connection with the vehicle-conductor is the same as that in Fig. 1, with the exception
that the helix of the automatic regulator attracts its armature, in this case a core,
instead of repelling it.
Referring to Fig. 4, T represents an inductional transformer having its primary coil
included in the vehicle-conductor D and its secondary coil in a heating-circuit D" of
lower resistance than the supply-circuit. The heating-circuit includes two low-
resistance heaters, which may be the same or similar to that shown and described in my
United States Letters Patent No. 423,223, dated March 11, 1890, and British Patent
No. 1012400 and designed to be used in my electric car-heating systems already
patented in the United States and numbered, respectively, 401,482 and 406,890, or
any other suitable form of low-resistance heaters. The heating circuit is provided
with a circuit breaker s' and a low-resistance shunt having a circuit closer s for
shunting the heating current around either one of the heaters, if desired. It is
intended in some cases to place these heaters one on each side of the car under the
seats; but I will not limit myself to these positions. The heating-current in this
case is automatically regulated by shunting the current flowing through the primary
coil of the transformer T by means of an automatic regulator J similar to that shown
in Fig. 1, and in other respects the figures are substantially alike.
Fig. 5 differs from Fig. 1 only in the fact that the heater to heat the vehicle and
the automatic current-controller are in series in a derived circuit around the motor E,
and are connected with the motor in the line-working conductor or supply-circuit B
in series multiple.
I is a circuit-breaker to cut out the heater H and automatic regulator J.
I do not limit myself to the location of the line-working conductor or to the details
of construction of other devices shown and described herein, as they may be modified
in various ways without departing from my invention.
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-In an electric railway, a line-working conductor, a vehicle, an electric motor to
propel said vehicle, electrical connections between said motor and working-conductor,

page_text: suitable means to create or locate electrical resistance or counter electro-motive force
in said conductor between the connections, an electric heater to heat said vehicle, and
suitable means for supplying current to the heater from the line-conductor.
2-In an electric railway, a permanently-continuous line-working conductor, a
vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, electrical connections between said
motor and working conductor, suitable means to create or locate electrical resistance
or counter-electro-motive force in said conductor between the connections, an electric
heater to heat said vehicle, and suitable means for supplying current to the heater
from the line-conductor.
3-In an electric railway, a line-working conductor, a vehicle, an electric motor to
propel said vehicle, electrical connections between said motor and working-conductor,
suitable means to create or locate electrical resistance or counter electro-motive force
in said conductor between the connections, an electric heater to heat said vehicle,
suitable means for supplying current to the heater from the line-conductor, and an
automatic current-regulator on the vehicle to control the current flowing through
the heater independently of the motor.
4-In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in the
supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles connected in
the supply-circuit in series to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said
vehicles, and suitable means for supplying current to the heaters from the supply-
circuit.
5-In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in the
supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected
to the supply-circuit to propel the vehicles, and electric heaters to heat said vehicles
and connected in the supply-circuit in series.
6-In an electric railway, a supply-circuit extending along the way, travelling
vehicles, electric motors on said vebicles electrically connected to the supply-circuit
to propel the vehicles, and electric heaters to heat said vehicles and connected in the
supply circuit in series.
7 In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in the
supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles connected in the
supply-circuit in series to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles,
and suitable means for supplying current to the heaters from the supply-circuit, and
means to regulate the current flowing through the heaters.
8-In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in the
supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected
to the supply-circuit to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles and
connected in the supply circuit in series, and means to regulate the current flowing
through the heaters.
9 In an electric railway, a supply-circuit extending along the way, travelling
vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected to the supply-circuit
to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles and connected in
the supply-circuit in series, and means to regulate the current flowing through the
heaters.
10 In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in
the supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles connected
in the supply-circuit in series to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said
vehicles, and suitable means for supplying current to the heaters from the supply-
circuit, and means to automatically regulate the current flowing through the
heaters.
11-In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in
the supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically
connected to the supply-circuit to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said
vehicles and connected in the supply-circuit in series, and means to automatically'
regulate the current flowing through the heaters.
12-In an electric railway, a supply-circuit extending along the way, travelling
vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected to the supply-circuit to

page_text: propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles and connected in the supply-
circuit in series, and means to automatically regulate the current flowing through the
heaters.
13-In an electric railway employing a constant or nearly constant current in
the supply-circuit, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically
connected to the supply-circuit to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said
vehicles and connected in the supply circuit in series, and means to control the current
flowing through the heaters independently of the motors.
14 In an electric railway, a supply-circuit extending along the way, travelling
vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles electrically connected to the supply-circuit
to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat said vehicles and connected in the supply-
circuit in series, and means to control the current flowing through the heaters
independently of the motors.
15-In an electrically-propelled vehicle provided with a motor arranged to employ
a constant or nearly constant current of varied electro-motive force, an electric heater
carried by the vehicle to heat the same, a circuit on the vehicle including said motor
and heater, and means to regulate the current flowing through the heater independently
of the motor.
16-In an electrically-propelled vehicle provided with a motor arranged to employ
a constant or nearly constant current of varied electro-motive force, an electric heater
carried by the vehicle to heat the same, a circuit on the vehicle including said motor
and heater, and means to automatically regulate the current flowing through the
heater independently of the motor.
17 In an electrically-propelled vehicle provided with a motor arranged to employ
a constant or nearly constant current of varied electro-motive force, an electric heater
carried by the vehicle to heat the same, a circuit on the vehicle including said motor
and heater in series, and means to automatically regulate the current flowing through
the heater independently of the motor.
18-In an electric railway, a line-working conductor, a travelling vehicle, an electric
motor to propel said vehicle, an electric heater carried by the vehicle to heat the same,
an electrical connection between the vehicle and working-conductor to supply current,
and means to antomatically regulate the current flowing through the heater
independently of the motor.
19 In an electric railway, a line-working conductor supplied with a constant
or nearly constant current, travelling vehicles, electric motors on said vehicles con-
nected in the line-conductor in series to propel the vehicles, electric heaters to heat
said vehicles, and suitable means for supplying current to the heaters from the line-
conductor.
1000
1000
Dated this 10th day of May 10.
MARK WESLEY DEWEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.