Improved Means for Electrically Connecting the Rails or Sections of Electric Railways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th May, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Electrically Connecting the Rails or Sections
of Electric Railways.
We, ROBERT CALTHROP BROWN, of Presidents Row, Somerville, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Electrical Engineer, and FRANKLIN ELIAS HUNTRESS
of 324 Elm Street, Somerville, Massachusetts, United States of America, Merchant,
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 is an improvement in electric railway construction in which the
rails of the track form part of the electric circuit, and relates more particularly to
the railbond employed to effect an electrical connection between two contiguous
rails or sections of the track. The invention has for its object to provide an
improved railbond by which a more efficient electrical connection or joint may be
obtained between contiguous rails, so as to prevent the interposition of resistance
due to a bad connection or joint and thereby maintain the use and benefit of the
rail as a conductor at its normal carrying capacity.
The invention further consists in a novel construction by which electrolysis or
local action is prevented or reduced to a minimum, thereby prolonging the life and
efficiency of the bond, and consequently maintaining the carrying capacity of
the rail.
These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claim at
the end of this specification.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of two abutting or contiguous rails partially broken out
and electrically connected by a railbond embodying this invention.
Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1 to more clearly show the construction
of the railbond.
Fig. 3, a vertical sectional detail to be referred to, on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, and
on an enlarged scale, and Figs. 4 and 5, modifications to be referred to.
The rails A A 1, forming part of an electric railway system, may and preferably
will be made substantially as shown in Fig. 3, each rail consisting of a base a, a
tread a 1 and a connecting vertical web a 2.
In accordance with this invention, the rails A A 1 are electrically joined or con-
nected together by a bond consisting of preferably tapering hollow plugs a 3 a 4 of
iron or steel, which are driven into and through suitable holes in the webs a 2 of the
said rails, the said hollow plugs being of such diameter with relation to the said
holes, and vice versa, that the plugs will fit tight and be firmly secured to the rails.
The bollow plugs a 3 a 4, for the best results, are made substantially long so as
to obtain a long bearing surface for one or more tie wires or bonds b, a single wire
being herein shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, and of such size or diameter to fit somewhat
snugly the hollow plug.
The bond or tie wire bis preferably made of copper on account of its superior
conductivity, and I prefer to employ a single or continuous wire for each joint, the
ends of which are extended through the hollow plugs carried by the rails AA1
and may be connected together by means of a sleeve or tube 61, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, into which the opposite ends of the tie wire bare inserted, thereby
forming a metallic Joop by which the rails A A 1 are connected together.
In order to secure good electrical contact between the tie wire b and the hollow

page_text: plugs a 3 a 4, the tie wires are soldered to the hollow plugs and in the drawing this
solder is represented by the heavy dark line 63, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the
ends of the tie wire bare soldered to the interior surface of the sleeve or tube bl
which may be effected by providing the said tube or sleeve with a hole or opening
preferably a longitudinal slot through which the solder is poured, the said solder
being represented by the heavy black line 64 in Fig. 3.
The soldering of the tie wire b to the hollow plugs a 3 a 4 and to the connecting
sleeve b1 effects a most efficient electrical connection between the rails A A 1, and
when the tie wire is composed of copper, this method of securing electrical contact
between the copper tie wire and the hollow steel or iron plugs, prevents or
reduces to a minimum electrolysis or local action between, these dissimilar metals,
and as a result, the life and efficiency of the bond is prolonged and the carrying
enpacity of the rail as a conductor is maintained at its normal capacity.
The local action referred to, if established between the copper tie wire and the
steel plug, would form a decomposition of both metals and more particularly of
the copper tie wire, which would cause a wasting away of the copper wire, thereby
interposing resistance in the rail cirenit, which would impair the usefulness of the
rail as a conductor, and thereby diminish its carrying capacity, and after a sufficient
length of time, the copper wire would become eaten away and parted, thereby wholly
destroying the circuit between the rails A A 1.
I have herein shown the rail bond as consisting of a single tie wire, but I do not
desire to limit my invention in this respect, as instead thereof, I may use a
plurality of smaller wires, as shown in Fig. 4, so also I prefer to employ a copper
tie wire on account of the superior conductivity, but the hollow plug, when used
with a tie wire of iron or steel or other metal affords a superior means of effecting
an electrical joint or connection between the rails A A 1.
I have herein shown the tie wire as a single continuous wire having its opposite
ends connected together by the sleeve b 1, and while I prefer this construction, it
may be found desirable to employ a tie wire for each hollow plug and joined at
their ends on opposite sides of the rail by two sleeves 61 or in any other suitable
manner.
Iu Fig. 1, two railbonds are represented as connecting the rails A. A 1, but any
desired number may be employed..
In practice, the hollow plugs a 3 a 4 may be coated with solder by dipping them
into a Bath of solder previous to driving the said plugs into and through the holes
in the web of the rails.
In the construction of rail bond shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the tie wire may
be soldered to the tapered hollow plugs before the latter are driven into the
openings in the rail, but in some instances, it may be desirable to solder the tie
wire in the hollow plugs, after the tie wire has been passed through the holes in
the rails after the manner represented in Fig. 5, and in this latter construction one
of the hollow plugs may be soldered to one end of the wire before the latter is
passed through the holes in the rail, or both plugs may be soldered after the ends
of the wire have been inserted through the holes in the rails. In the construction
represented in Figs. 4 and 5, a single tie wire or bond may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination with the rails of an electric railway, of a railbond comprising
hollow plugs inserted through the rails to be connected, and a tie wire extended
into the hollow plugs and soldered thereto, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the rails of an electric railway, of a railbond comprising
a hollow plug inserted through each of the rails to be connected, and a tie wire
extended through said hollow plugs and joined together at its ends, substantially as
"described. "
3. The combination with the rails of an electric railway, of a railbond comprising

page_text: hollow tapering plugs inserted through the rails to be connected, a tie wire
extended through said hollow plugs and soldered thereto, and a sleeve or tube
into which the ends of the tie wire are inserted and soldered thereto, substantially
as described.
Dated the 15th day of May 1896
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.