Railways or Tallways
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by EDWARD MANVILLE, at present at sea, but per-
manently of 36, Albert Embankment, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Electrical Engineer.]
Mectric Railways or Tallways
1, WILLIAM LEONARD MADGEN of 36 Albert Embankment, Lambeth in the County
of Surrey, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
Difficulties occur in supplying electricity to electric locomotives running on long
lines of railway or tramway owing to the fall of potential in the conductor, these
difficulties being formidable when the primary potential is low. Currents of very
high tension cannot however be conveniently transmitted by the exposed conductors
from which the locomotives are supplied on account of the great leakage of these
conductors and also on account of the danger attending the handling of the
apparatus.
The object of this invention is to supply electric railway or tramway lines with
currents of high primary potential in the main leads, but of moderate potential in the
secondary leads from which the locomotives receive their supply. For this purpose
the secondary lead is divided into sections or successive insulated lengths each
arranged to supply the locomotive as it passes along it, and each of those sections is
connected to the primary or main lead which extends continuously the whole length
necessary to supply the last of the secondary sections, this main lead including
appliances such as will presently be described whereby the currents transmitted from it
to the discontinuous sections are caused to be of moderate tension.
According to one arrangement there are introduced in the course of the main lead
successive secondary batteries or accumulators, one for each branch conductor leading
to a discontinuous section. Each of these accumulators is such that it causes a drop

page_text: of potential in the main lead equivalent to the potential desired in the secondary lead.
According to another arrangement there are introduced in the main lead a number of
successive reproducing machines, that is to say, electromotors worked by the primary
current and working or combined with producers of secondary currents of potential
suited for the secondary leads. In some cases, instead of using accumulators or
reproducing machines as above described to limit the potential of the currents supplied
to the secondary leads, there are introduced in the primary main lead successive
resistances one beyond each take off to a secondary lead, each such resistance being
adjusted so as to determine a moderately low potential in this secondary lead. In
some portions of the line one of the appliances above mentioned may be preferable to
another for example, in providing for a section having a steep gradient an accumu-
lator in the course of the main lead may be arranged to give a large secondary current
to work the locomotive on that section or a reproducing machine may be employed
such as can give the desired current. Generally, the appliances described may be
used, some in one part some in another part of the line according as special circum-
stances or conditions may determine which is most appropriate. The accumulators,
reproducing machines and resistances employed as above described may be provided
with suitable regulators or governors of any known kind.
Dated this 13th day of January 1888.
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Electric Railways or Tramways with Electricity.
I, WILLIAM LEONARD MADGEN of .36 Albert Embankment Lambeth in the County
of Surrey, Electrical 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 :-
Difficulties occur in supplying electricity to electric locomotives 'running on long
lines of railway or tramway owing to the fall of potential when the conductor has to
supply a number of locomotives parallel; and these difficulties are the more serious
because the initial potential must be kept low in order to avoid excessive .leakage and
danger to the motors and to those who have to handle the machinery.
The object of this invention is to supply locomotives on railway or tramway lines of
considerable length with secondary electrical currents of low tension, in such a manner
as to get all the advantages resulting from the use of a high tension primary current
without its dangers, and to obtain great efficiency, and an evenness of potential such
as could not be obtained by applying a high tension current directly to the locomotives.
The primary current employed in carrying out this invention may be either continuous
or intermittent, but it must not alternate in direction.
It is applied as I will describe referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings
which is a diagram shewing one arrangement of apparatus which I employ. The two
conducting lines A and B, with which the locomotive L makes contact as it advances,
are divided into sections A' B', 'A' B, &c. insulated from one another, and there is a
third conducting line C supplied with electricity of high tension from a dynamo
machine or other source.
Corresponding with each section of the contact lines A¹ B¹ &c. there is a secondary
battery or accumulator D' &c. which has its terminals always connected to the
sections A' B', and which has one of its terminals connected to the supply line C by a
switch automatically operated by a governor of any known kind, so as to break
contact with (when the accumulator is fully charged as indicated at D³ at the same
time making a contact which renders the line C continuous where it passes the
accumulator. When the accumulator is not fully charged as at D' D' the switch is
caused by the governor to take such a position that the line C is made discontinuous
where it passes the accumulator, but the accumulator is itself connected to C. When
a locomotive L enters a section such as A B¹ it derives a current from the supply
conductor and also from the accumulator D₁. If the accumulator should be already
fully charged and cut off from () as indicated at D³, the contact of the locomotive
with the sections A2 B' at once takes charge from the accumulator, which thereupon
becomes connected with C by the action of the governor.
By this arrangement, the current that works the locomotive can never have a tension
greater than that which is due to the difference of potential at the terminals of the
accumulator, and the accumulator cannot be discharged unless the locomotive is doing

page_text: more work than can be effected by the main current in C, in which case the balance of
current is supplied from the accumulator while the locomotive is in its section, the
accumulator being recharged from C when the locomotive has passed out of its section.
Obviously, the power of each of the accumulators D¹ &c. can be suited to the conditions
of the section to which it is appropriated, being made larger for ascending and smaller
for descending gradients, than for level parts of the line.
Instead of applying accumulators as above described for supplying the locomotive
contact lines A B³, A² B² &c., resistances R1 R2 &c. may be introduced in the main
supply line as diagrammatically shewn by Fig. 2. In this case the locomotive
receives a current having a tension such as is due to the difference of potential at the
two terminals of the resistance R¹ R2 &c. to which each section A¹ B¹, A² B² &c.
is connected.
According to another arrangement diagrammatically shewn by Fig. 3. the
locomotive contact lines A B need not be divided into sections, but are supplied
at different points of their length from motor generators E1 E2 &c., that is to say,
electro-motors working electro-generators, the motors being supplied with currents
from the main line C, and the generators worked by them giving their currents
to the contract lines A B, which can thus be supplied with currents of any desired
tension whatever be the tension of the current in the line C. In this arrange-
ment, when the motors are in series as shewn, it is essential that each of
the motors should have a governor for regulating its. speed so as to determine the
maximum tension of the currents supplying the locomotives on the line. The
motors however might be worked parallel from the line C, in which case governors
are not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described method of supplying electric railways or tramways with
electricity by dividing the line with which the locomotive makes contact into sections
insulated from one another and connecting each section to an accumulator charged
from a main supply conductor.
2. The herein described method of supplying electric railways or tramways with
electricity by dividing the contact lines into sections each connected with the
terminals of a suitable resistance introduced into and forming part of a main supply
conductor.
3. The herein described method of supplying railways or tramways with electricity
by connecting their contact lines at various parts of their length with electric generators
worked by electric motors, supplied from a main conductor.
4. For supplying electricity to an electric railway or tramway, the combination of
each of several separate sections of the contact lines with an accumulator and with a
main supply conductor, substantially as described.
5. For supplying electricity to an electric railway or trainway the combination of
each of several separate sections of the contact lines with a resistance introduced into
and forming part of a main supply conductor, substantially as described.
6. For supplying electricity to an electric railway or tramway the combination of
the contact lines with several electric generators each worked by a motor supplied from
a main conductor, substantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of October 1888