Contact Apparatus, and Appliances in connection therewith, for Facilitating the Passing of Tramcars over Crossings and Switches in Electrical Tramways with Underground Con- ductors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 26th May, 1596-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
Communicated from abroad by Messrs. SIEMENS & HALSKE, of 94 Markgrafen-
Strasse, Berlin, Electrical Engineers.]
Contact Apparatus, and Appliances in connection therewith, for
Facilitating the Passing of Tramcars over Crossings and
Switches in Electrical Tramways with Underground Con-
ductors.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co. LD. of 12 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster,
in the County of Loudon, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
In electrical tramways with underground supply conductors, the construction of
the switches and crossings present great difficulties and the expensive arrangements
that are necessary for this purpose always form a point of danger for the traffic.
The main cause of this is that the arrangements are not visible and are difficult
of access.
The present invention has for its object to obviate these defects, by simple means
whereby special constructions of the underground channel for the switches and
crossings are rendered unnecessary.
The main features of the construction for this purpose are as follows. Upon a
continuous rail in the underground channel bears a guide roller on the end of the
current collector which is an arm pivotted to the underside of the car and passes
down through a slot into the channel.
At the point where the switches and crossing are situated, the underground
channel is discontinued for a short distance and at this place there is provided an
inclined plane, extending from the rail in the channel to the level of the roadway,
so that the pivotted arm with its roller in passing up this inclined plane is raised up
out of the chaunel and slot on to the surface of the ground and the tramcar being
thus free of the channel can be readily moved over a cross line or on to a branch
line, and then the pivotted arm descends along another inclined plane to the
conductor of another channel or of the continuation of the same channel.
Various arrangements may be adopted for carrying the above invention into
effect; the following will serve as an example.
Between the wheels of a tram car there is fixed to the underframing a bracket to
which is pivotted a framed lever arm passing down into the underground channel
in an inclined position and resting with a roller upon a rail. Through a vertical
tubular part of this arm passes an axis carrying at its lower end a contact tongue
which makes contact laterally with the supply conductor, the axis being acted upon
at its upper end by a torsion spring that presses the tongue against the conductor.
On the upper end of the axis is fixed a finger and a contact arm which makes
sliding contact with a plate fixed to the underframing, and from which an insulated
conductor passes down through the tubular axis to the before mentioned contact
tongue.
Against the before mentioned finger on the axis bears the end of a sliding rod
which is so connected to the before mentioned pivotted lever arm that on
this being raised by passing up the inclined plane as before described, the rod is
thereby moved forward and is made to turn the finger and consequently the axis

page_text: with the contact tongue partly round, so that the latter is brought from an angular.
position in which it makes contact, into a position parallel with the slot, in
which position it is removed from the conductor, and can rise up through the slot
of the channel.
The said lever arm with contact device can also be actuated in the above
described manner by hand when desired, by attaching to the pivotted lever arm a
cord or chain that is led over guide pulleys to the driver's platform, so that
by pulling the cord the lever arm can be raised as described.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Contact Apparatus, and Appliances in connection therewith, for
Facilitating the Passing of Tramcars over Crossings and
Switches in Electrical Tramways with Underground Con-
ductors.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co. Lo. of 12 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster,
in the County of London, Electrical Engineers, 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 :-
In electrical tramways with underground supply conductors, the construction of
the switches and crossings présent great difficulties and the expensive arrangements
that are necessary for this purpose always form a point of danger for the traffic.
The main cause of this is that the arrangements are not visible and are difficult
of access.
The present invention has for its object to obviate these defects, by simple means
whereby special construction of the underground conduit for the switches and
crossings are rendered unnecessary.
The main features of the construction for this purpose are as follows:-Upon a
continuous rail in the underground conduit bears a guide roller on the end of the
current collector which is an arm pivotted to the underside of the car and passes
down through a slot into the conduit.
an
At the point where the switches and crossing are situated, the underground
conduit is discontinued for a short distance and at this place there is provided
inclined plane, extending from the conductor in the conduit to the level of the
roadway, so that the pivotted arm with its roller in passing up this inclined plane
is raised up out of the conduit and slot on to the surface of the ground and is at
the same time disconnected from the car circuit and the tramcar being thus free
of the conduit can be readily moved over a cross line or on to a branch line, and
then the pivotted arm descends along another inclined plane to the conductor of
another conduit or of the continuation of the same conduit, and the electrical
circuit is re-established.
The construction of the apparatus for carrying the above invention into effect
may be variously modified; one arrangement for this purpose is shewn on the
accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 shews a part sectional side view of the current collector when put in
circuit;
Fig. 2 shews a front view of the apparatus with cross section of the cable
conduit ;
Figure 3 a plan of the current collector when in circuit,
Wium 1
ADD: 1

page_text: Figure 5 a plan of the current collector when moved out of circuit,
Figure 6 shews a side view of the current collector and part of the vehicle to a
smaller scale, while being put out of circuit; Figure 7 shews the same view after
the current collector has been put of circuit;
The arrangement of this apparatus is as follows:-
Between the wheels of an electric motor car there is fixed to the underframing
a bracket a carrying the axis of the current collector, this consists of an iron
frame which carries the guide roller b and the vertical axis c of a contact
tongue & which axis is tubular.
On the upper end of the axis c is fixed the contact arm f and a finger e; the
metal contact plate of the arm is in connection with the tongue d, by means of an
insulated conductor passing through the tubular axis c.
The electrical connection with the motor car is established by the contact plate g
and the wire g fixed to the frame of the current collector.
This frame also carries a sliding rod h, which, on the turning upwards of the
frame round its axis, is caused to slide forward by the action of lever m pivotted
to bracket a; the rod is thus made to turn the finger e and consequently the
axis c and parts connected therewith.
In the position of the current collector when in circuit (Figure 3) the rod his
drawn back so that the finger e is in its state of rest, when the contact tongue d
will be pressed by a spring i against the circuit conductor n, and at the same time,
the contacts and 9 will be upon each other.
The throwing out of circuit of the current collector can be effected either from
the driver's platform by raising the apparatus by hand either by
a chain o or
otherwise or it can be effected automatically by causing the guide roller
to pass
along an inclined guide rail as shewn at Figures 6 and 7.
The disconnecting rod in that case is made to push against the finger e and to
turn it to the left. By this means the contact tongue d as also the upper arm f
will be turned parallel to the rail, and the motor car will be disconnected from the
circuit, while at the same time the parts are in such a position that they can rise
up through the opening of the conduit.
The frame is connected to the bracket a by helical springs p which tend to
turn the frame downwards again after it has been raised.
The above described construction combines essential advantages of overhead
and underground current supply systems heretofore in use, inasmuch as by means
thereof, the operators on the car can at any moment completely disconnect the car
from the electric circuit and cause the car to be free of the conduit.
By means of this apparatus it is possible to so arrange the points and crossings
that the subterranean conduit is entirely suppressed at these parts, the current
collector being raised either automatically or by hand while the car passes them,
the car remaining out of circuit until it is again situated over a cable conduit.
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. In electrical tramways with underground conductors, dispensing with the
underground conduits at the points and crossings and providing the cars with a
current collecting apparatus so arranged that on approaching such points it is
automatically raised up out of the cabic conduit, and, after passing beyond them,
is automatically lowered into the conduit so as to re-establish the electrical
connection with the supply circuit, substantially as described.
2. In current collecting apparatus for electrical tramway cars operating as set
forth in the first claim, the combination of a contact tongue d on a vertical axis c
projecting up out of the cable conduit, with a finger e on the said axis and a
sliding rod h, these parts being so arranged that on the upward motion of the said
apparatus, the rod is made to turn the axis and contact tongue into such a

page_text: position that the apparatus can be raised up out of the cable conduit, such raising
being effected either by hand or automatically by causing the said parts to slide
up on an incline such as k, substantially as described.
Dated thin ofth day of Mr. 1906
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.