Improvements in Apparatus used for Electric Railways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 13th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Loft, 13th Aug, 20 Accepted, 1st Mar,
1000
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus used for Electric Railways.
I, FRANK WHEELER, of Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of
Connecticut, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR ELECTRIC
RAILWAYS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In systems of electric locomotion in which the current is supplied to the travelling
motor by lines of overhead conductors arranged along the car-track there is ordinarily
provided a truck of contact-rollers, called a trolley," mounted on the line-conductors,
and a flexible connection from the trolley is carried down to the car, where it is
As
properly connected with the propelling electric motor geared to the car-wheels.
the car travels upon the rails the contact-rollers are dragged along over the line-
conductors, and when two such conductors on the same horizontal plane are employed
it is usual to apply a trolley the contact-rollers of which are supported upon a frame
which moves between said conductors. Owing to the frequent sagging of one of the
conductors and other causes of spreading the two apart, the trolley often becomes
detached and falls to the ground or on the roof of the car, resulting in damage to the
car, danger to animal life, and inconvenience and delay generally.
It is the object of my invention to overcome these difficulties and objections, and I
achieve this object by constructing a trolley which, when applied to line-conductors
suitably supported, cannot, without intention, be removed therefrom. To attain this
object, I employ in connection with two line conductors or wires, supported at intervals
by brackets the arms of which extend from the contre outward, a trolley the wheels or
rollers of which: are supported from the outside of said conductors.
My invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter
described, and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a. front elevation of the trolley and bracket, a portion of one of the braces
of the trolley being in section.
and
-
Figure 2 is a section on line x x of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a section on line y y of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of bracket;
Figure 5 is a section on line of Figure 4.
The side plates, A, of the trolley-frame are rigidly secured together by braces B, and
at their upper ends have inwardly-projecting axles c, upon which the contact-rollers C
freely turn and run ou the conducting-wires C. The circuit-wires for conducting the
ourrent to the electromotor of the car are suitably connected to the axles c or to.
portions of the side plates, A.
The braces B consist of blocks of wood or other suitable insulating material, B¹,
having each end screw-threaded to enter the screw-threaded recesses of the metallic
thimbles B², the latter being rigidly secured to the side plates, A, by means of nuts

page_text: screwed upon the ends of said thimbles; which pass through holes in said side
plates.
To the centre and upper surface of the upper brace I secure an arch-shaped guide, D,
for the purpose of guiding and' preventing the trolley from jumping when passing a
wire support or bracket. To the ends of the guide are secured the ends of a slightly-
curved bar, E, upon which the traveller-ring e slides: This ring forms the connection
between the trolley and the draft-cord, which, as heretofore; is preferably provided
with a yielding connection (not shown) with the car. The object of this construction
of traveller is to prevent the draft of the car upon the trolley from tilting the latter too
much and to cause the trolley-wheels to run steady on the wires.
The trolley may he provided with more than one pair of contact-rollers (); or I may
extend a pair of arms, A, either to the front or rear of the trolley and place friction-
rollers (not shown) at the outer portions thereof to ride against the sides of the
wires Ct.
The brackets F, which are usually supported at intervals throughout the length of
the route by means of wires from posts or other supports on both sides of the track,
but which may be otherwise supported, consist of two pieces F' and F2, of metal con-
nected by bolts G, passing through the vertical parts of said piecos and through the
insulating material H, H, and H*. The bolt-holes in the metallic portions of the
bracket are considerably larger than the bolts G, and to prevent the two pieces F1 F2
from being moved so as to short-circuit them through the bolts the adjacent faces of
said pieces are rabbeted to receive the central piece of insulating material, H¹.
The lower arms, ff, respectively, of the bracket-pieces F F extend, as shown,
outwardly from the centre of the completed bracket and support at their outer ends
the conducting-wires C'.
The trolley may be readily applied to operative position by drawing the two con-
ducting-wires together intermediate of two brackets, F, sufficiently to allow them to
pass between the contact-rollers C. When said rollers are above the wires, the latter
are released and assume the position shown in Figure 1. From this position the
trolley cannot be accidentally dislodged, for the reason that any sagging of one wire
only increases the distance between the two wires, and the trolley on reaching such
sagging portion will draw or guide the wires together to the distance prescribed by the
space between the outer flanges of the rollers or the sides of the frame, and the trolley
cannot jump sufficiently to be dislodged, owing to the presence and shape of the upper.
brace, B, which, with the lower surfaces of the contact-rollers, form C-shaped spaces,,
which nearly inclose the wires: C¹.
The traveller-connection above described is applicable to trolleys of other
constructions, as well as to the form shown herein.
In the form of bracket shown in Figures 4 and 5 the vertical parts of the
pieces F¹ F are in a plane at right angles to the arms, instead. of in the same plane
and overlapping; as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and portions of the bracket and insulating
material extend above the upper arms sufficiently to receive a bolt, G. This form of
bracket I believe to be the most substantial and preferable.
I may omit the insulating material. between the vertical portions of the bracket
or hanger and firmly connect and support said portions by means of a horizontal
bar of wood or other suitable material above and, secured to the horizontal
portions of the hanger. In lieu of the guide D, I may place a friction-roller at the
centre of the upper brace, and in place of the curved bar E, I may connect a properly-
insulated bail-like swinging yoke, to which the cord e may be attached.
I am aware that a trolley-track having a continuous vertical web and a continuous:
horizontal flange on each side at the bottom of said web to form tracks for the wheels:
of a trolley, said trolley having its wheels on inwardly-projecting axles; is not.new ;.
but by such construction the trolley cannot be removed from the track except. by
providing removable portions of the track or by opening the arms of the trolley.. By
my construction the trolley can be removed from the wires by simply contracting the
wires towards each other at any point between the hangers sufficiently to allow the
said wires to pass between the inner ends of the rollers.

page_text: 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. The combination, with two electric conducting-wires, of a trolley having its
contact-rollers supported from the outside of said wires, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with two electric conducting-wires, of supports therefor, the
arms of said supports extending from the centre outward, and a trolley having its
contact-rollers supported from the outside of said wires, substantially as described.
3. A trolley having a frame carrying inwardly-projecting axles for the contact
rollers and two braces connecting the sides of the frame and consisting of insulating-
blocks with metallic end thimbles, substantially as described.
4. In combination with two electric conducting-wires and the supporting-brackets
therefor, a trolley having an arch-shaped guide for guiding the said trolley when
passing a conductor-bracket, substantially as described.
5. In combination with a two-wheeled trolley and a draft-cord for connecting it
with a car, an intermediate connection between the cord and the trolley-frame
extending to the front or rear of the said frame for steadying the trolley while being
drawn in either direction, substantially as described.
6. A bracket for electric conducting-wires, consisting of two metallic pieces
connected by bolts or rivets passing through enlarged holes therein and through
insulating material, the said metallic pieces being rabbeted to partially receive the
insulating material, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of August 1889.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.