IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES OR ELECTROMOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, FREDERICK HAHN DANCHELL of 47 Tunbridge Road Maidstone in the County.
of Kent Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
*IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES OR ELECTROMOTOR ENGINES and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
In the Specification of Patent granted to Peter Jensen dated 24th January 1883
No 395 for an invention communicated by me to him from abroad is described an
electric railway and motor or engine especially intended for conveying light goods
at great speed, and in the Specification of my Patent dated 31st December 1883
No 5939 I bave described improvements in connection with the aforesaid invention
consisting mainly in the mode of transmitting the power of the motor proper on to
the driving or road wheel axles, the motor axle being provided with a small
friction wheel which is placed exactly in the centre line drawn between the
centres of the two road wheel axles and driving the latter axles by frictional
contact with a wheel or rim on each road wheel axle, and means being provided for
adjusting the frictional contact. By this arrangement of frictional driving gear
I ensure transmission of great power and speed with slight frictional pressure
without lateral strain on the road wheel axles.
Now the object of this my present invention is to increase the efficiency of the
aforesaid motors by producing or ensuring more perfect conduction of the current
from the current conducting rail or rails to the motor by means of an improved
form of elastic contact wheel and by producing or ensuring more perfect application
of the power thus received, and to be given out by the motor, by means of elastic
self acting adhesion producing appliances.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is side view
of so much of my electric locomotive as will explain my invention; Figure 2 is an
end view, and Figure 3 a half plan. Figure 4 is a side view of a modified
arrangement and Figures 5 and 6 detail views.
On the shaft A Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the electro motor is fixed a wheel B which
by elastic frictional contact transmits the power to the wheels C, C, which are fixed

page_text: on the axles DD of the road wheels E E, all according to my aforesaid Patent
No. 5939. The locomotive is in this case adapted to run on two bottom rails R
and provided with gripping or steadying wheels (not shewn in the drawings) which
bear against each side of a top rail T. It is also provided with elastic contact
wheels F which also bear against the sides of the top rail and serve to take off the
current therefrom for conducting it to the motor as in the aforesaid Patent No 395
of 1883 only that the wheels F are of an improved form as will be seen from
Figures 5 and 6 which are end view and side view respectively of one such current
transmitting contact wheel F It consists of a spiral spring one end of which is
fastened to the boss or nave F while the other or outer end is fixed to the
previous convolution of the spring itself. The electrical contact will thus become
even and uninterrupted.
In order now that the current so transmitted when transformed into power by
the motor may be more efficiently applied, and in accordance with the requirements
of the load, and to ensure the required adhesion when the locomotive is dragging
a heavy carriage or while ascending an incline or while turning a sharp curve
I provide special adhesion wheels such as G Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, which by
suitable connection with the draw bar or bars that connect the locomotive with
the carriage or train of carriages, and by abutment against some part of the
locomotive, are caused to bear hard against the under side of the top rail T
whenever the load to be dragged exceeds a certain amount which would otherwise
cause the wheels of the locomotive to slip or skid and to bear the harder against
the top rail, the greater that load becomes all of course within the limits of the
current or power transmitted or transmissable to the motor.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the abutment in this place
takes place partly against the axles D, D of the road wheels, the adhesion rollers G
being mounted on the end of levers H which are fulcrummed on said axles D and
by the links or rods I connected to the draw-bar K, and partly against the fraining
of the motor, because the fulcrum L¹ of a double armed lever L is supported from
such framing, though not shown on the drawing. As will be seen the draw bar is
also connected to that lever L the lower end of which is also by the links M
connected to the levers H. When the tensile strain on the draw bar K say in the
direction of the arrow exceeds a certain point the double armed lever L will be
turned in the same direction and the levers H, will be drawn into a more upright
position whereby the rollers G will be pressed against the underside of the top
rail T thus producing the required adhesion. N is a spring for ensuring the return
of the parts into their normal position.
Referring to Figure 4 it will be noticed that the action is precisely the same only
that the rollers G are in this case mounted on levers H, which are jointed to a
sliding piece or frame M which at top has a roller M₁ that rides on a double incline
or wedge piece L connected at the end to the draw bar. This wedge piece L rests
or rides on a part of the carriage frame say for instance a part rising from the cross
girder and thus having its abutment against it, just as in the previous arrange-
ment the lever L was supported from part of the carriage frame. The sliding
piece M is guided on the bracket P. When the tensile strain on the draw bar K
say in the direction of the arrow, exceeds a certain amount, the wedge piece L will
cause the roller M¹ to rise along with the sliding part M whereby the levers H
will assume a more horizontal position and the pulleys G be forced apart into the
dotted position, and jambed against the top rail T and revolving with the frictional
wheels C C.
Obviously other means may be devised for carrying out this mode of action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First: The improved construction of elastic wheel for conveying the electric
current to an electric locomotive substantially as set forth.

page_text: Second-The method described for automatically producing adhesion between
an electric locomotive and an upper guide rail and a lower rail or rails substantially
as set forth.
:-
Third The means described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 for
automatically producing adhesion between an electric locomotive and an upper
guide rail and a lower rail or rails substantially as set forth.
Dated this Twenty-first day of November 1884
BREWER & JENSEN,
Agents for the Applicant.