IMPROVEMENTS IN TELPHERAGE
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I FLEEMING JENKIN of 3 Great Stuart Street Edinburgh Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELPHERAGE
to be as follows:-
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*.
In several Specifications I have described systems of telpherage adapted for the
conveyance of vehicles at a slow speed.
The main object of my present invention is to supply the means of transmitting
parcels at high speeds by Telpherage but part of my improvements are applicable
to slow speed Telpherage.
I adhere to the single-wheel path for each vehicle as in the systems already
described by me but for high speed the road should always be made rigid-Also
I employ the trucks already described in a Provisional Specification filed by me-
but for high speed Telpherage I arrange two parallel wheel paths preferably made
of bulb iron with the bulb of circular cross section and an undercut web placed
in one vertical plane where the line is straight. On each of these wheel paths
separate trucks or trains run, free to rock or roll sideways on the roads as in the
systems previously described by me.
I connect the upper and lower trucks or trains by a connection sufficiently strong
to allow the one truck or train to haul the other but sufficiently flexible or elastic
or both flexible and elastic to leave each train or truck almost complete freedom
to rock or roll on its line. One of the trains or trucks or in certain cases both
trains and trucks are driven by a Telpher locomotive similar to those already
employed by me except that the reduction of speed of the motor by gearing is
either nil or much smaller than in the low speed Telpherage and I pass the current
driving the motor or motors from the one road to the other through the motors by
means of the flexible connection between them. One of the two roads is insulated
the other is not or need not be.
At curves the roads are placed as nearly as may be in such a relative position as
shall cause the trucks or trains and their connection to lie in one plane as they do
when running on the straight.
It is obvious that the current driving the trucks or trains is supplied to the
motor by the parallel arc method common in electric railways.
The main feature of my Invention is the special disposition of road and trucks
or trains made so as to allow these the utmost possible freedom of motion consistent

page_text: with their remaining on the line. With this disposition centrifugal force when the
trains are passing round curves holds each train on the line and can cause no
grinding on the wheels whereas if any attempt be made to control the position of
the trucks definitely much grinding must result. I prefer to let the locomotive
run on the one wheel path and have a single truck with the useful load on the
other. In this way I minimize the weight to be carried by each path or road.
The same system of connection between two parallel roads may be used to drive
slow telpher trains by the simple parallel are system and in that case the upper
road may simply carry a small truck intended solely to make contact and fulfil the
functions of the contact arm for which I have filed a Provisional Specification.
The small light contact truck may then be pulled down to the heavy train by a
flexible spring which gives the necessary stability to the upper light truck without
the necessity of actually subdividing the load between the two rods or roads. A
mere sledge may be used as a contact piece provided the attachments to the sledge
are similar to those employed in the trucks described in the Provisional
Specification so that the pull from below cannot cause the sledge to rock endways
on the line but I prefer to use rolling contacts.

page_text: "
VENKIN OF Great Stuart Street. Edinburgh Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELPHERAGE
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In several Specifications I have described systems of Telpherage adapted for the
conveyance of vehicles at a slow speed.
The main object of my present Invention is to supply the means of transmitting
parcels at high speeds by Telpherage but part of my improvements are applicable
to slow speed Telpherage.
I adhere to the single wheel path for each vehicle as in the systems already
described by me but for high speed the road should always be made rigid. Also
I employ the trucks already described in a Specification filed by me-but for high
speed Telpherage I arrange two parallel wheel paths preferably made of bulb iron
with the bulb of circular cross section and an undercut web placed in one vertical
plane where the line is straight. On each of these wheel paths separate trucks or
trains run free to rock or roll sideways on the roads as in the systems previously
described by me.
1
I connect the upper and lower trucks or trains by a connection sufficiently strong
to allow the one truck or train to haul the other but sufficiently flexible or elastic
or both flexible and elastic to leave each train or truck almost complete freedom to
rock or roll on its line. Ono of the trains or trucks or in certain cases both trains
and trucks are driven by a Telpher locomotive similar to those already employed
by me except that the reduction of speed of the motor by gearing is either nil or
much smaller than in the low speed Telpherage and I pass the current driving the
motor or motors from the one road to the other through the motors by means of
the flexible connection between them. One of the two roads.nsulated the other
is not or need not be.
At curves the roads are placed as nearly as may be in such a relative position as
shall cause the trucks or trains and their connection to lie in one plane as they do
when running on the straight.
It is obvious that the current driving the trucks or trains is supplied to the-
motor by the parallel arc method common in electric railways.
The road and trucks or trains are so made as to allow the latter the utmost
possible freedom of motion consistent with their remaining on the line. With this
disposition centrifugal force when the trains are passing round curves holds each
train on the line and can cause no grinding on the wheels whereas if any attempt
be made to control the position of the trucks definitely much grinding must result.
I prefer to let the locomotive run on the one wheel path and have a single truck
with the useful load on the other. In this way I minimize the weight to be
carried by each path or road. The same system of connection between two
parallel roads may be used to drive slow telpher trains by the simple parallel arc
system and in that case the upper road may simply carry a small truck intended
solely to make contact and fulfil the functions of the contact arm for which I have
filed a Specification. The small light contact truck may then be pulled down to
the heavy train by a flexible spring which gives the necessary stability to the
upper light truck without the necessity of actually subdividing the load between
the two rods or roads. A mere sledge may be used as a contact piece provided
the attachments to the sledge are similar to those employed in the trucks described
in the Specification so that the pull from below cannot cause the sledge to rock
endways on the line but I prefer to use rolling contacts.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed,

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 and Figure 2 shew a side elevation and cross section of a small portion
of a line with parallel wheel paths of bulb iron in one vertical plane with a truck
on one path and a locomotive on the other; these are connected by the spring S
which is attached by loose hooks and eyes at A and B. The truck itself swings
on pivot P; the truck is thus almost wholly free to rock or roll sideways on the
upper bulb iron C C as a centre and endways on the pivot P; it can also lag
behind the locomotive by variable amounts depending on the extension of the
spring S.
;
The locomotive shewn is free to rock or roll sideways on the bulb iron D D as a
pivot; a similar connection might be used between the truck and locomotive with
the positions reversed-the locomotive on the top and the truck below—a similar
connection might be made between two trucks of two trains.
The current for the motor is to be supplied by contact between the wheels E E
or either of them and their rail C C; it will then flow by a loose flexible conductor
not shown in the drawing, to one terminal of the motor and thence by another
conductor through the wheels F F or either of them or a special brush or wheel to
the rail DD; this, connection is not shown. on the drawing being an obvious and
well known arrangement. The spring S might be used as part of the circuit.
Figure 3 shows a train of the ordinary telpher kind borne by one suspended rod D, D,
but the current is supplied by a little truck M running on a separate conductor.CC
in the same vertical plane. The little truck M is constructed in essentially the
same manner as the large truck of figures 1 and 2; but the spring will be of
considerable strength relatively to the weight of M and must be extended to some
extent when the rods or wires C C and DD are drawn as close to one another
as they can ever come in practice. The truck M will then remain safely on the
upper line and make good contact at all times. The electrical connections are
identical in this and the previous case, but in this arrangement it will generally be
desirable to let the spring S form part of the circuit. The rods D D need not be
insulated. This arrangement allows the rods CC and D D to swing freely without
throwing off the little truck or jockey M by which the current is supplied.
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
(1). My improved telpher line with the double path in a vertical or approximately.
vertical plane substantially as described.
(2). The use in combination with a double path telpher_line.of.a.compound-train
or vehicle consisting of a truck or locomotive on one path connected with a truck
or locomotive on the other in such manner as to allow both sufficient freedom to
roll substantially as described.
(3). The use in combination with a double path telpher line of a compound train
or vehicle consisting of a truck or locomotive on one path with a truck or locomotive
on the other by an extended loosely attached spring substantially as described.
(4). The method of supplying electricity to a telpher locomotive on a telpher line
by a truck or jockey running on another line substantially as described.
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