Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by DAVID GUSTAVUS WEEMS, of Baltimore, Maryland,
United States of America, Gentleman.]
HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved electric railway system for transporting mail,
express, and other packages at a rapid speed over a line either above, on, or below,
the ground, using electricity as a motive power and having the motor located in a
travelling car or locomotive and having attached thereto a series or train of cars, the
said train being supplied with means for automatically controlling, starting and
stopping itself; and this invention consists in the improved system and in certain
novel constructions and combinations of devices hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a diagram representing the two terminals of a section of a road and
showing in plan a dynamo, a stationary engine of high speed, a belt connection
between the engine and dynamo, and illustrating stations or points, where additional
sources of electric energy may be situated to drive the train.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the travelling car showing the top removed.
Figure 3 is a side view of the same.
Figure 4 is a side view of a car designed for carrying mail and other packages.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the said car.
Figure 6 represents a cross sectional view of a tube or pipe showing the upper and
lower rails.
Figure 7 is a similar view of a tube or pipe of larger diameter adapted for under-
ground or surface railways divided longitudinally into two compartments each having
upper and lower rails.

page_text: Figure 8 illustrates a cross sectional view of a frame suitable for elevated railways
embodying this invention.
Figure 9 represents a side view of a section of elevated road showing a train
passing a point where the electric current is cut off and the brakes about to be
applied.
Figure 10 represents an end view of a car and a transverse sectional view of the
tracks, showing the upper rail which serves both as a conductor and guide rail..
Figure 11 is a modification of Figure 10, showing two upper guide rails, one of
which serves as a conductor for the electric current.
Figure 12 is a diagram showing the main and switch rails, and indicating the point
where the current is switched off, the point where the brakes are automatically applied,
and a buffer to check the momentum of the train.
Figure 13 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 14 is a detail of one of the detached cars with its brake mechanism
removed.
Figure 15 is a detail showing a key for shifting the current from the main to the
switch rail.
Referring to Figure 1. A. represents a suitable stationary engine of high speed,
having a large band wheel for transmitting its power through the medium of a belt,
to a smaller pulley A¹, on the shaft of which is mounted a large pulley A", which
connects with, and drives a small pulley or wheel, connecting with and driving at a
suitable speed a dynamo B, permanently located at one or both terminals of the road,
the said dynamo being electrically connected with a travelling car carrying a suitable
motor, whereby the car is propelled by the electric currents in the usual manner.
D and E, represent one or more stations located at designated points along the line
of road, and containing storage batteries, or stationary engines, and extra dynamos
for renewing the electric energy on lines where the train is to run long distances,
and Findicates the opposite end or terminal of the road, at which point may be
placed a stationary engine and dynamo similar to A and B, to assist in propelling one
or more trains between the two ends of line.
Referring now to figures 2 and 3, G indicates a guide wheel, which bears against
and picks up the electric current from the upper rail H which, as before stated, is
electrically connected with the dynamo B, the said wheel being mounted in a pivoted
frame or bar a, which conducts the current to the motor on the car whence it passes
through one of the driving wheels to the contiguous lower rail, it being understood
that the opposite driving wheel is properly insulated from the motor.
In the opposite end of the motor is mounted another guide wheel J, also insulated
from the motor, and serving simply as a guide wheel to steady the locomotive during
its rapid passage, the said guide wheels G and J, being made of as large diameter as
practicable in order to reduce the number of revolutions as much as possible.
Suitably mounted in the top of the locomotive is a box or bearing 6 having a
threaded opening, through which a set screw 2 passes and bears upon the top of a
spring e, the lower end of which in turn presses against the end of the conducting
and keeps the guide wheel G, against the rail H, whereby the motor on the
car has full benefit of the electric current as it passes from the rail H through the
wheel G and rod a.
bar
a,
The main axles 5, of the locomotive and succeeding cars are mounted in journal
boxes d, d, which are liberally supplied with a liquid lubricating material, so that the
train may run at a high rate of speed for a long distance without necessitating any
change or refilling of said boxes.
The ends of the locomotive and succeeding cars are tapered or cigar-shaped to
effect the necessary displacement of the air, when the train is in motion, the
resistance of the air, on the upper inclined surfaces serving to hold the cars simply to
the track.
By making the upper inclined surfaces of one or both ends of the car longer than
the lower surfaces, or in other words by so locating the extremities of said cars that
one or both, but preferably both of them, will lie in a plane below the longitudinal

page_text: centre of said car as shown in Figure 14 the air acting upon the upper or longer
incline will hold the wheels of the locomotive and cars snugly to the tracks, a feature
which is impossible in cars having their ends in a line drawn through their centres.
Each car and motor is provided with a coupling device, the cars having also doors
(see Figure 5) through which the various articles to be transported are passed.
The car C illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is adapted to be coupled with the loco-
motive, and is provided with guide wheels, similar to those on the car, which act not
only as guides but also hug the rail H, sufficiently close to obviate all danger of the
car jumping off the track in passing around curves or going up grades under great
head way.
In this figure, K represents a point located at a suitable distance in advance of
where the train will stop where the electric current is shunted by any suitable
contrivance to the switch rail L, shown more particularly in Figure 12, thereby
breaking the circuit between the motor and the conducting rail H, and removing
temporarily the propelling agent from the motor.
At a suitable distance from the point K, as for instance at M in Figures 4 and 12,
is located a mechanically or electrically operated stop which is let into the tube or
tunnel, so that its lower end may be engaged by the upper end of a lever or latch d,
pivoted upon the side of the car, and having its lower end hooked-shaped and engaging
a link or staple, which is attached to or forms a portion of the brake rods e, carrying
the brake shoes g, and connected with a stout spring h, the tendency of which is to
straighten out the rods e, and force the brake shoes against the wheels. From this
description it is manifest that when the current is shifted to the switch rail L, and the
power of the motor removed, the momentum of the train gradually decreases until
the point M is reached when the latch & strikes the stop at that point, and disconnects
itself from the brake rods, thereby permitting the springs h, to draw the said rods
down, forcing the brake shoes tightly against the wheels, and automatically stopping
the train a short distance from the point when the brakes were applied, and at a point
near where the current leaves the switch rail again. When it is desired to again
start the train, the brakes are set, and the train electrically or mechanically moved
forward to the point where the current again passes onto the main rail, the set screws
or adjusting mechanisms 8 regulating the strength of the springs, and the power of
the brakes. It will thus be seen that the train can be stopped by its own movement
at any point on the line where there has been established a stop or abutment.
In operating this system, tubes or passages similar to those shown in Figures 6, 7
and 8 may be used. In Figure 6 is shown a cross-sectional view of a tube or pipe N
having lower bearing rails, and upper electrically charged guide rail. When this
tube N is used, it will be in conjunction with a small motor to carry messages and
thus take the place of the pneumatic tube now in use.
Figure 7 shows a cross section of a line built underground and carrying a double
track, the advantages of which construction are that a moving train will in this
instance meet with less resistance from the air in the tube, than when a tube like that
shown in Figure 6 is used as the air will be divided and forced to one side instead of
resisting the movement of the train as it passes through said tube.
In Figures 8 and 9 another form of tube is shown. In this case the tube is elevated
above ground and open at the bottom whereby the air is divided by the pointed
ends of the cars and forced downward through the open bottom of the tunnel or
tubes.
Figures 12 and 13 show a section of a road as it enters the station. When the
train is desired to be stopped, the electric curent is turned off at the point K, thereby
taking away from the motor its power. When the train arrives at the point M, the
distance being prearranged from point K to point M, so that the momentum will
decrease and the train will gradually slacken its speed and come in at a reduced
speed at the point M; the automatic brakes are operated as before stated to brake
the wheels with any desired power, thereby stopping the train at the desired
point.

page_text: The movable sliding buffer Q shown in the said figures, is arranged so as to assist
in stopping the train, if necessary at any point desired, should the brakes fail to do
their work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In an electric railway system the combination with a series of adjustable
stops, of a brake mechanism applied to the cars of the train, and comprising a pivoted
latching lever engaging said stops, and spring actuated rods carrying brake shoes and
checking the train when the trip lever is released.
Second. In an electric railway system, a car having an electric motor, the main
and upper guide rails, forming with said car an electric circuit in combination
with a brake mechanism comprising brake shoes, rods and a trip lever applied to said
car, adjustable stops M, engaging said lever, a switch rail and a switch in advance
of the adjustable stop for transferring the current from the main to the switch rails.
Third. In an electric railway system, the main rails, and an upper guide rail, in
combination with a travelling car having an electric motor and a brake mechanism
comprising shoes, rods and pivoted trip lever, a switch rail, means for shifting the
electric current from the main to the switch rail and adjustable stops in the path of
the trip lever for setting the brakes whereby the car is stopped.
Fourth. In an electric railway system, the main and the upper guide rail, a car
having a motor, a brake mechanism on said car connected with a trip lever and a
switch rail, in combination with means for transferring the current from the main and
upper rails and car to the switch rails, and adjustable stops actuating the trip lever to
stop the car before the current is again returned thereto.
Fifth. An electric car pointed at both ends and having its extremities below its
longitudinal centre, whereby a greater resisting upper surface is provided to hold the
wheels to the track.
Sixth. An electric railway system comprising the main and the upper guide rails,
travelling cars provided with guide wheels engaging the latter rails, an electric
connection between one of said wheels and rail, and the motor on the car, brake
mechanism on said cars actuated by fixed stops on the line and an elevated frame
work on which the rails are laid and in which the cars travel as herein described.
Seventh. In an electric railway system the main and an upper guide rail in com-
bination with a car having a motor in electric connection with said rails, a brake
mechanism on said car comprising a trip lever operated by fixed stops on the line, the
spring h, and the brake rod c connected with the spring and trip lever.
Eighth. An improved electric railway for transporting articles, comprising the
stationary dynamos, the travelling locomotive and attached cars, the stations, an upper
conducting rail and lower bearing rails, in combination with brake mechanism on said
locomotive, and cars, pivoted latches connected therewith, fixed stops or abutments
at points on the road for automatically applying said brakes, a switch rail and means
for transferring the current from the main to the switch rail substantially as set
forth.