Improvements in and connected with Conductors for Electric Railways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1897-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Conductors for Electric
Railways.
(A communication from abroad by ALVARO SILAS KROTZ, Electrician, WILLIAM
PRESTON ALLEN, Travelling Salesman, and OLIVER SMITH KELLY, Manu-
facturer, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the County
of Clark, and State of Ohio, U.S.A.)
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
<
This invention relates to improvements in electric railways and has especial
reference to the construction of surface-contact or third-rail circuits for railway
systems.
The object I have in view is to produce a 'simple, economical and effective
electrical supply system or construction in which the live conductor or contact
rail, commonly called the "third-rail," is well insulated, protected from the
weather and sufficiently shielded to prevent casual contact therewith by working-
men passing or working on the railway.
I accomplish this object by mounting the contact rail on insulating supports,
and placing there over a covering or protector which is supported on the rail, on
or upon the insulating support, or by a separate insulation mounted on the rail
or support.
The invention is hereafter fully described and claimed and the accompanying
drawings illustrate various constructions embodying it.
In said drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through the "third-
rail" and its conduit or casing.
Figure 2 is a like sectional view of a modification.
Figures 3 and 4 are like reduced views of other modifications.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are transverse sections of various forms of the contact rail,
representing the contact surface.
Figure S is a perspective view of a complete section of railway.
In the drawings a represents one of the track supports or ties; a¹ is a guard
bar, such as is usually employed in elevated-track construction running parallel
with one of the track rails; a2 a2 designate insulating standards or supports
rigidly attached to either the ties a or the guard bar a¹. Upon these insulators is
supported the "third" or contact-rail a³ which is fastened thereto by means of
bolts a As shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 8, these supports a² are vertical rect-
angular blocks of any suitable insulating material. In Figure 2 they are shown
with bases and dome-shaped tops provided with vertical flanges to which the
contact-rail is bolted.
Above the contact rail and supported thereon, or upon the upper end of
insulator a², or upon both the rail and insulator, are insulating cross-pieces a³

page_text: upon which is supported a covering a6 and downwardly extending sides or
shields a, a, which preferably fit closely to the cover and depend below the
adjoining edges or sides of the contact rail.
In Figure 1 the insulators a5 and covering are supported on both the insula-
tors a² and the contact rail; in Figure 2 on the contact rail only; in Figure 3 on
the insulator a only.
The contact-rail a³ is preferably made of channeled or angle metal, and, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a deep flange a on the side adjoining the insula-
tors a², and part a70 of the cover, while on its opposite edge or side is a shallow
flange a30, only long enough to form a drip.
The contact-shoe B is preferably formed to fit the inner angle or upper left hand
corner of the contact-rail a³. However, we may provide for an under or side con-
tact point as shown in Figures 3 and 4, or other position of contact, according to
the location and form of contact-rail.
In Figures 1, 2 and 8, the inner side a of the covering depends close to the top
of guard-bar a¹ and the space therebetween forms the slot for the entrance of the
moving contact arm or trolley. In Figures 3 and 4 the guard bar is not shown,
but it may be used if desired.
When a complete metallic or double circuit is desirable the construction shown
may be duplicated, one rail and covering being inverted and set directly opposite
the other with the short, sides a of the coverings facing, the slot then being
formed between the opposite sides a². When desirable the sides a and a
might be dispensed with, the contact-bearing arm or trolley entering between the
tie or base a or the guard bar a¹, and the lip 30.
The contact-rail a³ is preferably arranged above the level of the adjoining track-
rail, so that the sliding-contact-shoe or trolley will pass above the sleepers or track
construction at street crossings, where the contact-rail conduit is dispensed with,
or buried or carried overhead out of the way.
Where such crossings are frequent and near together the working portions of
the contact-rail would be in correspondingly short sections, in some cases so short
as to only include one or two insulating standards a², a very short piece of contact-
rail and its covering. Also in some cases where there are no crossings this
sectional construction might be preferable, and in either of such cases the moving
contact shoe or brush B should be formed of such length or kind that it will begin
to contact with one of such short sections of rail a³, prior to breaking contact with
the preceding short section of such rail, so that a continuous current will be sup-
plied to the car motor, &c. It should be understood that each section of the con-
tact rail is connected to a feeder conductor of any suitable construction.
The depending side a of the cover a forms a shield for the contact-rail and
prevents casual contact therewith from the outer side of the track.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination with the track rails, a guard-bar adjacent to one of the
track rails, insulated standards or supports attached to said guard-bar, a contact-
rail secured to and supported by said standards, a shield adjacent to said contact-
rail and on the opposite side of said standards from said guard-bar, and a top or
cover joining said side shield and extending over the tops of said supporting
standards and above said contact-rail, said top or cover being arranged in a plane
above said guard-bar, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of a railway track, with insulating supports arranged along
the line of said track; a contact-rail secured to and supported by said supports,
a side shield on the outer side of said supports and adjacent to said contact-rail
and a covering joining said shield and projecting over the top of said contact-rail,
said contacting rail and cover being arranged in a plane above the track rails and
exposed laterally on the side adjacent to said track rails, substantially as specified.

page_text: 3. The combination of a railway track, supporting standards arranged along the
line of said railway, and a contact-rail constructed as described, attached to and
supported by said standards, with a side shield on said standards adjacent to and
in line with the vertical portion of said contact rail, and a top or cover joining said
side shield and extending above the tops of said standards and contact-rail parallel
with the horizontal portion of said contact rail, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
4. The combination with a contact-rail having the construction substantially
as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the depth of one flange of said rail being greater than
the other, of an insulating support attached to the flange of greater depth, and a
covering over said insulating support and over said contact-rail, substantially as
specified.
5. The combination with a base or support, a contact rail insulated from said
support, said contact rail consisting of a horizontal piece of metal with downwardly
projecting flanges; a covering over said contact-rail, and a side shield arranged
adjacent to and parallel with one of the downwardly projecting flanges of said
contact-rail said contact rail being exposed laterally at the side opposite said
shield, substantially as specified.
6. The combination with a railway track, insulating standards supported along
the line of said track, a contact rail supported by said standards, a side shield sup-
ported adjacent to said contact-rail on one side thereof, and a top or cover joining
said side shield and projecting laterally therefrom and extending over said contact-
rail said side shield being arranged adjacent to said contact rail on the side
farthest from the track rails and said contact-rail being exposed laterally on the
side adjacent to said track rails, substantially as specified.
7. In an electric railway, the construction and combination of the contact-rail,
its insulating supports, and insulated covering and shields, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 4, of the drawings.
8. In a third rail system of electric railways, a working conductor extending
along a line of track supported above the surface on insulating standards, and
having a contacting surface, and a cover extending over the same and along the
side thereof furthest from the track, so as to shield the conductor from above and
at the side thereof from exposure to the weather and to protect persons from con-
tact therewith, substantially as described.
9. In a third rail system of electric railways, a working conductor extending
along a line of track supported above the surface on insulating standards and
having an upper and an inner contacting surface, and a cover over the same and
at the side thereof furthest from the track, so as to shield the conductor from above
and at the side thereof from exposure to the weather, and to protect persons from
contact therewith, substantially as described.
10. An angular working conductor extending along a line of track supported
above the surface on insulating standards and having an upper and an inner con-
tacting surface, and an angular cover having one portion thereof arranged over
the conductor and its other portion at the side thereof furthest from the track,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
בד'
OXU
7
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.