Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 24th Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Railways.
I, MARK WESLEY DEWEY, of 150 North Salina Street in the City of Syracuse
in the County of Onondaga and State of New York, United States of America,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC RAILWAYS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to electric railway cars with special reference to signalling
apparatus therefor, similar to that shown and described in my prior Patent No. 6037
of 1890, and is for the same purposes therein set forth.
The object of my present invention is to provide a normally closed signal circuit
for electric railway-eirs, to place the current controllers or circuit makers and breakers
in said signal circuit in series, to connect the circuit makers and breakers in series
with the motor and at the same time maintain a current of weak and uniform electro-
motive force for the signal devices independent of the varied amount of current flowing
through the motor, an further, to provide means for preventing the operation of
each of the audible signal devices or bells without cutting out or short-circuiting said
devices.
And the object of my invention, also, is to provide for the operation electrically
of the alarm registers usually employed upon electric street cars.
To this end my invention consists, collectively, in providing a railway, with a
working conductor arranged along the railway, a travelling vehicle, an electric motor
to propel said vehicle, a current collector extending from the vehicle to the conductor,
an electric connection between said motor and collector, two electric signal devices and
a plurality of circuit makers and breakers in series in said electric connection and
distributed though the interior of the vehicle, a shunt including a resistance around
said signal devices, means for automatically varying said resistance to maintain a
uniform flow of current through the signal devices independent of the current flowing
through the motor, and suitable means for preventing the operation of each of said
signal devices when desired without short-circuiting the saine.
Referring to the drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an electric railway car supplied with current
from a suspended working-conductor and the track, and equipped with my improved
invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the circuits on the car.
Figure 3 is a modification of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a form of signal bell adapted to ring when the circuit is broken and is
provided with a device to prevent its operation when desired, even when the circuit
is broken.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the bell.
Figure 6 is a sectioual view of a circuit maker and breaker or push button which
maintains the circuit normally closed, and
Figure 7 is an automatic current controller for maintaining a weak uniform
current or electro-motive force for the signal circuit as hereinbefore referred to.
Referring specifically to the drawings, A represents the car or vehicle, B is the
| suspinded working conductor arranged along the railway or path of the vehicle,

page_text: extending from the vehicle to the track; and, is denotes the source of DIOGETICTLY
connected to the working conductors.
Cis the ordinary current controlling devices for the motor D when such devices
are employed for regulating its movement.
G and G are the electric signal devices or bells located at each end of the car in
Lho electrical connection C, and ggg etc., are the current controllers or circuit makers
and breakers in the same circuit or connection and distributed through the interior
and exterior of the car.
F is a shunt containing a resistance around the signal dovices and circuit breakers.
It will be apparent that by connecting the signalling devices and controllers in
circuit in this manner, they are placed in a closed circuit and have all its advantages
without a great waste of current and the employment of a great and expensive
resistance, is would be necessary if said devices were connected in parallel with
the motor.
The arrangement of the circuits and connections on the car will be better
understood by reference to Fig. 2. In this figure the motor D is represented as
being shunt wound, that is, the field magnet is in parallel with the armature circuit,
but it will be obvions of course, that this is inmaterial to my invention as said motor
may be wound in any suitable manner. The current controlling devices for the motor
are shown in Figure 2 as a current reverser C, and an adjustable resistance (" in the
field circuit.
When the signalling devices are in series with the motor, the circuit through said
motor should not be entirely broken at any time, as when the car is brought to a stop,
as that would render the signal devices inoperative. The motor may be run
continuously, if desired, and the car brought to a stop by employing a suitable and
well known clutch mechanism for tying and releasing the gear wheel to and from tho
axle (not necessary to be herein illustrated). Instead of placing a deal resistance in
the shunt F, a couple of cells of a secondary battery may be employed instead, in
which case, the circuit to the motor may be broken for a time, if desired, as the
battery will furnish at such time, the current necessary for the signal bells.
Rand R' in Figure 2 represent fare registers and rrr etc., the circuit makers and
breakers or current controllers for the same, both being included in a closed rirenit
and in parallel with the other signalling devices. The dotted line at e indicates
where a connection can be placed if it is desirel to place the signalling devices in
parallel with the motor.
When it is desired to prevent one or the other of the registers or bells from
operating while the other is operated, they may be short cireuited as shown and
described in my prior l'atent above referred to, but I prefer to do this by locking the
armature a of said signal devices or bells by means of a key or button 7 turning on
a pin d. Figure 4 shows a view of a bell when the armature is attracted by its
magnet and is in an unlocked condition, and Fig. 5 shows a view of the bell when
the armature is in a locked condition and inoperative.
The modification shown in Figure 3 simply illustrates the bells G and Gin a
derived circuit of the electric connection c. The resistance of the hell magnets
provents any appreciable amount of current from flowing through the derived circuit,
hence the said bells which are vibrating bells are not operntel, the current for
the motor flowing through the main motor connection containing the circuit
breakers ggg etc., and through the shunt containing a suitable resistance.
When, however, one of the circuit breakers is operated to break the circuit C
sufficient current flows through the derived circuit including the signal bells to operate
the one that is not locked.
G is supposed to be unlocked, and of the same construction as G³ which is shown
complete and in a locked condition.
Figure 6 is a full sized push button or circuit breaker g that keeps the circuit
normally closed between the contact points and by spring and may be opened
or operated to break the circuit by a slight pressure of the finger on the button

page_text: to separate said contacts, thereby controlling the electric current to operate the bell.
One of said push buttons may be located on the exterior at each end of the car,
and others between the windows, or equal distances apart, and on each side of the
interior of the car.
In order to maintain a weak and uniform current for the signal devices when the
current through the motor is variel, I employ an automatic current controller in the
shunt F, as shown in Figure 7. The action of this controller is to decrease the current
in the shunt F when the current flowing to the motor D is weak, compelling it to
flow through the signal devices g g y etc. and to increase said current in the shunt,
when the current flowing to the motor is strong thereby reducing the strength of
current flowing through the signal devices.
The controller consists of a solenoid having its coil in the shunt F with an
adjustable resistance. The plunger of the solenoid is connected with said resistance
so that when the current flowing through the shunt is weak the plunger will be
operated to increase the resistance, and when the current is strong, the plunger will
be raised or operated to increase the resistance. Any suitable and well known
adjustable resistance may be employed and operated by the plunger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the naturo of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, a current collector
extending from the vehicle to the conductor, an electric connection between said
motor and collector, one or more signal bells and a plurality of circuit makers and
breakers in said electric connection and a shunt including a resistance around said
signal bell or bells and circuit makers and breakers.
2. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, a current collector
extending from the vehicle to the conductor, an electric connection between said
motor and collector, one or more signal bells and a plurality of circuit makers and
breakers in said electric connection, a shunt including a resistance around said signal
bell or bells and circuit makers and breakers, and incans for automatically varying
said resistance to maintain a uniform flow of current through the signal devices
independent of the flow of current through the motor.
3. The combination of a suspended working-conductor, an electrically propelled
vehicle, a current-collector extending from the vehicle to the suspended conductor,
an electric motor, an electric audible signal device, a plurality of current controllers
distributed through the interior of the vehicle, and a circuit including said motor,
signal device and controllers and receiving current from the current collector.
4. The combination of a suspended working-conductor, an electrically propelled
vehicle, a current-collector extending from the vehicle to the suspended conductor,
an electric motor, an electric signal device, a plurality of current controllers dis-
tributed through the interior of the vehicle, and a circuit including said motor, signal
device and controller and receiving current from the current collector.
5. The combination of a suspended working-conductor, an electrically propelled
vehicle, a current collector extending from the vehicle to the suspended conductor,
an electric connection between the propelling motor and the current collector, an
electric audible signal device, a plurality of current controllers distributed through
the interior of the vehicle, and a normally closed circuit including said signal device
and controllers and receiving current from the current collector.
6. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, an electric connection
between said motor and working conductor, an electric signal device on the vehicle,
and a plurality of current controlling devices distributed through the interior of the
vehicle and included in circuit in series with the motor.
7. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a

page_text: travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehiclo, an electric connection
between said motor and working conductor, an electric hell on the vehicle, and a
plurality of circuit broakors distributed throngh the interior of the vehicle and
included in circuit in series with the motor.
8. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, an electric connection
between said motor and working conductor, an electric ball on the vehicle, and a
plurality of circuit breakers distributed at intervals through the interior of the vehicle
and included in circuit in series with the motor.
9. In an electric .railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
iravelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, a current collector
extending from the vehicle to the conductor, an electric connection between said
motor and collector, one or more signal bells and a plurality of circuit makers and
breakers in said electric connection distributed through the interior of the vehicle,
and a shunt including a resistance around said signal bell or bells and circuit makers
and breakers.
10. In an electric railway, a working conductor arranged along the railway, a
travelling vehicle, an electric motor to propel said vehicle, a current collector
extending from the vehicle to the conductor, an electric connection between said
motor and collector, two electric signal devices and a plurality of circuit makers and
breakers in said electric connection, a shunt including a resistance around said signal
devices, and means for preventing the operation of each of said signal devices without
short circuiting the same.
11. The combination of a suspended conductor, an electrically propelled vehicle, a
movable current collector extending from the vehicle to the suspended conductor,
two electric signal hells, and a plurality of circuit makers and breakers distributed
through the interior of the vehicle, a circuit connected with said signal bells and
makers and breakers and receiving current from the current collector, and means for
preventing the operation of each of said signal bells withont short circuiting the
same.
12. The combination, of a line working conductor extending along the path of a
vehicle, an electrically propelled vehicle, a current collector on the vehicle for
collecting current from the working conductor, an electric motor to propel the vehicle,
an electric signal device, a plurality of current controllers distributed at intervals
through the interior of the vehicle, and electrical connections on the vehicle connecting
the said motor, signal device and controllers with the said collector.
A
ALGU LAID T
MARK WESLEY DEWEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.