Improvements in or relating to Electric Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Railways.
I, FRANK WYNNE of 9 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the construction of electric
railways the objects being to enable such railways to be constructed in a simple,
rapid and economical manner with the minimum of disturbance of the roadway and so
as to render all parts of the apparatus used therein easily accessible for repairs or
other purposes.
For this purpose I construct each of the road contacts (hereinafter called current
supply rails) which are arranged longitudinally of the road, one behind the other,
and are normally disconnected from the insulated main conductor of electricity,
with a longitudinal groove or channel in its foot or base in which is arranged the
main conductor and also if desired the subsidiary conductors employed for connecting
the rails with each other through a contact making device. These rails are laid upon
blocks of comparatively cheap and fairly good insulating material such as bitumen-
concrete arranged within a longitudinal trench formed in the concrete or other road
bed, and are then insulated by insulating material such as rich or more easily
melted bitumen which is poured or pressed into the trench above the said blocks so
that the said rails excepting their upper surfaces will become firmly embedded
therein. The pavement or roadway is also preferably made up or laid in asphalte
or bitumen.
According to a modified construction, the groove or channel for the insulated
conductor or conductors is formed in the top of the said blocks. In this case the
bottoms of the current supply rails can be flat and in cross section may resemble a
Vignole rail.
The road contacts which may be of crenellated form, are or may be connected in
separate pairs by a conductor in circuit with solenoids or electro magnets forming part
of the contact making device employed for temporarily connecting the pair of road
contacts to the insulated main conductor as described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me dated 4 December 1890 No. 19811.
In order that one end of each of the said conductors may be connected directly
with one of the current supply rails of each pair without passing out of the
contact box containing the corresponding contact making device, I construct the
said box in one picce with one of the said rails. Also in order to avoid passing
the other portion of the conductor extending from the solenoids to the other
current supply rail of the pair, through the road bed, I prefer to pass it through
the groove containing the main conductor for which purpose the interior of the
said contact box is arranged to be in direct communication with the said groove.
In order that the sides of the removable air tight caps or bells used to protect
the contact making devices, may be relieved of pressure, and consequently can be
made thin, I recess the top of each contact box so as to receive and support the
top of the corresponding cap or bell which is made sufficiently thick and strong to
withstand the ordinary road traffic.
The grooves or channels between the current supply rails and the blocks on which
the rails rest being in each case accessible from the interior of the contact boxes, the
insulated conductor or conductors can be readily drawn into place or removed
through such boxes. When the conductor or conductors is or are in place, the ends
of the grooves or channels where they communicate with the contact boxes may
with advantage be closed by plugs of bitumen or other suitable material to prevent

page_text: the entrance of water that may enter the boxes. Instead of filling in the space
between the adjacent ends of the current supply rails with solid bitumen, I some-
times continue the groove for the cable by short pipes of suitable material, the
space around which I fill in with bitumen.
In order to make the electrically charged parts of each contact making_device
and the connections between such device and the main and subsidiary conductors
and current supply rails readily accessible, and also to effectually prevent short
circuiting of the main conductor with the contact rails by water that may gain
access to the contact boxes, I arrange the said parts and connections at or near the
top of the internal space within the air tight cap or bell employed to enclose the
contact making device.
In order that the car motor shall not be short circuited when the vehicle being
propelled by the current is passing a crossing or junction of one line of track with
another, by reason of the car motor brush coming into contact with one or other of
the ordinary or carrying rails (which are usually uninsulated) where it intersects
the current supply rail I make each current supply rail where it intersects a
carrying rail in one with a short length of the carrying rail which short length is
insulated together with the current supply rail in any suitable way as for instance
in the way herein before described.
Within each of the current supply rails is or may be cast a wire or rod of tough
metal such as wrought iron so that in the event of fracture of the rail the parts
thereof will still be electrically connected together.
Dated this 21st day of June 1892.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Railways.
I, FRANK WYNNE of 9 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, 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 has reference to improvements in the construction of electric
railways the objects being to enable such railways to be constructed in a simple,
rapid and economical manner with the minimum of disturbance of the roadway and
so as to render all parts of the apparatus used therein easily accessible for repairs
or other purposes.
For this purpose I construct and arrange each of the road contacts (hereinafter
called current supply rails) which are arranged longitudinally of the road, one
behind the other, and are normally disconnected from the insulated main conductor
of electricity, in the improved manner I will now proceed to explain by aid of the
accompanying drawings wherein,
Figs. 12 and 3 are respectively a longitudinal sectional elevation, a plan, and a
cross section of a portion of a roadway with current supply rails constructed and
arranged according to this invention.
Fig. 3 is a cross section illustrating a modified construction.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively vertical, horizontal and cross sections, to a
larger scale, of a contact box constructed to form part of one of the current supply
rails.
1, 1 are longitudinally arranged current supply rails which may as shown be
connected to form a separate pair of current supply rails by a conductor 2 in
circuit with the solenoids 3, 3" (Fig. 4) of a contact making device used for
temporarily connecting such pair of rails with the main conductor, as described in

page_text: LetterS I atent granted to me dated
Dec. του
une Specification
No. 19811.
These current supply rails according to my present invention are each constructed
with a longitudinal groove or channel 4 in its foot or hase to contain the insulated
main conductor 5, and also, if desired, part of the conductor 2. These rails 1-1ª,
which may be of cast iron and of crenellated form as shown, may as shown
in Fig. 3A be laid upon blocks 6 of comparatively cheap and fairly good insulating
material, such as bitumen-concrete, composed for example of gravel or broken
stones and bitumen, these blocks being arranged within a longitudinal trench 7
formed in the concrete or other road bed 8. The rails are then firmly fixed in
position, and at the same time further insulated, by means of insulating material 9,
such as rich or more easily melted bitumen, which is poured or pressed into the
trench above the said blocks so that the said rails, excepting their upper surfaces,
will become firmly embedded therein as shown. In order to ensure a firm connection
between the rails and insulating material I construct the former with transverse
holes 1 through which the insulating material is poured or pressed. Instead
however of applying the said insulating material to the rails whilst the same are
in situ within the trench I sometimes find it more advantageous to apply the said
material to the rails before laying them as shown in Fig. 3. In this case I cast
the longitudinal groove or channel 4 wholly within the foot or base of the rail, and
I apply the insulating material to the sides and bottom of the rail whilst the same
is supported in a suitable mould, so that practically the whole of the rail is
embedded in such material except its upper surface. In this case the insulated
rails may be laid upon a bed 6ª of ordinary concrete. The road bed 8 may
be made of asphalt, ordinary paving or of stone blocks laid in asphalt bitumen
or tar.
The groove or channel 4 for the insulated main conductor 5 (or conductors)
instead of being formed within the rails as shown in Figs. 3 & 3 may in whole or
in part be formed in the top of the blocks as indicated in dotted lines at 4ª in the
latter figure. In this case the bottoms of the current supply rails 1-1ª may be
made flat and in cross section may resemble a Vignole rail.
In order that one end of each of the said conductors 2 may be electrically
connected directly with one of the current supply rails of each pair 1-1 without
passing outside of the contact box 10 and rail containing the corresponding contact
making device, I form the said contact box in one piece with one of the said rails
as shown. Also in order to avoid passing the other end portion of the conductor
extending from the solenoids 3-3 to the other current supply rail 1ª of the pair,
through the road bed, I prefer to pass it through the groove 4 containing the main
conductor 5 for which purpose the interior of the said contact box is arranged to
be in direct communication with the said groove as shown in Fig. 4.
This construction of current supply rail with contact box is clearly shown
in Fig. 4 which also shows how the one end of the conductor 2 is led down and
connected to the box 10 at 2" and thus with the rail 1 without passing out of the
box; also how the other end is led down and through the groove 4 to the other
rail 1 to which it is connected as shown at 2b.
Figure 4 also clearly shows the connections 2c, 2d between the parts of the
conductor 2 and the solenoids 3, 3ª, which connections as well as the spring
contacts 14 and 15 and spring contact 16 are arranged as shown near the top of
the air space within the enclosing air tight cap or bell 11 11. By this means the
connections and contacts are rendered readily accessible by lifting the said cap or
bell, and water that may enter the box, will be prevented by the air in the top of
the cap or bell from coming into contact with them. The contacts 14 and 15 are
connected by the conductors 14 and 15* respectively with the main conductor
and the conductor 2 at a point between the solenoids as shown, and the contact 16
is carried by a bent lever 16 that forms or carries the armatures of the solenoids
all as described in my said former Specification.

page_text: In order that the sides 11ª of the removable air tight caps or bells 11 used
to protect the contact making devices, may be relieved of pressure so that they
can be made thin, I recess or so arrange the top of each contact box as shown
at 12 so as to receive and support the top 11 of the corresponding cap or bell which
is made sufficiently thick and strong to withstand the ordinary road traffic.
The grooves or channels 4 being in each case accessible from the interior of the
contact boxes, the insulated conductors 2 and 5 can be readily drawn into place or
removed through such boxes. When the conductors are in place, the ends of the
grooves or channels where they communicate with the contact boxes, may be closed
with plugs of bitumen or other suitable material to prevent the entrance of water
that may enter the contact boxes. Or the ends of the said grooves or channels
may be sealed with suitable heavy oil or pitch poured into the bottoms of the
contact boxes and which will also serve to seal the lower open end of the air tight
cap or bell. The spaces between the adjacent ends of the current supply rails 1-1ª
may be filled in with solid bitumen. Sometimes however I continue the groove or
channel 4 for the cable by means of short pipes of suitable material, the space
around each of which I fill in with bitumen.
Within each of the current supply rails is or may be cast a wire or rod 17 of
tough metal such as wrought iron (Figs. 3 and 34) so that in the event of fracture
of the rail, the parts thereof will still be electrically connected together by the
wire or rod.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is : :-
1. An electric railway in which the longitudinally arranged current supply rails
are constructed each with a longitudinal groove or channel for the reception of the
insulated main conductor and also, if desired, a subsidiary conductor, the said rails
being laid upon blocks of comparatively cheap insulating material such as bitumen
concrete arranged within a longitudinal trench in the road bed, and insulated by
insulating material such as rich bitumen, that is poured in a liquid state, or pressed,
into the trench or channel above the said blocks so that the said rails, except their
upper surfaces, become embedded therein substantially as herein described.
2. An electric railway of the kind specified in the preceding Claim 1, but in
which the longitudinal groove for the main conductor, or for the main and subsidiary
conductors, is formed in the top of the block 6 above which the insulated current
supply rails are supported substantially as herein before described with reference to
and shown in Fig. 3A.
3. An electric railway in which the current supply rails constructed with
longitudinal grooves as referred to in Claim 1 are embedded in insulating material
such as rich bitumen applied to the sides and bottom of the rail before laying the
same substantially as herein described.
4. In an electric railway, an insulated current supply rail constructed with a
longitudinal groove or channel for the reception of the insulated main conductor
and having formed integral therewith a contact box the interior of which is in
communication with the longitudinal groove or chanuel in the said rail substantially
as herein described for the purpose specified.
5. A current supply rail of the kind referred to in the preceding claims con-
structed with transverse holes through which the insulating material in which the
rail is embedded is caused to extend and aid in holding the rail in place substan-
tially as described.
6. In an electric railway a current supply rail baving integral therewith a contact
box fitted with an air tight cap or bell the lower open end of which is sealed with
material such as heavy oil or pitch substantially as herein described for the purpose
specified.
7. In an electric railway of the kind referred to, the arrangement within

page_text: each or some of the current supply rails of a wire or rod 17 of tough metal such
as wrought iron cast in the said rail or rails substantially as herein described for
the purpose specified.
8. My improved electric railway constructed as hereinbefore described with
reference respectively to and shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, and in Fig. 3 of the
drawings annexed.
1
1
2
זי
1000
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.