Improvements in and Appliances for Transmitting Electric Currents in Electric Rail or Tramway Systems.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 29th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Appliances for Transmitting Electric Currents
in Electric Rail or Tramway Systems.
I, MICHAEL HOLROYD SMITH of Halifax in the County of York Mechanical and
Consulting Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improved appliances and method of transmitting electric
currents specially designed for supplying electric force for the propulsion of tram or
railway cars, the object being to obviate the necessity of using a central channel and
to work economically & with safety to the public.
The system relates to that class of construction wherein are employed main
underground conductors, electric connection being made with the same by the passage
of the car or train.
These may be divided into two classes, those wherein the weight of the train
actuates the mechanism and so makes contact, and those wherein the passage of the
train or cars causes an electric current to operate a magnetic switch.
The systems hitherto described are inapplicable for street work, and are of intricate
construction.
For purpose of my invention I employ a modified construction and developement
of the invention for which Letters Patent No. 5627 dated 7th of May 1885 were
granted to me.
In lieu of the contre channel therein described with a longitudinal slit or opening
running throughout its entire length 1 employ a closed conduit of circular or
rectangular form preferably the latter, the sides of the conduit consist of a series of
separate iron ribs or plates insulated from one another and extending to the surface
of the road forming two segmental lines of iron with insulating material between and
outside them insulating them from each other and from the earth; within this
conduit I place a rib, strip, or wire of high conductivity metal partially embedded in
insulating material and either run it throughout the entire length of the track as a
main conductor or use it in long sections, making occasional connection with a main
conductor laid undergronnd; within this conduit I place a travelling contact maker

page_text: consisting of an iron frame of like conformation and the said iron frame is supplied
with metal wheels which run upon the partially embedded conducior and is fitted with
metal springs sliding against and making contact with the iron ribs forming the sides
of the conduit these ribs passing to the surface as before mentioned, it is obvious that
wherever the traveller is; electric connection is made between the conductor within
it and the metal surface without.
The position of the travelling contact maker is controlled by means of a magnetic
collector hereinafter described which passing along the surface communicates its
magnetism to the iron ribs attracting the traveller, and causing it to follow.
Or in lieu of the central channel I employ a series of short lengths of double iron
bars or rails insulated from each other, and embedded in timber saturated and coated
with an insulating substance, below or adjacent to them I place a magnetic switch box
containing the terminals of an insulated electric wire leading from a main conductor
underground.
In order to convey the current from the main conductor to the car I employ
collectors consisting of electro magnets, preferably revolving, the N poles rolling or
rubbing upon one bar and the S poles upon the other bar, the magnets may be excited
by means of a separate battery within the car, or the current from the main may
circulate round the collector magnets whilst passing to or from the motor upon the car,
the magnetism of the collector is communicated to the bars which attract an armature
within the magnetic switch box below them, drawing a spring or lever against the
terminal of the wire connected with the main conductor, thus making electric
connection between the underground main and the surface bars. The collector is
also provided with contact makers rubbing or sliding upon the bars.
In some cases instead of two lines of magnetic surface bars I employ three lines of
bars insulated from each other, the central one being used for conveying the electric
current from the main to the car, the two outer bars being used for conveying the
electric current from a battery within the car to an electro magnet within the switch
box and so operating the contact switch as described.
In this case instead of an electro magnetic collector I employ a collector with three
contact makers one sliding upon the centre har gathering the main current, and the
other two upon the outside bars conveying the battery current to the switch boxes,
and so operating the making and breaking of connection between the main conductor
and surface bars in the different sections as the car advances.
The rails are used as return conductors in manner similar to that described in
Patents previously granted to me.
With these arrangements when constructing pass byes or turn outs I disconnect and
insulate where the tram rails and conductors cross each other.
Dated this 28th day of December 1886

page_text: in Electric Rail or Tramway Systems.
I, MICHAEL HOLROYD SMITH of Halifax in the County of York, Mechanical and
Consulting 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 :-
In previous patent specifications I have described an electric railway formed with
an underground channel having a slot opening to the road surface. The conductors
were carried in the channel and the collectors travelled therein and thereon and were
connected to the car by means of more or less detachable connections which passed
through the slot. This system of construction works fairly well in practice but the
slots are always more or less liable to become clogged or choked and lines of railway
so constructed are expensive to build and maintain in order.
It has been proposed to build lines with the conductors laid above ground but
practice has shown that such lines are extremely dangerous to the public as the circuit
could easily be completed and to avoid this danger and to prevent tampering with the
wires the conductors have been carried upon posts at a considerable distance from
the ground but except the conductors are high above the car they are liable to be
struck by loaded vans when crossing the line.
The object of my invention is to obviate the disadvantages above referred to by
constructing a surface road which shall be free from danger to the public and at the
same time capable of being economically constructed and worked.
In my provisional specification it is proposed as one means of obtaining the
desired results that a closed conduit should be employed within which was to travel a
collecting trolly on conductors said trolly being caused to keep pace with the car by
means of a magnetic collector which passing along the surface was to communicate
its magnetism to iron ribs which passed into the conduit and attracted the travelling
trolly forward or backward as the car might travel. Further experiments since made
lead me to believe that in practice this system will be found objectionable among other
reasons because the travelling trolley once lost in the conduit would be difficult to find
and would block the conduit as against other trollies. I therefore propose to limit
the scope of my present invention to the arrangements hereinafter described which
may be conveniently divided into the system in which the switch making contact with
the buried cable is actua ted by a magnetic collector inducing magnetism in the
surface bars and that in which the switch is an electro magnet operated by an electric
collector travelling on the surface bars.
The surface bars shewn in Figs. 6 and 7 may be used for either method but when
used with an electric collector it is practically a matter of indifference how near they
are together provided they are thoroughly insulated from one another, but when used

page_text: with a magnetic collector the lines of magnetic force will leak across throughout the
parallel length of the bars in proportion to their nearness irrespective of the material
between them. I therefore prefer (when a magnetic collector is used) to lay these
bars far apart, and to place cross pieces approaching near to each other at the switch
boxes in order to concentrate the field of magnetic force over or near the armature of
the switch; this is illustrated in Fig. 1, where 1. 1. represent the bars and 2.2. the project-
ing pole pieces passing into or over the switch box 3. A form of magnetic collector for
working this system is shown in Figs. 2. 3. 4. wherein N. S. are the iron poles. To
prevent them from clinging so fast to the bars as to hinder their movement they are
kept from actual contact by the wheels 4, the axles of these wheels are of brass or
other nonmagnetic metal. To prevent the wheels from “jumping” they are covered
with an iron case 5 which also acts as a cleanser for the line and a ineans of attachment
of the gatherer springs 6, which rub upon the bars conveying the electricity through
the terminal 7, and wire 8, to the motor on the car. The terminals 9 and 10 are for
the battery current exciting the magnets.
Figs. 5. 6 and 7 illustrate a convenient form of magnetic switch, 1. 1. 1. are the
surface bars with extensions 11, passing through the wooden box placed beneath, these
extensions are electrically connected together, and to the "keeper" 12 by the copper
wire 13, the iron keeper 12 is free to rock upon the pin 14 in the hooked bearing 15
and by its own weight falls away from the extensions 11, lifting the attached
spring 16 away from the electrical terminal 17 which is held in the insulator 18.
Connection with the underground conductor C is made in the manner shown in Figs. 6
and 7, and access to the box may be had by means of the lid similar to that illustrated
and described with reference to Figs. 28 and 24. The hooked support 15 for the
keeper 12 facilitates its easy withdrawal from the box in case of need.
::
When it is desired to use an electric collector operating a magnetic switch, the
arrangement diagramatically illustrated in Fig. 8 may be employed in which C
represents the buried cable conveying the current, R, R, the ordinary tram rails used
for returning the current to the generator, the three dark lines in the centre illustrate
the sectional surface arrangement for conveying the current.
b, b, are the bars upon which travel the gatherer whose shoes or terminals are con-
nected with the battery on the car, m, m, are the centre bars upon which travel the
gatherer shoe connected with the motor on the car. In this arrangement the battery
operates the electro-magnetic switch 19 independent of the rails, cable, or motor bars
and one side of the battery bars may be continuous.
When a current of electricity is caused to pass round the magnets 19 their
armatures close and make contact between the buried cable and the motor bars m by
means of the insulated wire 20. The advantage of this arrangement is that it is
immaterial how the gatherer is placed upon the surface bars.
In Fig. 9 one of the battery bars 6 is dispensed with, the battery return being made
by means of the motor bar m.
In Fig. 10 the battery return is made by means of the rails R, R.
The simplest method of connection is to have one switch box containing two
switches and operating two sections of line, but one box may be made to control any
number of sections by making connections through insulated wires as illustrated at A,
Fig. 10, a separate switch magnet being used for each section.
Fig. 11 illustrates the complete system, D being the generating dynamo having one
terminal connected with the cable and one with the rail, or rails. The tramcar T
carries the motor M, and battery B, and has attached to it the gatherer G. By tracing
the wires from the battery and from the dynamo it will be seen how the switch is
operated and the motor worked.
The reason for employing two battery shoes or terminals 21 (one in advance and
one in the rear of the motor shoes 22) is in order that the electro-magnetic switch may
be closed before the motor shoes 22 comes on to a section and complete the circuit
from the main conductor cable C, and remains closed until the motor shoes 22 have
passed off the section and ceased to require a current through the switch last past and
thus flashing or sparking of the switch contacts is avoided.

page_text: When it is desired to operate a number of sections from one magnet in one box,
then a special magnet of the ring type, as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, may be
employed.
Fig. 12 illustrates a magnet ring 23, the coils of which instead of being coupled to
a commutator. are by means of the wires 24, 24, 24, coupled to the battery
sections b, b, of the surface rails, and the gatherer shoes take the place of the brushes.
When the gatherer is upon section mx the iron of the ring becomes two magnets,
having their S, S, and N, N, poles together as shown, carrying with it the contact
piece K, which makes a connection between the cable Cand the terminals II, II, wires
from these terminals take the main current to the motor strip m.
The contact piece K is made to bridge two terminals I, I, II, II, III, III, IV, IV,
because the armature being of soft iron may assume the position required with either
end to N or S of the magnet ring, this necessitates eight divisions of the arunature
for four sections of line.
In order to make each coil section available for each road section, I employ a
permanent or electro-magnet as shewn in Fig. 13 whereby it will be seen that if the
gatherer 22 is shifted from road section II to road section IV the direction of the
current through the coils of the ring magnet would be reversed S, S, and
becoming N, N, and N, N, becoming S, S, the electro-magnet would also reverse
bringing the contact maker K upon terminal IV, and so conveying the main current
to road section 1V. It will be evident that magnets of this construction can also be
used for indicating the position upon the line of any car or cars, and may also be
employed for other analogous purposes.
In order that the method of carrying out this invention may be more clearly
understood I append drawings illustrative of some of the details.
Fig. 14 is a section of the road shewing sectional conductor in accordance with
Figs. 9 and 10, with the end view of the gatherer (partly in section) in position b, m,
are the surface bars firmly secured to, and embedded in creosoted wood coated with
pitch, the wood is preferably made in the form shewn because it readily lends itself to
the formation of curves, which would be difficult if not impossible were the wood a
solid block, the centre portion is in two parts 25 and 26, the bottom hollowed or
grooved for the reception of the leading wires, the top forming a good road surface for
which purpose the blocks are put in with the grain upwards. The outer case or board
is for the retention of pitch in order to further secure the insulation of the iron bars.
19 is one of the switch boxes in position.
Fig. 15 is a side elevation, and Fig. 16 a plan of the gatherer G, consisting of a
These wheels are hollow shells
wooden frame 27 carried upon four wheels 28, 28.
secured by screws or other device to axles 29 consisting of hard wood treated and
coated with any insulating and waterproofing composition, studs 30 are screwed or
riveted into the face of these wheels and engage in a block or bearing 31 attached to
the wood framework 27 the wheels rolling upon the iron bars b, m, make olectric
contact therewith, but in order to further secure the making and maintaining of good
contact, rubbers or sliders 32 and 33 are also provided on either side, 32 are those for
the battery current, and 33 is for the main current, the wheel blocks sliders or rubbers
on either side are electrically coupled to their respective terminals 34 and 35, and
connection is then made with the terminals on the car in any of the manners described
in my previous patent specifications.
The sliders or rubbers 32 may be of various forms, two are shewn, the one in the
centre consists of an iron shoe = attached by springs to the plates attached to the
wooden frame. The outer ones consist of a square box 36, in which a square bar of
iron or other inetal is free to slide, the lower end of this bar is recessed and has
rivetted or otherwise attached to it thin strips of steel which rest upon and brush the
iron bars, the weight of the iron bar securing constant contact, instead of the steel strips
pressing directly upon the iron rails or bars, they may be provided with metal shoes as
shewn at 37. These bars or plungers may be used in groups as illustrated in
Fig. 7.
To avoid occasional interruption of the current by the shaking or sliding of the

page_text: plunger in its case or box, wires 38 connect the top of the plunger with the case 36.
The gatherer may be hauled along by the car in manner previously patented by me, the
hooks h, h, being used for this purpose.
A modified form of gatherer is illustrated in Figs. 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 where the
contact making shoes 21 and 22 are jointed to iron bars 39 free to slide up and down
in the boxes 40 which are bolted to the wooden framework of the gatherer, the wires
from the battery and from the motor are connected immediately to the studs of these
iron bars. To ensure constant contact a number of these may be coupled together, as
shewn in Fig. 22, preferably by leather bands 41, or other flexible connections.
Figs. 23, 24 and 25 illustrate a switch box controlling two sections of surface bars,
42 is a casing preferably of cast iron covered by an outer lid 43, strong enough to
resist the ordinary street traffic, 44 is the inner lid which is pressed down upon
indiarubber packing 45 by the screw 46 passing through the bar 47 held in recesses 48,
this makes the box water tight.
The box rests upon a wooden block 49 which is grooved for the passage of the wires
from the main cable and to and from the surface bars and rails, the box has channels
or passages 50 and 51 cast in it, through which these wires pass as shewn, after the
wires have been led through, the channels or passages are filled with pitch or other
suitable material in order to prevent the entrance of moisture into the box and to
further secure insulation. The cable wire C is taken to the terminals 52 which are
connected to the clappers 53 when these are drawn by the " plunger-keeper" 54 of the
magnet 55 against the terminals 56 the current can pass by the wires 57 to their
motor bars.
The description of the gatherer given with the diagrammatic drawing Fig. 11, shows
that provision is made for closing the clappers 53 before the main or motor current is
required and keeping them closed until after the main or motor current has ceased to
flow, but inasmuch as it is possible (through obstruction on the line, accidental derange-
ment of the gatherer, or battery) that the magnet should cease to act and release the
clapper whilst the motor current is passing, and so break contact and cause flashing and
fusing of the terminals 56, I cause the wire that brings the current from the main
cable to be wound round the outer case of the magnet, so that as long as any current
is passing to the motor the " plunger keeper" shall be held down. Or I make the
terminal 56 into a magnet by winding it with the wire leading to the motor har, so
that when the iron face of the clapper is brought down upon the terminal it shall be
held there as long as any current is passing, this detail is illustrated in Fig. 26.
The magnets are operated by the battery wires 58 which come from their respective
battery bars, the current returning by a common wire 59 to the rails. Various kinds
of magnets inay be used for the purpose. I preferably employ the one illustrated, it
being the subject matter of one of my earlier patents and consists of a solenoid
surrounded by an iron casing and having a short iron plug extending partially within
it, the plunger has a lid corresponding with the magnet case, by this arrangement the
advantage is the solenoidal pull and magnetic attraction are combined.
The magnet
is more fully illustrated in Fig. 27.
<<
Another form of magnet that may be conveniently applied is illustrated in Figs. 28
and 29. When the "keeper" 60 is drawn to the poles of the magnet, the spring 61
makes contact with the terminal 62, the convenience of this form is the ready removal
of the keeper" and spring which rest and rock upon the point 63. As the residuary
magnetism might retain the "keeper" after the current ceases, copper plugs 64 are
placed in the face to prevent the iron "keeper" making direct contact with the iron
poles of the magnet.
Figs. 30, 31 and 32 show in side elevation plan and end elevation a large box con-
taining six magnets controlling six sections of the road surface bars. It is in
essence similar to Figs. 23, 24 and 25, but in this case the instruments are further
protected by being placed in a wooden box, and the wires are passed in and out
through the siphon trap 65 only the cable lead C and battery return 59 being shown
in order to avoid confusion.
The method of wiring the box is fully illustrated in Fig. 33 where C is the cable

page_text: lead and 59 the battery return the main current wires and battery wires connecting
the magnets and terminals with each surface bar are numbered respectively.
For avoidance of damage by short circuiting, a fusible cut out 66, Figs. 30 and 31,
is placed in the box, this is more fully shewn in Figs. 34, 35 and 36, where 67
represents the lead wires or fuse passing through holes in the terminals 68 and
secured there by taper pins 69 drivon into holes drilled at right angles thereto, these.
terminals are mounted upon a strip of insulating material 70 for the ready and safe
placing and removal of them upon their supports 71 to which they are secured by
the screw pins 72. The supports 71 have terminals 73 for attachment of the cable
wire C.
For long lengths of, or heavily worked tramways where the magnetic switch boxes are
used, employ a main cable buried in any convenient place preferably between or
near to the tram rails, and use a subsidiary cable to convey the current to a number
of switch boxes, this junction between the main and subsidiary cable being controlled
by a special box containing a hand switch and fusible or automatic cut out.
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:
1st. In electric rail and tramways a switch box the magnetic bar of which is opposite
to the connections to the surface bars said bars being also flexibly connected with
the contact maker with the main conductor substantially as set forth.
2nd. In electric rail and tramways the combination of two or more surface bars
with a battery carried by the car and adapted to operate the magnetic switches
through which the main current passes to the motor substantially as set forth.
3rd. In electric rail and tramways a magnetic ring switch the movement of the
armature of which is governed by the position of the car upon the line substantially as
set forth.
4th. The improved arrangement and construction of switch boxes substantially as
described and as illustrated in Figures 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 32 and 33 of the accompany-
ing drawings.
5th. The combination of magnets so constructed and arranged in an electric switch
box that the contact is effected by means of a battery current and maintained by said
current or by the main current substantially as set forth.
6th. The improved electric fuse substantially as described and as illustrated in
Figures 30, 31, 34, 35 and 36 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of September 1887.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Applicant's Agent.