GB2186852A

GB2186852A - Attaching contact line to suspended railway rail

Info

Publication number: GB2186852A
Application number: GB08702929A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Uwe Schulte; Heinz Pfannkuche
Original assignee: Mannesmann AG
Current assignee: Vodafone GmbH
Priority date: 1986-02-22
Filing date: 1987-02-10
Publication date: 1987-08-26
Also published as: FR2595018A1; DE8604842U1; GB2186852B; IT8719358A0; IT1202530B; FR2595018B1; GB8702929D0

Abstract

A contact line arrangement for a suspended railway system comprising a holder and a plurality of contact line end pieces (10). The holder has a base plate (5) which supports a shaft (7), the base plate being fixable to a support rail (1) of the system with the shaft perpendicular thereto. Each of the contact line end pieces (10) is formed with an opening (11) which permits snap-fitting onto the shaft (7). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Contact line arrangement This invention relates to a contact line arrangement for a suspended railway system.

A known type of suspended railway system has a rail along which suspended vehicles can travel. Each vehicle has current collectors which run on contact lines carried by the rail.

The contact lines are fixed to the rail by contact line end pieces which are made of insulating material. Usually, the end pieces are provided with inlet guides for the current collectors at the ends of the contact line arrangement or on the points. Moreover, as the end pieces are screwed individually onto the rail, labour costs are high.

The aim of the invention is to provide a simple means for fixing contact line end pieces on to a support rail.

The present invention provides a contact line arrangement for a suspended railway system, the arrangement comprising a holder and a plurality of contact line end pieces, wherein the holder has a base plate which supports a shaft, the base plate being fixable to a support rail of the system with the shaft perpendicular thereto, and wherein each of the contact line end pieces is formed with an opening which permits snap-fitting onto the shaft.

Access to supply lines and fixing bolts is easily gained by simply removing the contact line end pieces. As these end pieces are made from plastics material, the snap-fitting feature is created on account of the deformability of this material.

Advantageously, the opening of each end piece surrounds about 270 of the shaft, and has a mouth which widens in the form of a funnel towards the base plate of the holder.

Preferably, the opening of each end piece is arranged beneath the free end of that end piece, said free end being provided with inlet bevels on the contact line base and on the sides adjacent thereto and the free end of each end piece, as viewed in plan, has bevels directed to both sides. it is advantageous to arrange the opening at the free end, because each contact line end piece adjusts itself into the most suitable direction on the shaft according to the course of the associated contact line. The bevels (which are conveniently 45" bevels) have the advantage that the contact line end pieces can rest closely on one another at points, and at the adjacent fixed rail pieces, owing to the cut off ends.During switching of the points, which preferably takes place at an angle of 45" to the rail course, these would otherwise bump into one another and destroy switching of the points.

As the spaces available between the flanges of a support rail frequently need not be completely filled with contact lines, some of the contact line end pieces can be replaced by spacer tubes which can be snap-fitted onto the shaft.

At simple current dividing positions, adjacent contact line end pieces can be joined together by means I-shaped connectors whose ends flanges lying perpendicularly to the connector can be snap-fitted into the openings of said end pieces.

A contact line arrangement constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an end elevation of the arrangement; Figure 2 is a cross-section taken on the line il-ll of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a contact line end piece of the arrangement; Figure 4 is a side elevation of an end piece holder of the arrangement; Figure 5 is a front elevation of the holder; Figure 6 is a side elevation showing two adjacent contact line end pieces; and Figure 7 is a plan view of a connector for connecting the two end pieces of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a support rail 1, indicated by broken lines, of a suspended installation. The rail 1 is provided with longitudinal grooves 2 along which are slidable the heads 3 of bolts which are used to mount an end piece holder. The end piece holder has a base plate 5 which is provided with holes 8 through which the bolts 3 pass to cooperate with the nuts 4. The upwardlytilted end plates 6 of the holder support a shaft 7 onto which contact line end pieces 10 can be snap-fitted.

Each contact line end piece 10 has an opening 11 which snap fits onto the shaft 7. Each end piece 10 has a lower inlet bevel 13 and lateral inlet bevels 12 which guide a respective current collector (not shown) of a trolley or the like onto a contact line 9 connected to that end piece. Furthermore, when viewed from above, the funnel-shaped end 15 of each contact line end piece 10 has bevels 14 which define points for shifting the direction of current collector travel by up to 450, without the ends of the contact line end pieces bumping into one another in the process.

Each contact line end piece 10 has, on its contact line base 23, a points tongue 16 which rests on the end of the associated contact line 9. Each tongue 16 is directed towards the funnel end 15 of the end piece 10, and projects towards the support rail 1 for resilient engagement with a nut 18 of a bolt 19 which holds a contact line connector 17.

At current dividing positions, the contact line end pieces 10 of two adjacent contact lines, can be joined together by means of an I-shaped connector 22, whose flanges 21 match the cross-section of the shaft 7 and fit into the openings 11 of the end pieces.

If the shaft 7 need not be full of contact line end pieces 10, the missing space(s) can be replaced by one or more spacer tubes 20, each of which partially surrounds the shaft 7, and can easily be removed from the shaft.

After removing a spacer tube 20, the remaining contact line end pieces 10 can be shifted vertically, to allow access to the nuts 4, if the base plate 5 of a holder has to be released from the support rail 1 with all its contact line end pieces 10. The round shaft 7 also allows the contact line end pieces 10 to be adjusted precisely to the course of the adjacent contact lines 9.

Claims

1. A contact line arrangement for a suspended railway system, the arrangement comprising a holder and a plurality of contact line end pieces, wherein the holder has a base plate which supports a shaft, the base plate being fixable to a support rail of the system with the shaft perpendicular thereto, and wherein each of the contact line end pieces is formed with an opening which permits snapfitting onto the shaft.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening of each end piece surrounds about 270 of the shaft, and has a mouth which widens in the form of a funnel towards the base plate of the holder.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the opening of each end piece is arranged beneath the free end of that end piece, said free end being provided with inlet bevels on the contact line base and on the sides adjacent thereto.

4. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the free end of each end piece, as viewed in plan, has bevels directed to both sides.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each end piece has a points tongue aligned with an associated contact line with the tip of the tongue directed towards the free end of that end piece, and wherein each points tongue projects towards the support rail and resiliently engages a holding nut of a connector for the associated contact line.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the shaft is supported by angled end plates fixed to the base plate of the holder.

7. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the end pieces is replaced by a spacer tube snapfitted onto the shaft.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base plate of the holder is fixed to the support rail by means of bolts and nuts.

9. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein two adjacent end pieces are joined together by means of an Ishaped connector whose end flanges fit into the openings of said end pieces.

10. A contact line arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.