US2195733A - Overhead trolley device - Google Patents

Description

April 1940- s. s. MATTHES OVERHEAD TROLLEY DEVICE Filed June 16, 1938 Inventor SAMUEL J. MUZHES A [lot ne y Patented Apr. 2, 194:0

UNITED STATES PATENTZY' OFFICE v 2,195,133 OVERHEAD TROLLEY DEVICE Samuel S. Matthes, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to f The Ohio Brass Gompany, Mansfield, Ohio, a

corporation of New Jersey Application June 16, 1938, Serial No. 214,039 7 construction, combination and relation of the parts herein described and shown in the ac-- companying drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a schematic view of my invention looking down upon the same.

Fig. 2 is a side view of an enlargedport'ion of my invention as later described.

Fig. 3 is a top View of Fig. 2. v Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of another portion of my invention as later described. Fig 5 isatopview of Fig. 4.

In the operation of trolley. buses there are two trolley wiresof opposite polarity whichare employed, and it is necessary to keep these two polarities separated electrically and mechanically and at branch or turn-out points, this has beena considerable problem as it is necessarytomaintain the overhead system in a predeterminedfixed '30 relation in order to give the best operation of the buses.

I The necessity for such fixed relation is due to the fact that they trolleyheads supportingthe current collectors, which engage the overhead sys- 35 tem, are independent of each other and are adapted to pivot universallyrelative to the trolley bus and, therefore, the overhead system must be such that it in itself and the elements making up the system will properlyguide thecurrent collector while the bus'is tree to move laterally in either direction relative-to the overhead system.

Such requirements and operation is not .re-

quired in the case of so-called streetcar operation wherethe vehicle moves along a fixed track, H

' at least not to the same extent.

My invention herein described. maybe employed not only in the operation of trolley buses but also in combination with the operation of streetcars, and in the lattercase the negative wire is usually grounded at the source of power while the positive wire is located above the track a on which the street car operates.

To attempt to connect the various overhead switches, crossings, hangers, etc., by trolley wires and maintain the elements in fixed relatiomis not only very unsatisfactory from the operating standpoint but'it is expensive to maintainthe parts. in a reasonably fixed relation, but by tying V .theswitches crossings, hangers, etc, together to l5 form asubstantially single, rigid unit, I am able to accomplish the results required. 7

My invention also includes electrically operated switches which maybe controlled by the vehicle operator to either-pass straight through or along 10 a main line or to take a branch line.

' As the requirements to be metimight be saidv to be almost legion, I prefer to make the various parts forming my invention so that they are more or less interchangeable, as for instance, various types of electrically operated. switches may be usedt'o meet various requirements or the switches may be of hand operation, that is, operated by means of a rope alongside of the pole; the angle which the branch makes with respect to the main 0 line may vary thus requiring different switch pansyth'e curvature of ,the'turn' out may vary; the switch pans and otheriparts are required to take various sizes and styles of trolley wires and also the distance between theswitches themselves and between the switches andcrossing may vary. Q In the invention" which I haveshown in the "drawing, there is'disclosed two spaced electrically operatedlswitches so arranged that they will opcrate with. power on and power ofi and it is usualin this particular type of switch to have the switch normally set'to guide the current 001- lector straight through-the switch and fpo-wer offf, that is, with the controller on the vehicle open, and 'in order-to move the switch to the* branch connection to guide the current collector onto th'e branchor turn-out wirethe vehicle'operator moves his controller to the power on position as the collector crosses or passes through the switch. This's'etting, however, may be reversed; i I

In the embodiment disclosed, I employ elec-' trically operatedswitches A and B provided with body or pan members land tongues E-andshown held in the straight through position by. means of the springs 3. 'hlach pan is provided with projecting arms 4, 5, and 6 by means'of which the *currentc'ollector is guided onto and ofi the pan.

The switches A and B 'areheld in spaced relation by means of insulators l and 5 and are also provided with pullofi lugs '9 to which supporting and strain wiresmay be attached. I To operate the switch tongues to turn-out position, I employ an electrically operated mechanism C which comprises a coil l0 and a. plunger H, the

latter being mechanically connected to the switch tongues 2. One end of the coil i0 is electrically connected to the pan l and the other end is in electrical connection with the trolley wire as later explained.

The crossing D is provided with a pan l2 and arms l3, l4, l5 and I6 andis adapted to guide the current collector straight through the crossing either in connection with the main wire or with the branch wire.

The ends of the arms on both the switches A and B and the crossing D .are provided with a U-shaped groove to receive the ends of fittings to be attached thereto as further described.

The operation of the switches A and B herein disclosed requires that such switches be insulated from the trolley wire excepting through the coil l0 and connection I! thereto. a

To effect such insulation, I have shown in Figs. 2 and 3 somewhat enlarged views of the parts to meet such requirement. The end of the frog is shown partially, and connected to the frog arm 6 is a live spacer l8 which has a tongue 19 at one end positioned in the groove of the arm 6 and held in place by the bolts 28, The spacer l8 has a U-shaped'groove 2! at the other end to receive the control insulator 22. i

The control insulator comprises an elongated bar 23 having one v end positioned inthe groove 2| and insulated therefrom as shown at 24. The insulation may comprise sheet insulation as a part of the member l8 or of the member 23. The control insulator and live spacer are held in position by means of bolts 25 which are insulated from one or both of the members I8 and 23 by bushing insulators. g

The other end of the control insulator 22 is arranged to be inserted in the 'U-shape grooved end 26 of the trolley wire tip 2'! which is adapted to receive and hold the main trolley wire 28 in place by the screws 29.

.The control insulator 22 is provided with detachable clips 30 and 3| with their inner ends adjacent but separated a small amount. The clip 3| is insulated from the member 23 but is electrically connected to: the member 18 by means of the jumper 32 or other appropriate means. The clip 30 is electrically connected with the main trolley wire 28 as is evident; The member 23 is provided with the connecting lug 33 to receive conductors. v

If the length of the pan will not give a'suflicient length of time to energize the coil l0, then the length of the member 58 plus the length of the pan is made suflicient such that a trolley .bus

moving in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 will be assured of a sufficient time of contact of the collector in crossing the switch to energize the C011 Iii and move the tongue. 2 if the operator wishes to alter the position thereof. The members l8 are not necessary if the switches are sufliciently long in which case the'ends of the bar 23 are placed in thegrooves of the arms 6 in insulated relation thereto.

Any, arcing which may occur as the curren collector moves along the system described'will take place between the clips 3! and 3! and these have been made relatively small, inexpensive and easily renewable when burned.

To "further insulate the switches A and B from the trolley wire, the grooved ends of the arms 4 and 5 are provided with adapter members 34 which have tongues held in the groove of the arms by means of the bolts35 and insulated from .the arms by means of the insulation 36.

The adapter 34 of the arm 4 has a groove at one end in which is positioned the tongue .3! of the trolley wire tip 38 in which is positioned the end of the main trolley wire 39. Means 35' are provided for securing the adapter and trolley wire tip together and also securing the trolley wire in position.

In order to forego breaking the continuity of the trolley wires 28 and 39, I provide a jumper 40 having its ends connected to the control insulator 22 and the adapter 34 respectively.

'The arm 5 of switch A is joined with the arm l5 of the crossing D by means of the rigid spacer 4! which comprises preferably an angle or T bar of rolledsteel having one leg 42 arranged to guide the current collector along its lower edge and may be curved or used straight. The vertical leg 42 of the angle-bar 4| is arranged to be connectedto a grooved end on the arm 55 and to fit the clevis end of an adapter 34 which has the tongue end positioned in the arm 5 in the manner shownin Figs. 4 and 5. The adapter 3G. is insulated from. the arm 5. It will be evident that the rigid spacer 4| will maintain its curvature due; to the construction of the angle bar.

The rigid spacer 44 has one end connected to the arm 5 of the switch B by an adapter 34 in the same manner as the end of the spacer 5! is connected to the end of the arm 5 of the switch A.

The other end of the spacer 44 is provided with a tongue 45 to which is secured the trolley wire tip 46 held in place by the bolts 41 and which receives and holds the end of the branch trolley wire 48. The latter described end of the spacer 44 is held in position relative to the crossing D by means of the insulated member 49 which is connected to a transverse bar 50 which is prelof a metal portion 52. I construct the spacer portion 52 of a rolled steel bar, the lower edge of which is adapted to guide a current collector. The other end of-the metal spacer portion 52 is connected to the grooved end of the arm 4 of the switch B by means of an adapter 34 in the same manner as the spacer 4| and 44 are connected to the arms 5.

I place around the switch B a jumper 53 which is connected to the control insulator and the adapter respectively thus the spacer portion 52 is energized of the same polarity as the main trolley wire 28 thereby permitting operation of the vehicle if it should come to rest with a current collector on the member 52. I

The arm I6 is provided with a trolley wire tip 54 to receive and hold the branch trolley wire end 55 in electrically connected relation to the crossing D.

To the clevis end of the arm M of the crossing D, I secure another insulator 5E and to the other end of theinsulator 56 is attached a trolley wire tip 5'lcto receive and hold the main trolley wire end 58.- The insulators 5|. and 56 are sufficient to insulate to the. full potential used and keep the polarities safely separated. i

, In order to maintain proper spacing between the trolley wire 38 and the crossing D, I use an insulator '59 which has one end Gil adjustably secured to the crossing D and. the other end to a hanger 6| which is attachedto the trolley wire 39. Span wires 62 and B3 are connected to supports which assist in suspending the parts and maintaining them in relative longitudinal position.

The lower surface of practically all of the parts signs and the various insulationsthat the two polarities are thoroughly insulated from each other, and if street cars are operating over the system, as for instance, over the positive wire and if the switch A is set to the straight through position and it is desired the car shall take the curve, the operator will set his controller to power on position before crossing the spacer 22 and the switch'A which is the same procedure as carried out by the bus operator under like circumstances.

In order to protect the coils ill from ual flow of current if the vehicles should stop withthe current collector on the spacers 4| and 44 or} on 5| and the wire 39, I place the insulation necessary to maintain the separation of the polarities, at or adjacent the ends of the frogs. The accessories on a street car or bus may at times draw a large volume of current and this would pass through the coils ID if proper'insulating precautions were not used.

' A jumper 64 connects the two adapters 34 on each switch A and B.

By making the ends of the parts with grooves and tongues and. maintaining a standard throughout the line of parts, I am able to combine the various parts to meet varying require- 45.

ments without unduly .multiplying the parts required.

a contin- As there are many modifications to which my invention is subject and which my disclosure will suggest to those skilled in the art, I wish to be limited only by my claims.

I claim:

1. A control device forming part of an overhead trolley wire'device comprising an elongated fiat bar of metal, insulating means positioned longitudinally along the side faces of the bar adjacent one end thereof, openings transversely disposed to the longitudinal axis of the bar at one end of the oar to secure to the end of the bar another part of the overhead device, the openings at the insulated end provided with insulating bushings, apair of renewable clips at-. 'tached to the bar to, guide a current collector,

one clip in"eleotrical contact'with the bar and v the other clip adjacent the insulated end of the bar and insulated therefrom by the aforesaid insulating means, the adjacent ends of the clips being so constructed and spaced that a passing current collector will be in engagement with both clips at the same time and means electrically connected to the other end of the metal bar and having meansto receive and hold a trolley wire.

2. A control device forming part of an overhead trolley wire device comprising an elongated receive means to secure the bar to another part of the trolley-wire device, insulation interposed between the'bar and the last said means to insure the insulation of the said means and saidanother part from the bar, means attached to bar of metal, insulating means positioned along 1 "the sides of one end of the bar, transverse open ings through the bar and insulating means to the other end of the'bar in directelectrical confrom the bar, the adjacent ends of the clips being so arranged that a current collector passing across the device will at some period engage both clips. Y

4 SAMUEL S. MATTHES.

nection therewith, a'renewable clip electrically connected to the bar adjacent the last said means and a renewable clip attached to the bar adjacent the other end of the bar and insulated 40. l

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