US391792A

US391792A - Electric railway

Info

Publication number: US391792A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1888-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1905-10-30

Description

(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

I. W. HEYSINGER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. I. W. HEYSINGER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 391,792. I Patented 0012.30, 1888.

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No. 391,792. Patented Oct. 30, 1888.

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INVENTOR UEii'rEn STATES PATENT @EEihE.

ISAAC HEYSINGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.-

ELECTRlC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent; No. 391,792, dated October 30, 1888.

Original application filed April 21, 1887, Serial No. 235,584. Divided and this application filed November 20, 1887. Serial To aZZ whom it may concern.-

, Be it known that I, ISAAC \V. HEYSINGER, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, &c., of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a conduit and supply devices of a railway-car motor in an electric surface railway embodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 2are views of the insulating-block which I use to insulate the conducting-leads from thebody of my conduit. Figs. 3 and 3 show the electric conducting-lead through which electric energy is transmitted from the dynamo of the supply service to the dynamo of the motorcar and the various attachments thereof, and also the currentgathering devices which I use, in detailed view. Fig. 4 is a plan view of an electricrailway crossing made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 illustrates the construct-ion of my conducting -leads and their adjacent parts in connection with Figs. 3 and 3, when the said leads are interrupted in their course, as shown in Fig. 6. at switches or other parts of the line. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view of an internal corner of a conduit, which does not show the leads A A and their connections, but illustrates the construction of the other parts more clearly, and, in addition, shows soft pads or washers used with the insulatingblocks, and also recessed shoulders at the ends to serve the purpose of the countersunk bolt-holes shown in the other figures. Fig. 6 is a plan view of an electricrailw'ay switch or turn-out, showing the advance of an electricmotor car from the main line to a branch railway and the method I use to control the currents during such transfer. Fig. 7 is a side view, partially in section, showing a motorcar on my electric railway, the arrangement of currcntgathering devices and conductors as used in my invention, and the method of bridging crossings or switches without interruption of current.

The lettering in all the figures is uniform.

The first part of my invention relates to the means, as hereinafter shown and described, whereby I am enabled to cross one electric (N0 model.)

railway with another, so that trains of cars may move over such crossings at full speed and without interruption of the current, or

whereby a train or motor-car may move upon a switch from a main track to a siding or upon a branch road without loss of power or interruption of the electric circuit. For this pur pose I terminate the electric conducting-leads before they reach their intersection at a railway crossing or switch, and connect the interrupted ends by a side connection, either underground or overhead, thus leaving a central space in the conduit at the crossing, when I use an inclosed conduit, as I usually prefer to do, without any intersecting or interfering electric leads, so that the current-gathering devices of an'electric-motor car are free to pass in either direction upon either one of the intersecting lines of railway along which the said motor-car may move. The motor car thus traveling upon the roadway overhead, and having its current-gathering devices projecting downward,by means of the downward extension of the vertical bar supporting the same, into the conduit through a longitudinal slotin its upper side, the said current-gatherers movingin contact with the electric conducting-leads which supply electricity to the motorcar to operate the motordynamo of the same, Iprovide with duplicate pairs of eurrent'gathering devices, one pair extending downward from the axis of motion of the front truck and the other from the axis of motion of the rear truck of the said motor-car, and if only a single pair of wheels be used at each end of the car, then from the middle of the axles between each pair of wheels, and these duplicate pairs of current-gathering devices I mount or support upon vertical bars or rods extending downward from the said axes of rotation of the trucks or axles of said car, and I provide them with spring-expanded currcn't-gatherers, so that the same will be heldin sliding or rolling contact with the conducting-leads as the motor-car advances, one pair following the other and carrying up to the dynamo of the motor-car above electricity to supply the same. These current-gatherers are insulated from their supports and other adjacent parts, and at or near the under side of the car-body I connect the two pairs of current-gatzhcrers by a positive and negative conductor-one on each side-so that the current from the positive lead will pass up to the motor-dynamo through either or both the positive connections of the two current-gatherers, and, conversely, the return-current will pass down to the return or negative lead from the negative side of either or both eurrent-gatherers. So long as either positive connection and either negative conneetionone of each-be in contact with the conductingleads the current Will be transmitted through the motor-dynamo, whether the positive and negative current gatherers in front or those behind are in connection and the other pair out; or if a front positive and a rear negative be in contact and the others out the current will freely pass without sparking or resistance and the motor dynamo and the motor-car will move. As these duplicate pairs of current-gatherers are separated from each other by the distance of the trucks apart, it will be readily seen that any break in the conducting leads not greater in extent than this distance will be bridged by the two currentgathering contacts or on a switch the two pairs may have their alternate contacts presented as the car turns off upon adivergingline. It is necessary, of course, to prevent the contact-extremities of these current gatherers from spreading apart when the conductingleads are interrupted, so that when the space is bridged the contacts will again be made without shock, and the means for accomplishing this forms a part of my invention.

The important features, it will be seen, are the placing of the independent pairs of current-gathering devices upon different trucks separated from each other sufficient] y to bridge any breaks of the line of conductors and at their axes of horizontal motion, so that as the trucks follow the curvatures of the roadway the current-gathering devices will follow the slot in the conduit,when such is used, and be in constant contact with thelongitudinal conduetorsthereof, and in electrically connecting these independent current-gathering devices, positive and negative, front and rear, with the motor-dynamo of the car; and as the distance between the adjacent trucks of the same car is usually sufficient I prefer to attach one pair to the front and the other pair to the rear truck of the same car and join their opposite sides by a flexible conductor passing beneath the floor of the car, as shown in the figures. Being attached beneath the axis of motion of each truck, these downwardly-extended bars, which support the current-gatherers in the conduit beneath, will conform to the motion of the axis of each truck, and thus traverse a line midway between the rails,whether the parts of the car above do so or not; hence the conduit and its slot being placed midway between the rails the car will pass over all the curves of the read without deflection of the line traversed by the vertical bars from the line midway be tween the rails; hence a very narrow slot in the upper side of the conduit will be sufficient, and a very even contact of the ends of the current-gatherers with the conducting-leads will be secured, whatever the line of the railway may be. I round off the extremities of the leads and their supports, so that the currentgathering devices of a motorcar, as they clear the free ends of one pair of leads, may do so without jar, and may form contact with the opposite free ends as the car advances by a gradual engagement of the same with the sloped or rounded ends thus presented. I also suitably guard the deflection of the currentgatherers, so that they will not be able to spread in the interspace of the intersection beyond the line of conducting-leads to be encountered beyond the interspace, and I usually use springs to spread the current-gatherers and fixed guards or steps to limit the motion of the same. All this is clearly shown in the drawings, and .will be more minutely described by letters hereinafter. The current-gatherers thus ride off the sloped ends of the leads as an intersection is reached, and when passed ride up the sloped ends of the succeeding leads without shock, jar, or disturbance of the current.

The second part of my invention relates to the construction of the electric conductingleads of my railway and the supports of the same. These I form of longitudinal wooden bars, nearly square in cross-section, but sloped or tapered inwardly toward the center of the conduit and boiled or treated with hot pitch to prevent moisture in the wood and increase insulation. The ends of these wooden bars, which may be twenty feet or more in length and two, three, four, or more inches in diameter, are separated from each other at their opposite ends by a space of an inch or two, and the said bars are supported upon insulating blocks of glass or other non-conducting composition, the said blocks bolted to the wooden bars upon their inner sides and to the inside of the conduit frame or shell upon their outer sides, so that the wooden bars extend along within the conduit upon each side in a series of broken or separated stringers, each of which is free to contract or expand upon its own supports without affecting the others. Along these bars of wood, thus makingacoir tinuous support extends a flat longitudinal copper strip, of suitable size to carry the full current without undue resistance, the said copper strip made in long lengths and bolted or attached by screws to the line of wooden bars which form the support for the same. At the ends of the wooden bars, at the interspaec between the same, the copper strip is bent back and brought forward again in the ap proximate form of a horseshoe, so that the continuity of the copper conductor is not impaired, while any elongation or contraction due to temperature or wear of the sliding current-gatherers is compensated for at each of these bends, and the tendency to buckle up or rise from the wooden bars is avoided. The current-gathering devices ride over these bends without interference the bent portions being concealed between the ends of the wooden bars, and a flat surface only being presented to the current gathering contact pieces. when it is necessary to carry insulated wires from the conducting-leads within the conduit out through the said conduit, I provide the insulating-blocks which support the wooden bars with projecting parts extending out through openings in the walls of the conduit to which they are secured, and these projecting parts of the insulating -b1ocks being suitably perforated when made, the wires are passed through the conduit electrically insulated and without difficulty. I prefer to apply the flat copper strips to the beveled or sloped upper and lower faces of the wooden bars, against which ride in contact the flanged rollers of my curreutgatherers, and I sometimes usea copper strip upon the upper or lower side only and have the other side shod, for protection against wear, with a strip of iron or steel. Ihe current-gathering devices which I prefer to use in such cases are the flanged rollers described and claimed in my Letters Patent No. 359,607, dated March 22, 1887; but I do not confine myself to these flanged rollers, but use such brushes, springs, slides, or other moving contacts as may for any reason be desired.

My invention also relates to the various combinations of the parts herein shown and described, whereby I am enabled to produce an electric railway more effective and econonr ical than these in use heretofore.

In Fig. 7 I show in use with my electric railway a locomotive or electric-motor car having a movable truck,and a platform within the car attached to and moving with said truck, upon which platform the motor-dynamo and its attachments are supported. Vhile I prefer to use this motor-car with my electric railway, I do not claim the same in this application, but have embraced the said improvements in a separate application filed December 16, 1887, Serial No. 258,059; and in Figs. 6 and 7 I show a system of electric supply by the use of lines of gas-pipe extending along my lines of railway, and furnishing at suitable points motive power by the combustion of the said gas in suitable engines to operate dynamo'eleetric machines to generate currents of electricity to supply my conducting-leads, and in Fig. 6 I show a gasholder and fuel-gas engine and generatingdynamo thus located near the switch. such supply system in my present application, which,however, is well adapted for use therewith, but have embodied the same in a separate application filed April 21, 1887, Serial No. 235,584.. I desire to state further that when said latter application was originally filed it embraced the subjectunatter of the present application as well as of that in my application for improvement in electric locomotives hereinabove referred to, but that the said application as thus originally filed was divided by me to secure the said improvements in the I do not claim said three separate applications. The best results are secured by the use of the entire systemincluding the supply service, electric railway, and electric locomotive together,though it is obvious that any part may be used, if desired, independently of the others.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 I show a cross-sectional view of an electric surface railway embodying my invention, and in which a subterranean conduit is used having a narrow longitudinal continuous slot along its upper side to admit the current-gathering devices of a motor-ear to sliding contact with the conducting-leads within the said conduit, as for use in the street-railways of cities, &c:., or upon long lines of surface railway elsewhere. It is of course equally adapted for use on elevated railways, and in such case the narrow slot may be made wider or dispensed with.

J is a longitudinal conduit having a supporting-frame, J,laterally-projecting rail-supports J J, and an internal shell, of wood, metal, concrete, tiling, or other substance,to form the hollow tube or continuous conduit in which the conducting leads A B and their supports are carried. \Vhile many forms of conduit are capable of being used, I prefer to use the one shown, described, and claimed in my Lettcrs Patent No. 325,173, dated August 25, 1885, which is especially adapted for the purpose.

The rails R It of the road-bed, Fig. 1, are supported upon stringers J J and these upon arms J" J of the frame of the conduit J. Thenarrow slot J extends along the conduit from end to end,through which extends downwardly from the motor-car above (see Fig. 7) the arm O, which carries at its lower end the springexpanded brushes, slides, or rollers, which by impinging against the current conducting leads convey the electricity through the positive wire 0" to the motor-dynamo of the car and through the wire 0 back again to the returnlead B.

The leads A B and their adjacent parts I construct as follows, both leads being practically alike:

A is a wooden bar, which may be aparallelogram in cross-section, if desired, but which I prefer to chamfer off, as shown in Fig. 1, so that its inner margin along the conduit is narrower than the outer side. These wooden bars may have a length of twenty feet, and t0 reuder them dry and non-absorbent of moisture, and also increase their insulation, I boil them in pitch or resin or coat them when hot with a hot paint or varnish of a similar substance. These wooden bars extend along each side of the conduit, within the same, end to end, and form a continuous support for the copper conducting'strips attached thereto; but at their junctions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 3, I leave a space of one, two, or three inches, so that the bars can expand or contract or follow the expansion and contraction of the conduit without interference. I support these bars upon insulating blocks I, which are attached to the IIO wooden bars upon their inner sides and to the inner walls of the conduit upon their outer sides, as follows: To make an insulated joint or support, the block I is cast or molded into a shape something like a common brick and of about the same size, more or less. It is pierced with three holes, I I 1, extending through the same, one near each end and the third one in the middle. These holes are countersunk. or enlarged on one side for a portion of their depth, as shown in Figs. 2 and 2, the two end ones being enlarged from one side and the middle one from the opposite side, so that when headed screw-bolts are passed through the said holes their heads will be buried or concealed in the body of the block and supported upon shoulders produced by the enlarged countersinks, as shown in Fig. 2, the screw ends projecting from the opposite sides of the block. The countersi nks above the heads may be filled with pitch or other insulating material. Instead of the holes passing through the block the outer ones may be replaced by notches in the ends of the block or projecting flanges, as shown at I, Fig. 5, but I prefer the construction shown.

To attach theinsulating-support I, the screwbolt 1 is first inserted, and by means of the screws 1 I the block is screwed fast to the bar A, the stem of the bolt 1 projecting from the rear. The bar A, provided with two of these blocks I, at least, along its length, is applied to the side of the conduit, and the screw ends of the bolts I are passed outward through holes punched or drilled in the walls of the conduit J and are drawn up securely by the nuts I so that the bar A is firmly held in place within the conduit, and with a space between the said bar A and the said walls of the conduit. The succeeding bar is attached in the same manner, and so on along the whole line. Theseinsulating-blocks I may be molded of glass or made of resin or other substance suitable for such purposes pressed into molds or otherwiseformed into shape. As shown in Fig. 1., to prevent moisture, which may run down the inner walls of the conduit, from pass ing along the same to the block I and across to the bar A or B, I prefer to swell the upper surface of the block I and concave its lower 'surface longitudinally, so that water cannot flow across the same.

I prefer to place a soft washer, I, Fig. 5, under the heads of the screws I I and the bolt 1 to diminish concussion and prevent liability of breakage, and I also apply a soft pad, I, between the insulating-block Iand the wall of the conduit. These pads or washers also insure a firm hold between the adjacent parts and allow for shrinkage of wood or metal or expansion of the same. In Fig. 5 also I show at the ends of the insulatingblock I shoulders I, having notches or slots in which the screw-bolts which attach the insulator to the conduit are seated, the heads thereof being out of contact with the bars A A, and

which may be used in conjunction with or instead of the countersunk hole I.

The electric conducting-leads A B in the form of strips of copper, are attached to the bars A B, and are punched at suitable distances, A, so that they may be fastened to the wooden bars by screws or flat-headed nails a and the holes thus punched are slightly elongated to prevent the drawing of the nails by change of temperature, &c., and the consequent expansion or contraction of the metal strips. Where the copper strips A pass over the disconnected ends of the wooden bars A A, Fig. 2, the copper strip is bent down into the interspace at A so that expansion and contraction will have room to exert itself without interfering with the smooth surface of the conducting-leads or their strips. The cu rrent-gatherers move freely across these bends or deflections to the rear, which are shown exaggerated in size in the figure, as the front surface of thecopper strip presents a coutiu uous plane surface to the sliding or rolling current-gathering devices. The copperstrips are made of long lengths of metal, and their ends are soldered, brazed, or otherwise joined to secure a joint of high conducting power, and to thus prevent resistance to the flow ot' the current. At these soldered joints a reenforce of copper may be laid beneath the wood suitably cut away to increase the crosssection and bridge the soldered joint, the front surface being alwaysleft smooth and flat. The bends A do not occur at the ends of the copper strips, which may have a length of thousands of feet, but at Various distances along the length of the same, as may be required.

As shown in Fig. 3, at the opposite side of the wooden bar A extends a parallel metal strip, A along the same. This may be of steel to prevent wear upon the wood beneath, and the ends of these metal strips are merely left slightly separated to allow for expansion, the spaces between the ends of the adjacent wooden bars A A being bridged by the strip A", the spaces of which thus break joints with the wooden bars, each holding the other more securely in place, the strip A not being bent backward into the spaces between AA, as the copper conducting-leads A A are. WVhen a cu rrent-g'atherer like that shown at O Fig. 4, is employed,in which a spring or brush is used to make contact, the copper conducting-strip A is placed upon the inner side of the wooden bar A, instead of the beveled top or bottom, and no opposite facing A' will be required.

In Fig. 1 is shown in use with the bars and leads A and B the flanged roller current-gatheringdevices shown, described,and claimed in my Letters Patent No. 359,607, dated March 22, 1887, the flanged plates dished outwardly from the central j ournal to embrace the tapered sides of A and B and the copper strips A and B by a wedging-contact controlled by the tension of the springs upon the roller-journals.

The wooden roller 0", upon the journal and between the dished plates or leaves of copper which make the contacts, prevents too great spreading of these flanged plates or leaves 0 c of the contact-rollers, while the springs c 0 upon the bearings 0 allow the vertical vibration due to the passage of a car upon a some what uneven trackway above.

0 and c 'are conducting-wires leading from the flanged rollers c 0 along the hinged arms 0 c to the center post or support, 0, and thence upward to the motor-dynamo of the car above, as shown in Figs. 1, 8, and 7. As seen in Fig. 3, a spring, 0 0 holds the arms 0 a extended against the leads A andB,and a guard or stop, a" 0", upon the arm or support 0, extended downward from the motor car at each side, arrests the motion of the swinging arms e c and prevents them from swinging outwardly beyond the line of leads A B when passing over an intersection or other interspace, so that the current-gatherers may ride freely upon the leadswhcn again presented beyond such intersection. To insure easy engagement, I round off the terminals of the bars A B and the copper strips A B, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to have the rollers or other ourrent-gathering devices ride up gradually upon the leads against the outward pressure of the springs 0 c These springs I prefer to make of a single piece of springsteel attached to the support 0 at its middle, and having the laterally-extended arms c 0 extending outward, so as to impinge against the rear side of the swinging arms 0 0 which in turn swing to the rear from their pivoted attachments to the support 0, the pressure of the springs thus moving the arms 0* c and their current-gathering rollers outward in the are of a circle against the leads and insuring easy and secure contact under every'variation of motion or curvature of roadway. The copper conducting-strips A 13 receive their electricity from suitablylocated dynainos along the line and transmit it through the currentgatherers and the motor'dynamo back by the return-conductors operating the motor-dynamo of the car by its passage through the coils of the same.

In Fig. at are shown the devices by means of which I am enabled to cross thelines of my electric railway with other railways or inter pose switches or turn-outs without interruption of current or sparking of conductors, and the same are also shown in Figs. 6 and 7. As will be seen, at these intersections the leads, consisting of bars A and B and conducting strips A and B of the transverse lines of railway, would cross each other if made continuous, each interrupting the passage of currentgathering devices along the lines of the other intersecting railway. The portions of the con ductingleads which thus interfere with each other I cut away, so as to leave a clear space in each direction upon each of the intersecting lines. The angles where the leads touch each other are also removed, and the free ends of the conducting-leads and their supports, thus interrupted, are secured to the framework of the conduit, thus presenting a cruciform shape, with the intersection of the cross removed. The different conductors are all insulated from each other, as shown in Fig. 4. From the free ends A" B conducting-wires A B, snfficiently large to carry the full electric current, pass downward beneath the line of the leads, and then extend across the space of the intersection and rise on the opposite side to form connection with their proper conductors, as shown in the vertical section of Fig. 7. The connecting-wires thus carried across the interspace are insulated from each other, and. the current is thus seen to be made continuous along the line, notwithstanding that the conducting-leads, against-which the current' gatherers move, are broken. It is obvious that a car traversing one of these lines when an intersection was reached would have its current broken, and a violent spark would be produced by the break of currentand an other when contact was made beyond; also, that no motive power would pass to the locomotive during the passage of the currentgatherer across the intersection, only the momentum of the moving train being available to carry the same across. To prevent this loss of power and waste, I provide my motor-ear with a duplicate pair of current-gathering deviees-ouc pair placed beneath the front axle or front truck of the motor-car and the other beneath the rear axle or rear truck of the sameand these pairs of eurrent-gatherers I join, front and rear, with a flexible conducting-wire, so that the current will pass indifferently through one pair of current-gatherers, or the other pair, as the case may be. Two pairs of such current-gathering devices are shown in Fig. 4, one consisting of'an elongated sled of conducting material, held up to the leads by springs acting along transverse bars at the ends of the said sleds, armed with terminal slides or brushes, the said sleds sufficiently long to bridge the said interspace at the intersection, or, what I much prefer, the two pairs of rollers pivoted to the ends of two pairs of rearwardly swinging and diverging arms, the said rollers held in contact with the leads by springs, as hereinabove described, and pro tected by fixed guards from excessive divergence. These pairs of rollers, front and rear, travel one behind the other at such distance apart as to bridge any interspace necessary for the crossing of trackways or the divergence of sidings or switches, so that before the rear pair of rollers has left the rear side of an interspace, and while the current is still passing along the cnrrent-gatherers thereof, the front pair will have made contact with the leads as Ordinarily, upon the continuous line, both pairs of rollers will be in contact and the current may follow either or both, as the case may resent the diverging line.

be. During the passage of each pair of rollers c 0 across the interspace the springs a 0 will hold the arms 0 0 extended, while the guards cc will prevent them from spreading beyond the line of the leads A B, so that they will easily ride up the sloped ends of the bars A B and strips A B as they advance, the rear ones passing in the same gradual manner down and off the sloped ends of the leads behind.

It will now be seen that by the use of my crossing devices the intersections of electric railways present no difficulties, the circuit not being interrupted and no impediment being offered to the employment of a protectingconduit provided with a narrow slot ior the bar of the motor-car or to the passage of currentgathering devices along the said leads upon any of the intersecting lines of railway. In Fig. 6 a somewhat similar device is used for switches where it is necessary for trains to pass each other at a turn-out or to be deflected to a diverging line of railway.

R R represent the trackway of an electric railway, having a switch at B and HR rep- The leads A B sup ply electricity to the car 0, having a pair of independentlyacting diverging rollers at the front end and another similar pair at the rear end of said motor-car to convey the currents from the said leads to the motor.

D represents a generating-dynamo operated by a gas-engine supplied with gaseous fuel through the pipe E to the engine a; but this method of generating electro-motive energy forms no part of my present invention, the same being covered by another application now pendingin theUnitcd States Patent Office, Serial No. 235,584, filed April 21, 1887. The leads of the main line A B are connected with the leads of the divergingline by means of the connectingwires A B A, carried from one to the other out of the pathway of the currentgathering devices a, as hereinabove described for crossings. The open space between the end of the lead Aof the main line and the beginning of the lead Aof the branch line is considerable, but the duplicate current-gathering devices of the motor-car O are far enough apart, one being connected with the forward truck of the motor-car and the other with the rear truck or axle of the same, to bridge the interspace without interrupting the passage of the current, the positive and negative sides of the front and rear pair of current-gathering devices being joined by suitable conductors under the body of the car.

i The lead A of the main line and A of the diverging line in Fig. 6 may be made continuous, if desired, instead of interrupted, and the ends joined by the deflected wire A, the connections, function, operation, and construction of all the other parts being the same in either case.

It will be seen that as the car moves from the main line to the switch in the position shown in Fig. 6 the roller or current-gatherer c is in contact with the lead A of the branch line and the roller 0 with B of the main line, the two diagonally-placed rollers 0 0 being out of contact, in which position of the swinging arms they are maintained by the extending springs and guard-blocks of the bars 0, as hereinabove described. As the car advances, in another moment 0 willengage with thelead B of the branch line and c will leave the lead B of the main line, and the entire current will be carried through'the forward rollers, c and 0. As by the rods o e the positive and negative sides of the current'gat-herers are connected, it is immaterial through which pair of rollers the current passes, as in any case the current will pass into the motor-dynamo of the car and operate the same.

It will be observed that as the switch of the trackway A is operated the wheels of the mo tor-car will either pass along the main line or be deflected to traverse the diverging line of tracks; and it is obvious that whatever line the motor car occupies the current-gathering devices will adjust themselves to that line without interruption of current, so that the switch of the railway will always control the contacts,and no electrical adjustments will be required,as the cnrrent-gatherers will always follow the course of the motor-car without breaking circuit under any cirucumstances.

The current-gatherers moving in contact with the leads A B are shown in the form of pairs of rollers; but they may be of any of the forms in general use or adapted to be used for such purposes. By reason of their attachment to the trucks oftheir car at the centers of horizontal motion, and being controlled in their forward presentation by the rotation of said trucks upon their vertical axes,tl1e moment the forward truck presents in a new direction upon the switch or diverging line of railway the current-gatherers attached thereto will do the same, and thus before the body of the car has changed its general movement, and while the movement of the car is upon lines formed by the axes of the trucks, the trucks themselves change direction upon the pivoted supports of the ends of said car, and precisely as the truck itself presents the current-gatherers attached thereto will present, and as the slot of the conduit occupies the middle of the trackway the bar 0 will traverse said slot without guidance or interference, and said current-gatherers will automatically leave'the main line or follow the same, just as the trucks to which they are attached do, and as these are controlled by the railway-switch shifting the rails alone no devices to control or direct the said currentgatherers will be necessary or applicable; and as the duplicate current-gatherers in pairs are attached, one pair to one truck and the other pair to another truck, and as said trucks have an independent horizontal rotation, so the currentgathering devices are independent of each other, front and rear,while each is dependent upon the motions of its own IIO truck. The connections of the current-gatherers are, as shown, by independent wires with the motor-dynamo of the motor-car.

In Fig. 6 the return-lead B is shown as continuous for the whole line, as the course of the positive current controls the circuit, and the connection o-fB of the main line with B of the branch line is made through the side'wire, B.

In Fig. 7 I show an electric-motor car upon a section of railway having in front an intersection to cross,such as I have above described. This locomotive shows the connections of the currentgathering devices and their relationto the leads of the electric railway.

In Fig. 7 I also show the locomotive as provided with an independently-moving platform in front, upon which platform my motor-dynamo is placed, said platform attached to the forward truck and partaking of the motion of the same; but I do not claim said construction in this application, but have made it the subject of a new application, Serial No. 258,059, filed December 16, 1887, the same having origi nally formed a part of my original application, but having been divided therefrom to form the subject-matter of a separate patent.

I have illustrated in Figs. 5 and 5 constructions of an insulating-block which I use to support the conducting leads at crossings, switches, or the like. It is evident that these blocks may be used without reference to the particular construction of the crossing-conduit itself; but a construction which has been devised by me and would be suitable for this purpose is shown and claimed in a pending application of mine filed May 21, 1888, Serial No. 274,884.

The insulating-block 1 Figs. 5 and 5, is substantially similar'to I I I. hereinabove described, except that it is molded or otherwise formed with an angle near its middle, so that the two ends occupy different lines of direction and are adapted to be fitted to the inner wall of the conduit, where the course of the same is deflected, one end of the insulatingblock supporting the bar A of the main line and the other end the bar A of the diverging or branch line. The said block I is attached to the angle of the conduit by the countersunk bolt I seated in the opening I, the stem passing through the wall of the conduit and held by a nut on the outside, and at the ends of said bent block I are notched shoulders I I", in which are seated (their heads out of contact with the bars A A) other bolts secured to the conduit-wall in like manner. Countersunk screws 1 I, seated in holes in the block I, extend into the wooden bars AA and hold the same in place insulated from metallic con tact. In Fig. 5 also the interposed pads I l I are shown between the under surfaces of the bolt and screw-heads and the block I, and also extended along between the said block and the conduit wall to prevent shock or breakage, as hereinabove described.

In Fig 5 are shown the external connections by which I bridge the interruptions of my leads. The walls of the conduit are per forated opposite the block I, and the said block is provided with tubular perforated pro jections l I, which pass out through the said the top and base by a flange on the top of the conduit-wall, and the perforations ofthese tubular projections extend through the said block 1, opening at the free ends of the bars A A. The leads A A are bent backward and extend outward through the walls of the conduit, insulated by the tubular projections 1 and are then connected with the generatingdynamo, or with other leads of the main or deflected line, through the wires A A, as shown. The ends of A A are rounded off, and the leads A A are curved backward gradually, so as to permit the current-gathering devices to move over the same without difficulty.

It will be seen that my invention, as herein shown and described, is equally applicable to railways for the streets of cities or towns, for surface or elevated railways, and also for trunk-line roads extending from one city to another or over large distances from one part of the country to another. It is also especially useful for tram ways in mines, traction of canal boats, systems of tel pherage, and for many other purposes.

I do not rigidly confine myself to the methods set forth in detail in this specificatiombut combine the several features of my invention in various ways and to best accomplish the objects in view, and I variously modify the applications thereof and the specific means used without departing from the principles of my invention, as herein shown, described, and claimed.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an electric railway, the conduit J J, inclosed at the sides,having track-supporting arms J J, extending therefrom, and a longitudinal slot, J along its upper side opening into the same, in combination with the trackway 1% R, supported upon or attached to said supporting-arms, a continuous double line of electric conducting-leads composed of foundation of non-conducting supportingbars A B, and a copper conducting-strip, A B, attached thereto, continuous along said railway, together with insulators I I, secured at one side to the bars A B and at the opposite side to the conduit J, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The insulating-block I,'having perforations 1* I" I, extending through the same, l 1 countersunk at one;side and I countersunk at the opposite side, in combination with headed belts or screws I I I, inserted in said perforations, and having their heads buried in said countersinks, out of,contact with a conductor,flush with the surfaces ofsaid block,and their stems projecting from the opposite sides of said perforations, together with aseries of supportingand supported conducting-surfaces, substantially as herein described.

3. In combination with the continuous metallic conductors A B, the non metallic foundationbars A B, to which said conductors are attached at intervals, and the countersunk i11- sulating-blocks I I I, secured at one side to said bars A B by the countersunk screws 1 I, and at the opposite side to the walls of a support or conduit, J, by the countersunk bolt I", substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. A conducting-lead for electric railways, consisting of the longitudinal series of wooden bars A A A A, supported along the track way,

end to end, upon insulators I I I, and having their adjacent ends separated from each other by the interspaces A A A in combination with a continuous metallic conductor extend ing along the line of said wooden burs, attached directly thereto and bridging the interspaces between the same, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In combination with the longitudinallyextended series of insulated supporting-bars A A A, attached to and insulated from the supports of an electric railway, and having in terspaccs A A between the free adjacent ends of said bars A A A, the continuous metallic conductor A", extending along the line of said supporting-bars and bridging the interspaces of the same, said metallic conductor bent backward into said interspaces at suitable distances and again bent forward to continue the said conductor along the line of said supporting-bars, forming bends A A along the said metallic conductors to compensate for expansion or contraction, together with currentgathering devices of an electric -motor car traveling along said conductor A in electric contact therewith and bridging the intervals occupied by the said bends A A substan tially as described.

6. In combination with the parallel conducting-leads A A, BB" of an electric railway pro vided with continuous conductors A B, to supply electricity to a traveling electric-mo tor-car, the bar 0, extending downward from the under side of said motorcar, having attached to its lower end two rearwardly-extended hinged arms diverging from each other to form contact with the opposite conductors, A B, provided with electric conducting surfaces c c at their extremities communicating, through the wires 0 c 0 0 with the motordynamo K K of the motor car 0, together with the springs c 0, adapted to force said arms apart, and the guards c 0", adapted to prevent excessive divergence thereof, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The motor-car 0, having motor dynamo K K,operated by electrom otivc energy transmitted to the same from the electricallycharged leads A B A B, converted into motion in said motor-dynomo and operating the 0 traveling along the trackway R R, in combination with the bar 0, extending downward from the center of horizontal rotation of one of the trucks of said car, and spring-actuated current-gathering devices attached thereto, provided with outwardly-acting springs to make contact with the leads A B, and suitable guards to prevent excessive expansion of said currentgathering devices when the line of said conductors is interrupted along its length, and insulated electric wires connecting said ourrent-gatherers with the motor-dynamo of said car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. The leads of two intersecting electric railways, A B, A 13, having continuous electric conductors for each, said leads interrupted at their intersections to leave a free passage along each line of railway, the free ends of the conductors of said interrupted leads connected by conducting-wires carried across said interrupted spaces outside the line of travel of currcntgathering devices of a motor-car traveling upon either of said intersecting railways, in combination with the intersecting conduits J J, having intersecting longitudinal slots J J, and insulated supports for said leads extended longitudinally within said conduits,the motor-car O, motor-dynamo K, and duplicatc pairs of currentgathering devices extending downward from the under side of said motor-car, through said slot J into said conduit J, one pair substantially from the pivot of the front axle or truck and the other pair substantially from the pivot of the rear axle or truck, said current-gatherers adapted to move in contact with said leads electrically connected with the motor-dynamo of said motorcar, and supported within said conduit by bars attached to said trucks and fitted to traverse said slot J, said current-gathering dcviccs at the front end of said car separated from those in rear by a distance greater than the space between the ends of the interrupted leads at said railway intersection, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

9. In the deflected conduit J J of one or more electric railways, in combination with two longitudinally separate conducting-leads within said conduit, the insulating-block I I, secured to the internal angle of said conduit J and to the supports of said leads A A, said leads having laterally-deflected conductors A A, extending through said insulating-block I I, and through the walls of said conduit beyond the line of passage of current-gathering devices of a motor-car moving upon said railway or railways, substantially as described.

10. In a deflected electric-railway conduit, the insulating corner-block I I, having angularly-deflected sides I 1, extending from the internal corner of said conduit along the adjacent sides thereof, in combination with two driving-wheels of said motor-car through suitlongitudinally separate leads having their free able gearing or its equivalent, said motor-car extremities supported by the angularly-deflectcd sides thereof, said block I I secured to said leads and to the supports of said condnit by attachments out of electric contact with said leads or said conduit, substantially as described.

11. In an electric railway having a trackway, R It, and a line of electric conductingleads, A 13, along the same, and switch R It upon said trackway adjustable thereupon to direct the trucks of advancing cars forward upon the main line or turn them onto a siding or diverging railway, the combination of supplylead A, longitudinally separated at said switch to allow free passage for the current-gathering devices of a motor-car along either branch of said railway, the free ends of said lead A connected by outside conductingwires, and the free end of opposite lead 13 of the branch line connected with lead B of the main line by the outside wire, .3 ",said wires carried across outside the line of travel of said current-gathercrs, together with an electric-motor car having a motor-dynamo, and a wheeled truck pivoted to and supporting said car at each end, said trucks having rotation horizontally upon said pivots independently of each other as said trackway diverges, and duplicate pairs of ourrent-gathering devices, one pair attached to each of said trucks at said centers of rotation moving in contact with said leads A B and conforming to the motions of said truck, said currcnt-gatherers having two pairs of opposite contacts with said leads and electrically connected with the motordynamo of said car,

substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

12. The switch It It of an electric railway, R It, having one or more electric conductingleads, A B, longitudinally separated at said switch, and the intersp'ace closed by conductingwires carried across out of line of the said leads to give clearance for the current-gatherers of the motor-car, in combination with the said motor-car traveling along the said trackway It It, and bars 0 0, extending downward, one from each opposite truck or axle of the wheels of said ear, between said leads A B, to-

gcther with spring-arms c 0 supporting conducting-rollers, slides,or brushes 0 0, upon the extremities of the forward pair of spring-arms and 0" 0 upon the extremities of the rear pair ofspring-arms, said rollers, slides, or brushes adapted to move along said leads and make an electric circuit between the same and the motor-dynamo of said car, and guards, 0 c and the conductors 0 0 in electric connection with the motor-dynamo K, through the wires 0 c, the whole constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

13. In an electric railway having a laterallycurved trackway and laterally-curved parallel conducting leads corresponding thereto, the combination of the motor-car O, motor-dyna- 1110 K K conducting wires 0 0, extended downward along a vertical bar, G, from the front truck of said motor-car, and conductingwires 0 0, extended backward along the under side of said motor car, together with sin1ilar wires, 0" 0", supported by the opposite vertical bar O,extending downward from the rear truck of said car, and duplicate current-gathering devices supported upon diverging springarms attached to said bars 0 O, and held outwardly in contact with said conducting-leads, said supportingbars provided with guardstops to prevent excessive divergence of said spring-arms, all of said contacts adapted to be in electric connection with the poles of said motordynamo K K when the said trackway is straight,'andthe contacts at opposite ends of said car diagonally in connection therewith when the traekway and conducting-leads of said railway are laterally curved, substantially as described. I

14. In an electric railway having trackway R 1%, adj ustable switch R It, adapted to be set to direct the motorcar 0 forward upon the main line or deflect the same upon a siding or diverging railway, in combination with the motor-car 0, having independently moving trucks pivoted to and supporting said car, and duplicate pairs of current-gathering devices, or their equivalent, one pair attached to each of said trucks and controlled thereby independently of the other, said current-gatherers electrically connected with the motor-dynamo of said car and moving in contact with the electric conducting-leads of said railway, said leads interrupted at said switch, the free ends thereof connected by laterally-deflected wires, the whole so constructed that when the switch R R is set in one or the other position the trucks of the motor-car G will successively pass upon one or the other trackway, and the current-gathercrs of each truck of said car will pass freely across the said interrupted space between the ends of said leads, said currcntgatherers automatically making contact with one or the other pair of leads in advance of said switch before the rear currentgathcrers have cleared the continuous leads in rear of said switch, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

15. In an electric railway, the combination of the motor car 0, trucks W Vi, wheels W, bars 0 0, extending downward, one from each of said trucks, through the slot'J into the longitudinal conduit J, rearwardly-cxtended and outwardly-projecting springarms c c, 0 0 attached to the lower ends of said bars, currentgathering contact-rollers c c, o e at their eX- tremities electrically connected together, front and rear, in positive and negative pairs, and electrically connected with the poles of the motor-dynamo of said car 0, said arms 0 0 held in contact with the condnctingleads A A, B B by the springs c 0, together with the slotted conduit J, closed at the sides, the loa gitudinallyextended supporting bars A B, and insulated conductors A B, attached thereto, said conductors charged with electricity from an external source of power, the whole constructed to operate substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

16. In combination with the trackway and longitudinal conductingleads of an electric railway, the motor-car 0, having supportingt-rucks W W and wheels W, and the opposite bars, 0 0, attached to the said trucks at their centers of motion, said bars extending downward to make positive and negative electric contact, through current-gathering devices supported thereby,with the leads of said electric railway, together with the flexible electric conductors 0 0, adapted to make continuous electric connection between the positive sides of the current-gathering devices of the bars 0 O and the positive pole of the motordynamo K K and the negative sides of G O and the negative pole of said motor-dynamo as the said trucks W W rotate more or less upon their axes in following the curvatures of the railway It It, substantially as described.

17. In an electricrailway having carsadapted to travel thereupon, in combination with a motor-car, adouble pair of current-gathering devices, positive and negative contacts for each pair thereof, one pair attached to one truck of a railway-car moving upon said railway and the other pair to another truck thereof and laterally guided by the movement of said trucks, said opposite pairs of current-gatherers joined together by positive and negative conducting-wires and electrically connected with the poles of the motor-dynamo of said motor-car operating upon said railway, substantiall y as described.

18. In combination with the switch BF, railway-tracks B It, conducting-leads A B, interrupted at said switch to permit free passage between the lines of the same, an electric-motor car, 0, adapted to traverse the rails of said trackway or said switch, said motor-ear supported upon two or more wheeled trucks, each of said trucks capable of partial horizontal rotation independently of the motion of said car or said other trucks, the wheels of said trucks deflected upon said switch It", when the trackway thereof is properly set, and guiding the said car thereupon, together with vertical bars 0 0, extended down Ward from two 'of said trucks at the centers of horizontal rotation thereof, said bars 0 G attached to and rotating with said trucks, and provided with currentgathering devices attached thereto, the said current-gatherers rotated independently of each other by saidbars O O and the trucks of said ear 0, the whole constructed to present said current-gatherers directly in line with the varying horizontal rotation of said trucks and cause the same to diverge along the branch line of conductors at the same time that said trucks diverge along the branch line of trackway, substantially as described.

19. In an electric-railway switch, in combination with trackway B It, conducting-leads A B, interrupted at said switch, and having lateral connecting-wires, A B A to bridge said interspaces, the free ends of said interrupted conduct-ingleads bent backward and adapted to receive current-gathering devices by a graduated pressure, together with the current-gathering devices of a motor-car having diverging and laterally-guarded springarms extending rearwardly and outwardly from a central support, and provided at their extremities with flanged current-gathering rollers in electric contact with the dynamo K of the motor-car 0, said rollers adapted to traverse said leads in electric contact therewith and cross said interspaces between the interrupted free ends thereof and ride up said i free ends of said conducting-leads in advance, with a graduated and increasing pressure due to said backward bending of said free ends thereof, substantially as described.

20. In combination with a trackway, RR, switch B interrupted leads A B, and slotted conduit of an electric railway, an electric-n10- tor car supported upon trucks and adapted to traverse said trackway, deriving electric energy from said charged leads A B, said trucks capable of limited horizontal rotation independently of each other and of the body of said car, together with the bars 0 0, extending down through said slot into said conduit,each of said bars attached to one of said trucks near the center of rotation thereof and controlled in direction thereby, and current-gathering devices attached to said bars 0 O and controlled in direction thereby within said conduit and moving in contact with said leads A B, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

21. In combination with supporting-wall J and line of conductors A A, extending along the same, the insulating-blocks I I, interposed between said support J and said line of conductors A A",said insulating-blocks supported by said support J, and supporting atintervals said conductors A A", together witha pad, I, interposed between said block I and said support J, substantially as and for the purposes described.

22. In combination with the insulatingblock I, having countersunk holes I I, and headed screws or bolts I 1", extending through said holes and having their heads embedded in said countersinks beneath the surfaces of said block, the soft pads or washers I I I, interposed between the heads of said bolts or screws and the surfaces of said block within said countersinks, substantially as and for the purposes described.

23. As an article of manufacture, an insulating-block for electric-railway conduits, and conducting-leads extending within the same when said conduits are changed in direction and said leads are interrupted and the currents conveyed outside the said conduit,said insulated block having angularly-deflecte'd sides and a central angle adapted to be attached along the walls of said conduit adjacent to said angle and to support the free ends of said conducting-leads, said insn lating-biock provided said leads when bent outward and insulate the with tubular projections extending to the rear same in their passage through the walls of Said and adapted to pass through perforations in conduit, substantially as described.

the Walls of said conduit when said block is in ISAAC V. HEYSINGER. 5 place, said tubular projections having a cen Vitnesses:

tral opening to the inner surface of said in- M. B. FENNINGER,

snlatingblock and adapted to give passage to P. ODONNELL.