US400725A - Trolley for electric railways - Google Patents

Description

(NoA Mdel.) l

D. A'. AINSLIE.

TROLL-:EY Po- BLBGTBIofBAILWAYs. No.'40`0,f725`. Patented Apr. 2, 188'9 COV' INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY.

'c on two brass arms, d.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAV-ID A. AINsLIE,oE RICHMOND, vIRcIIvIA.

TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILVVAYS.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 400,725, dated April 2, 1889.

. Application led July 27, 1888. Serial No. 281,202. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DAVID A. AINSLIE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rich- -mond, in the county of Henrico and State of invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the device and a section of its support as it appears on the roof of the motor-car. Fig.`2 is a side viejw,as seen in a transverse direction from that shown in Fig. l, omitting the cross-bar g. Fig.l 3 is 4a plan View of the ltrolley staff, arms, and cylinder.` Fig. 4c is a cross-section of the tubesection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows Ia cylinder havingsegment-shaped grooves.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the cylinder, in

which the taper is at one side only.

The trolley A, which makes contact with the overhead wire or electric conductor, (not shown,) consists of a brass cylinder having journals b, which tit and revolve in bearings This cylinder has a special shape, which has been devised to accomplish a useful result, which presently will be stated. The diameter of the trolley-cylinder A is much greater at the center than at the ends, and, in general, it may be said the size tapers or diminishes from the said large center both ways toward each end. The center of the cylinder has a circumferential groove, e, around it, and the tapered sides of the cylinder have segment-shaped grooves f, or segment-shaped ridges, which are disconnected from each other. These disconnected se.,- ment-shaped grooves or ridges are so placed that when the cylinder is revolving those on each side will serve as worms or threads (either right-hand or left-hand spirals, according to the direction of revolution,) which lead up to the center groove, e, which extends all around. This cylinder with tapered sides and segment grooves or ridges on the sides, as described, enables the trolley to readily take or connect with a wire, and especially a wire that may extend in an oblique directionsuch as a wire at a switch. ,A useful device would consist of a cylinder tapered on one side only, as shown in Fig. 6, and provided thereon with the grooves or ridges f.. The two arms d are connected by a cross-bar, g, pivoted to the arms near the trolley-bearings c, and the arms themselves are pivoted at h to a staff, I. The arms thus may swing laterally to a limited extent, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3, and carry the trolleycylinderA laterally from one side to the other.

The trolley-staff I is made of wood, and is pivoted at j on upwardly-curved arms k, whereby it has movement in a vertical plane, and said arms lc are attached to a tube-section, la', loosely occupying a suitable tube, socket, or bearing, Z, on the upper end of a tubular standard, fm. The trolley-staff I and arms d have an inclined position. The upper end of the arms point away from the standard.

It will be understood that the trolley-staff I, supporting-arms k, and tube-section la may be turned or reversed in a horizontal plane Aon top of the standard fm, which is to be fixed in any suitable way on the car-roof.

The upward inclination of the trolley-staff I and arms d should extend or point in a di-. rection opposite that in which the car is to move. The advantage, therefore, of turning the trolley-staff on top of the standard fm will be apparent, to wit: When a car is about to reverse its movement or run in a direction opposite that it has been running, then the trolley-staff should be turned in a horizontal plane, so that its upward inclination may point in the right direction.

To retain the trolley-statt` so that it will point in whichever direction it may be set, the Atube-section k is provided with two holes, n, one diametrically opposite the other, and the socket Z-also has ahole, fn. A flat spring, o, has a pin or lug, p, and is secured on the outer side of the socket Z. The pin or lug p passes through the hole 'n' in the socket, and also into one of the holes n in the tube-section lc. A wire, q, is attached to the spring o, and serves to draw the spring and disconnect the pin or lug p from the hole in the tube-section. rIhereupon the trolley-staff may be turned half-way around.

IOO

The tube-section k has two rollers, r,within it, and a rod, s, passes down between these rollers into the tube, and at its upper end and above the rollers and tube has a loop, s',

ywhich projects laterally. A link, t, has one end connected with the end of the trolley-staff I, and the other end occupies the said loop s on the rod. A weight, u, is attached to the lower end of the rod s and hangs suspended within the tubular standard on.. A spring, c, is attached to the weightand base of the tube, and is used to quicken the action of the weight without adding to the load.

. The rod s, weight u, and link t, by pulling down, serve to lift the trolley-staff on its pivots j and keep the cylinder A elevated.

So far as concerns the construction of the trolley-staif, lateral swinging arms, and the parts which connect the staff to the standard and balance the staif, it is immaterial what special shape the contact cylinder or Wheel may have. My invention therefore includes the combination, with said constructions, of any shaped cylinder or wheel that is adapted to make contact with the Wire or electric conductor.

Having described my invention, I claim-` 1. A trolley-cylinder, A, for electric-motor cars having a circumferential groove, e, around its greatest diameter, and provided with a tapered side which has disconnected spirals leading up to the said circumferential groove, for the purpose set forth.

2. A trolley-cylinder, A, forfelectric-motor cars, having a greater diameter at the center than at the end and tapered from said center toward the end, and provided at the center with a groove, e, which extends all around, and on the tapered side with segment grooves or ridges f, which are disconnected from each other, but which lead up to the said center groove, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a trolley-staff, I, pivoted to move in a vertical plane, arms d, connected by pivots 71J to the trolley-staff, so as to swing laterally, and a contactcylinder mounted to revolve in bearings at the ends of said pivoted arms, as set forth.

4. The combination of a standard, a trolley-staif, I, mounted on the standard and pivymounted to revolve in bearings at the ends of said pivoted arms, and a weight pulling down on the trolley-staff, as set forth.

5. The combination of a tubular standard,

a trolley-staff mounted on the standard and' pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a contactcylinder, a Weight in the tubular standard, and means for suspending the said weight to the trolley-staif.

6. The combination of a tubular standard, a trolley-staff mounted on the standard and pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a contactcylinder, a rod passing from the top down into the tubular standard, and provided at its yupper end with a laterally-projecting loop, a link, t, connecting the trolley-staff and said loop, and a weight suspended from the rod in the tubular standard.

7. The combination of a tube-'socket provided with a spring having a pin or lug, p, a pivot-arm attached to a section, 7c', which occupies said socket and may be turned therein, a trolley-staff, I, on the pivot-arm and capable of turning in a vertical plane, and a contactcylinder.

8. The combination of a tubular standard, a tube-socket on top of the standard, pivotarm having a tube-section which may turn in the tube-socket, a trolley-staff mounted on said pivot-arm, a contact-cylinder, a rod passing from the top down into the tubular standard and provided at its upper end with a laterally-projecting loop, a link, t, connecting the trolley-staif and said loop, and a Weight suspended from the rod in the tubular standard.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID A. AINSLIE.

Witnesses:

Ro. H. GILLIAM, J. C. EAsLEY.

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