US457240A

US457240A - wheatley

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Publication number: US457240A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1908-08-04

Description

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ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 457,240. Patented Aug. 4, 1891.

. UNITED STATES lPATENT OFFICE. l

SAMUEL E. VHEATLEY AND JOHN IV. SCHLOSSER, OF VVVASHINCrTON, DIS- TRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE VHELESS ELECTRIC RAILVAY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,240, dated August 4, 1891. Application led April 2, 1891. Serial No. 387.388. (No model.)

, To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that we, SAMUEL E. VHEAT- LEY and JOHN W. ScHLossER, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Railways, ot` which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of electric railways in which a `working conductor extending lengthwise of the road is divided 1o into short lengths or sections, each ot` which is fed during the time that the car is passing over it from a continuous main lead or conductor through an automatic switch. Heretofore the automatic switch has been controlled in part by a local circuit, including a battery on the car, so that when the circuit through the motor was interrupted the connection between the working conductor and the main line was also-interrupted.

` 2o The aim ofthe present invention is mainly to do away with the necessity for the local circuit and battery and provide for controlling the switch which connects the working conductor with the main line by means ot' the main current and the mechanical appliances on the car. To this end we provide a lever or equivalent device through which the trolley or other projection on the car acts mechanically to close the switch and connect the 3o working conductor with the main line, the

switch being provided with one or more magnets included in the circuit to hold the switch in a yclosed position. This motor-circuit is completed from the working conductor 3 5 through the motor to one ot the tram-rails to the ground or otherwise. fVhen the motor is to be stopped, the current is'shunted past it, leaving the circuit still closed, so that the connection with -t-he main line remains until the 4o circuit is iinallyopened by the trolley passing from the end of the section.

Our improvements are applicable alike to railways in which overhead and underground conductors are employed. \Ve prefer, however, to use an underground conduit, and have accordingly represented Vthis system in the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the 5o circuits and the construction and arrangement of the car and its connections to operate therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, showing particularly the devices for closing the main switch and keeping the same closed. Fig. 3 isaper- 55 spective view of the switch and its connections. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the car with the motor, conductor, and other. parts in operative positions. Fig. 5 is a similar view with the parts in the position occupied when 6o the car is at rest.

Referring to the drawings, A and A represent the ordinary track-rails; B, a car movable thereon and provided with an ordinary electric motor C, geared to one ot its axles, the motor-circuit connecting on one side, as usual, with one ofthe wheels or an equivalent conductor to one of the track-rails and connecting on the opposite side with a rheostat c to a trolley or brush c', intended to travel 7o on the working conductor.

D is the main conductor or lead extending uninterruptedly from the dynamo or other source of supply E throughout the length of the road. This main lead is commonlyinsulated and buried in the earth outside of the track; but it may be arranged in any other suitable position.

F F F2, &c., are the sections of the working conductor on which the brnsh'or trolley 8o rides, arranged in'a conduit or tunnel G, located beneath the track-rails or in any other convenient position. These working conductors or sections, having a naked surface, are arranged end to end throughout the length 8 5 of the road, being sustained bybrackets II or otherwise and insulated from each other and from the other parts of the/system. Each of these workingconductors F F is connected at its two ends through an electro-magnet 9o switch I with the main line or feeder D. These switches stand normally in an open p0- sition, so that each of the working conductors is disconnected from the main line at both ends.

The details of the switch are shown in Figs.

2 and 3. frepresentsa branch wire from the main conductor leading through an electromagnet f to an electrode f2, which is connected when required'through conductor f3 no with electrode f4,fron1 which the branch wire f extends toA the working conductor F. When therefore the conductor f3 is closed against the electrodes, the circuitis completed between the main conductor D and the worklng conductorF. The switch-conductorj"3 is carried by a .horizontally-swinging leverf, one end of which is provided with an armaturej17 in the field of 1nagnetj",while the 0pposite end of the lever is projected into the path of the trolley or brush c on the car. Vhen therefore the car leaving the end of one working section approaches the end of the next, it acts upon the end ot' lever f and causes ythe same to close the switch, so as to connect the next working section with the main line. At the instant this occurs the circuit is completed from themain line through the switch to the working conductor, and thence through the motor on the car to the track-rail. As the circuit embraces the magnets f', it acts to hold the switch in a closed position, and thus maintains the connection between theworking conductor and the main line as long as the car remains upon the section.

Itis obvious that if a circuit were interrupted in 'order to stop the motor the magnet would release the switch and render it impossible to close the circuit from the car. 7e therefore provide for shunting the current past the motor without interrupting the circuit. This may be eifected by any form of switch which Will shunt the current past the motor. In Figs. t and 5 of the drawings we have represented a very simple and efficient arrangement. The rotary arm cgof an ordinary rheostat, such as now generally used on electric cars, and through which the current enters from the trolley or brush, is arranged to contact with a switch c3, which is held normally open by aspring c4. Vhen the arm c2 is turned back to cut off the circuit through the motor, it contacts with switch c3, carrying the same back until it establishes connection through the shunt-circuit c5 with the wheel or other ground connection. It follows, therefore, that although the current may be cut off from the motor to arrest the car the circuit is maintained from the working conductor through the switch, which latter acts to maintain the connection of the working conductor with the main line. As the car passes over that end of the working conductor which is most remote from the switch in action it opens the circuit and the switch is at once opened by the spring, so

that each conductor-section is disconnected from the main line as the car leaves it. As the switches are arranged in duplicate at both ends of the working conductors, one with its operating-lever movable to the right and the other with the lever movable to vthe left, the system is adapted forcars moving in both directions.

form and arrangement at will, the only essential requirement being that the vcar in passing shall close the switch and complete the circuit, and that the magnet to hold the switch closed shall be included in the circuit thus established.

As shown in the drawings, each of the switch-operating levers is provided at one end with a hinged spring-supported' section adapted to yield in one direction,v so that the cars moving in one direction over the road will close only the alternate switches, those at the beginning of the working conductors.

Having thus described our l invention, what we claim is- 1. ln an electric-railway system, a continuous main-line conductor or lead from the generator, in combination with a seriesl of working conductors arranged end to end', a switch for each workin g conductor to connect the same temporarily with the main line, a mechanism actuated by the advancing car to close the switch, and an electro-magnet in the working circuit to hold the switch in a closed condition until said circuit is opened at another point.

2. In an electric-railway system, a mainline conductor extending from the' generator throughout the length of the road, a series of relatively-short insulated working conductors,a switch for each working conductor to connect the same temporarily with the main line, a track-lever for each switch, through which the advancing car acts to close the switch as it approaches the working conductor, a magnet in each working circuit to keep its switch closed for the time being, and a car provided with an electric motor with conductors for directingthe current from the working conductor through the motor and with means for shunting the circuit past the motor, whereby each working conductor is mechanically switched into action as the car approaches it and maintained in action by the working current until the car leaves the conductor.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands, this 1st day of April, 1891, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

SAMUEL E. VHEATLEY. JOHN W. SCHLOSSE-R.

Vitnesses:

W. R. KENNEDY, FABrUs STANLY ELMoRE.

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