US493618A - Electric-railway conduit and contact - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. DAVIS 8v R. M. HUNTINGTON. ELECTRIC RAILWAY CONDUIT AND CONTACT.

No. 493,618. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

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J. DAVIS & R. IVI. HUNTINGTON. ELECTRIC RAILWAY GONDUIT AND CONTACT.

Patented Mar. 14,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOEL DAVIS AND REUBEN M. HUNTINGTON, OE DENVER, COLORADO.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CONDUIT AND CONTACT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,618, dated March 14, 1893.

Application filed October 2, 1891. Serial No. 407,492. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOEL DAVIS and REU- BEN M. HUNTINGTON, citizens of the United States 0f America, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Railroad Systems; and we do declare the following to be a t'ull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in electrical railroad systems 0T the class having an underground conduit in which is supported a gatherer carried bythe car the motors being connected in multiple arc with the supply conductor.

The same conduit nowr employed in cable railroad systems may be utilized for the purpose of our improved electrical systems and where the cable as a motive power, is being abandoned and electricity substituted our improved system can be constructed at small cost. Hence our system has been designed with special reference to the utilization of abandoned cable road conduits, the object of the invention being to provide a road wherein all overhead wires and exposed or live contacts shall be avoided and in which the main conducting wires or plates shall be thoroughly insulated from all surrounding objects except the gatherer carried by the car, and so supported within the conduit as to be entirely removed from any water that may find its way thereinto.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a system of simple and economical construction, reliable, durable, and thoroughly practicable in use.

The invention will be thoroughly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in connection with the description hereinafter given.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vert-ical section taken through the conduit showing the gatherer carried by the car, in place. Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken through the center of the conduit. Fig. 3 is an enlarged underneath view of the gatherer with the wheels or disks removed, their location being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same showing the disks in place. Fig. 5 is a top viewon an enlarged scale ofthe bar supporting the gatherer and carrying the current therefrom to the motor on the car. The obj ect of this View is to illustrate the manner of insulating this vertical conductor. Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section showing the manner ot supporting the conducting plates Within the conduit, also the manner of insulating the same therefrom.

In the views, similar reference characters indicating corresponding parts or elements of the mechanism, let the numeral 10 designate the wheels of a car, the body portion of which is not shown. The rails engaged by the wheels are supported upon the plates 11, which in turn rest upon suitable shoulders formed upon the yokes 12, located at intervals as in cable track construction. WVithin these yokes is located the conduit 5 having concrete or other suitable walls 6, and provided with a longitudinal slot 7 extending upward to the surface and inclosed by metal plates 8, between which the supporting arm 9 of the gatherer 13 moves as the car is passing.

To the walls 6 of the conduit and located about half way between the top and bottom are secured the horizontal projecting bars 15. These bars are in the form of bolts passing through the sides of the walls 6 from which they are separated by divided insulating blocks having side recesses 18 into which dip the walls of the conduit. These insulating blocks consist of a body portion 17 and an outer cap 17, adapted to slip over the outer extremity of the bolt which is provided with a shoulder 15a engaging the inner extremity of said body part.

To the inner extremities of bars 15 are secured insulating blocks 19 to which are bolted or otherwise suitably secured the copperplates 20. The object of insulating both extremities of bars l5 is to form a double safeguard against any leakage of the current therethrough from the conducting plates. The inner extremity of bar 15 is provided with a head 21 which is secured within a suitable recess formed in block 19. Anotherinsulating plate is then placed in contact with head 21 lling the recess. The conducting plates are then secured to blocks 19 as before stated. Plates 2O form in cect a single conductor divided into two parts, one ou either side ot' the conduit, the current being carried from a suitable source of electricity and after passing through the conducting plates, the circuit is completed va the ground in the ordinary manner.

The current gatherer 13 consists of an insulating plate 22 to which are movably journaled the rotating contact disks 23 by the use of the horizontally sliding spring-actuated boxes 24. The springs 25 engaging these boxes are located Within recesses 26 formedin plates 22 and hold the peripheriesof the disks 23, which are two in number in contact at all times with the plates on opposite sides of the conduit each disk engaging a plate, making the two plates in eiect a single conductor. It will thus be seen that the two springs 26, while exactly alike are oppositely disposed and have a tendency to move their respective blocks 24 together with the wheels 23 in opposite directions. rlhe disks 23 and boxes 24 form good conductors of the current which passes from plates 20 through them to a conductor 27 provided with bent extremities 28 which are continuously in contact with boxes 24 respectively. Conductor 27 leads to the central conducting plate 28 of the vertical bar 9, the current passing therethrough to the motor on the car. Plate 28 is surrounded by a sheath 29 of insulating material, said sheath being in turn protected bya suitable metallic covering 30 in order to give the bar proper strength and durability. Bar 9 being properly secured to the car and connected with the motor thereon, the current passes from plates 20 through disks 23 and their journals, boxes 24, conductors 27 and 28 to the motor, making the return in the usual manner as before stated.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim isl. In an electrical railroad system the combination of the underground conduit having two-part insulating blocks provided with reu cesses into which the Walls of the conduit dip on opposite sides, bolts passing through said blocks and carrying other insulating blocks at their inner extremities, the longitudinally divided conductor having its parts attached to the insulating blocks carried by the bolts,

the gatherer carried by the car and provided at its lower extremity with a slotted plate, movable spring actuated boxes located in said slots and carrying rotatable disks engaging the side conductors, from which the current passes to the motor on the car through the medium of the disks,l journal boxes and conducting plate of the gatherer, substantially as described.

2. In an electrical railroad' system the combination of the underground conduit having the two part insulating blocks recessed to receive the walls of the conduit, a block being located on each side, bolts passing through said blocks, the longitudinally divided conductor having its parts attached to the extremities of the bolts butinsulated therefrom, the gatherer carried bythe car, and provided at its lower extremity with a slotted plate, movable spring aptuated boxes located in said slots and carrying rotatable disks engaging the side conductors, from which the current passes to the motor on the car through the medium of the disks, journal boxes and conducting plate of the gatherer,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aftix oursignatu res in presence of two witnesses.

JOEL DAVIS. REUBEN M. HUNTINGTON.

Witnesses:

WM. MCCONNELL, C. J. RoLLANDE'r.

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