US569772A - Trolley-support for electric railways - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

S. H. SHORT. TROLLEY SUPPORT FOR ELEGTRIG BAILWAYS.

No. 569,772. Patented 0011.20, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT SIDNEY ll. SHORT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TROLLEY-SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 569,772, dated October 20, 1896.

Application filed June 8,'l896. Serial No. 594,690. (No model.)

To a-Z whom it vita/y concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY H. SHORT, a citizen of the United States, residing at (leveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Supports for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to trolley-supports for electric railways.

The object of the invention is to provide a thoroughly efiicient and practical trolley-support of simple and economical construction.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction, combination, location, and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and finally specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings and to the various views and reference signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a trolley and its support embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the trolley in the position occupied thereby when in practical use. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an enlarged broken detail View, in sectional plan, illustrating the manner of attaching the springs to the sliding sleeve 011 the trolley-pole. Fig. 5 is a broken detail view, in side elevation, of the construction shown in Fig. 4.

The same part is designated by the same reference-sign wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

In the construction and operation of electrical railways wherein is employed an overhead conductor and wherein current is supplied from such conductor to the motor on the car through a contact device arranged to make contact with the conductor upon the under side thereof it has heretofore been the custom in commercial practice to mount the underrunniug contact or trolley wheel upon an arm or plate, which in turn is pivotally mounted on horizontal and vertical axes or pivots arranged transversely with respect to each other, whereby said arm or pole may rock or swing in intersecting planes, that is, said arm or pole may swing in avertical plane about said horizontal axis or pivot toward or away from the conductor and also may rock or swing laterally about or upon said vertical axis or pivot to reverse the direction of lead of such arm or support or to compensate for variations in the position of the con ductor.

The present invention is designed upon entirely different principles. Instead of mounting the trolley pole or arm upon axes or pivots I entirely dispense with all pivots or axes.

In the practical application of my invention I provide a bracket or casting A, of suitable shape, size, and material, which may be supported in any suitable or convenient position upon the car, say, for instance, upon the roof of the car in case of use in connection with an overhead conductor. In the particular form shown, to which, however, I do not de sire to be limited or restricted, the bracket or casting A is of square outline. At each of the four corners. of the bracket or casting, in case the bracket or casting is of square or rectangular shape, or at four points spaced at suitable distances apart, I provide the posts B, to eachof which is secured one end of each of a pair of springs.

Reference sign 0 designates the trolley support or pole and may be of the usual or any desired or convenient size, shape, or material, and upon the upper or free end of which is mounted the trolleywheel D or other contact device adapted to make contact with the conductor E. To the extreme lower end of the trolley pole or support 0 or adjacent to such end I secure the other end of one member 6 7 8 9 of each pair of springs, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. A convenient method of attachment of the ends of springs 6 7 8 9 to the lower end of the trolley pole or support O is shown wherein I provide a small cylindrical sleeve 10, having a flange with eyelets corresponding in number and arrangement to the springs (3 7 S 9, and the ends of said springs are suitably secured in said eyelets. The sleeve 10 may be rigidly secured or mounted on the end of the trolley-pole in any suitable or convenient manner. A similar sleeve ll, having eyelets similar in numher and arrangement to the eyelets in sleeve 10, is mounted loosely to slide freely upon trolley pole or arm O, and to the eyelets in sleeves.

posed between sleeves 1O 11 I mount aspring 17, which tends to normally operate said The combined action of the several springs is to normally maintain the pole O in a vertical position, as indicated in Fig. 1, but a deflection of said pole in any direction is permitted, which deflection will be against the action of thesprings. \Vhen the pole is in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1,the

entire weight of the pole and trolley-wheel is supported upon the springs 6 7 8 9, said springs being deflected or inclined clownwardly from the posts B under the influence of such weight.

hen the pole is deflected or bent over into angular position to be placed upon the conductor, for instance, as shown in Fig. 2, such movement or deflection of the pole will impart a tension to the upper springs 12 and 15 on one side and alsoto the lower springs '7 and 8' on the other side, while the upper springs 3 and in and lower springs 6 9 will be correspondingly relaxed. The tension of springs 12 15 being exerted in the opposite direction to that of springs 7 and 8 the tendency is to cause sleeve or collar 11 to slide upon the trolley-pole O and toward sleeve 10,

- thereby eifecting a compression of spring 17.

The combined action of all these springs is to tend to return the pole C to a verticallyupright position thereby securing a sufficient upward pressure upon the trolley-wheel or contact end of the arm to pole to insure a good electrical contact with the conductor. The same action occurs in case the pole or arm 0 is deflected or bent in any other direction.

It will be observed the greater the deflection of pole C from a vertical position the greater will be the tension imparted to the upper springs 12 15 and the lower springs '7 S in the illustration above given, and as the tension on these springs increases the nearer will the sliding collar or sleeve 11 approach the fixed collar orsleeve 10, and hence the more spring 17 will be compressed. This varying of the distance between collars or sleeves 1O 11 results in a corresponding variation in the fulcrum through which the springs act upon the pole C, and therefore by properly adjusting the spring 17 to the strength of the other springs a uniform pressure can be maintained throughout the entire range of the deflection of the pole from a vertical to a horizontal position. This is a most important feature, and herein lies a most important difference over trolley-poles which are mounted to vibrate on axes or pivots against the action of springs. In such cases, as is evident, the greater the distance through which the trolley-pole is vibrated or swung about its pivot the greater will be the tension of the spring against which said pole swings, and hence also the greater will be the pressure exerted upon the outer or contactend of such arm. It will also be observed that trolley-supports constructed in accordance with my invention do not swing upon any particular center, as the center changes with the different positions to which the pole is swung in order to produce an equilibrium between the nine springs employed.

I do not desire to be limited or restricted to the exact details of construction shown and described, as many variations therefrom would readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention; but,

Having now fully set forth the object and 7 nature of my invention and a form of apparatus embodying the same, and having explained the construction, function, and mode of operation thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is a 1. In a trolley-support for electric railways, V 5

a trolley-pole, a series of springs arrangedto support said pole, said springs connected at one end to a fixed support and at the other to said pole, the pole connection of. certain of said springs being movable with respect to the pole connection of others of said springs; as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a trolley-support,a trolley-pole, a series of springs connected at one end to said pole, and a second series of springs having sliding connection with said pole; as and for the purpose set forth.

In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs connected at one end to said base, a trolley-pole, certain of said springs being fixedly connected at their other ends to said pole, and the other of said springs having sliding connections with said pole adapted to move lengthwise thereof, whereby said pole is supported by said springs and is permitted universal movement; as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs connected at one end'thereof to said base, a trolley-pole having a sliding collar thereon, certain of said springs connected at the other end thereof rigidly to said pole, and the other of said springs being connected to said collar; as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of 2 IIO ing connected atthe opposite end thereof to said fixed sleeve, and a portion to said sleeve; as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a trolley-support, a base, a trolleypole, and aloose sleeve mounted on said pole, a series of springs connected at one end to said base, a portion of said springs connected at the opposite end thereof to said fixed sleeve and a portion to said loose sleeve, and a spring interposed between said sleeves; as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a trolley-support, a base having posts rising therefrom at suitably-spaced distances apart, a pair of springs connected at one end to each of said posts, a trolley-pole, one member of each of said pair of springs being fixedly connected to said pole and the other member of each of said pair of springs having a sliding connection with said pole; as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of springs, a trolley-pole, a fixed and a sliding sleeve mounted thereon, the members of said pairs of springs being connected at one end to said base and at the other end to said fixed and sliding sleeves respectively; as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a trolley-support, a base, a series of pairs of springs, a trolley-pole, a fixed and a sliding sleeve mounted thereon, the members of each pair of springs being connected at one end to said base, and at the other end to said fixed and sliding sleeve respectively, and a spring interposed between said sleeves; as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of June, 1896.

SIDNEY H. SHORT. IVitn esses:

A. J. PURCELL, E. T. SARGENT.

Images