US596182A

US596182A - Electric railway

Info

Publication number: US596182A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1914-12-28

Description

(No'Mod el.)

W B POTTER ELECTRIC RAILWAY. ,No. 596,182.

Patented Dec, 28,1897.

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UNITED STATES YVILLIAM B. POTTER, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,182, dated December 28, 1897.

A li ti fil d November l8 1896. Serial No. 612,645. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, (Case No. 456,) of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electric railways in which the energy is obtained from a third rail or conductor situated between or just outside of the tracks and suitably insulated therefrom.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a system in which the continuity of the conductor-rail is interrupted at the various stations, crossings, or other predetermined points along the line of travel and sectional conductors substituted therefor. These sections are normally disconnected from the source of supply, but are rendered active by the approaching train. The relation of the sectional conductors and the contacts carried by the vehicle is such that only the conductor directly under the vehicle is active. This eliminates all danger from shocks to persons crossing the tracks at a point near the train. It sometimes happens that it is desirable to leave a train standing at a station or siding and to interrupt the circuit between the sectional working conductors and the source of supply.

This invention has for one of its objects to provide means for interrupting the circuit in such a manner that all of the sectional working conductors are dead and no act of a person on the train can cause them to be included in circuit again.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the circuit-closing switches so that the station-agent has control over them. When a train is ready to proceed, he can close the proper switch to supply current to the section upon which the train is located.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the contact devices carried by the train and the sectional conductors and switches in such relation that a train may pass through the station and receive current from each section, yet after the train stops at a station and the sections are killed it cannot neer of the train.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the switches between the supply-conductor and the sectional conductors may be locked in their open position to form a block system for the train by cutting off the source of supply or locked in their closed position to establish the continuity of the third-rail system.

In the accompanying drawings, attached to and made a part'of this specification, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a third-rail system with normally-disconnected contact-sections at a station. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of suitable switch mechanisms.

A indicates the rails or negative conductors connected to the generator B.

O is the third-rail conductor and is connected to the positive side of the generator B.

D is the feeder-main extending along the line of travel, to which the third rail C is connected at suitable intervals.

E, E, and E are switches adapted to connect the feeder-main D with the high-potential sectional conductors F F.

G G are secondary sectional conductors employed in closing the switches E E.

I is the moving vehicle, provided in the present instance with a single motor J, but in practice any number may be employed.

K K are respectively high-potential'and secondary contact-shoes carried by the vehicle and are so arranged that they will span the distance between the sectional conductors and also that between the sectional conductors and the third rail C.

L is a signal-tower or other suitable building, and the structure M shown in dotted lines represents a station extending over the track. A connection a extends from the condoctor 0 to one terminal of the switch L210- cated in the depot or signal-tower, as the case may be, and connected with three separate terminals adapted to be engaged by the switchblade are the leads 1) Z) N, connected, respec tively, to the energizing-coils of the switches E E The switches E E" in practice are men nted on a switchboard in the station and within easy reach of the operator; but in the event of their being located at some distance therefrombeside the track, for examplethe switch N may be used.

The CODtztCiJ'ShOGS K and K are connected together by means of a switch 0, which may be either a separate switch or form a step in the motor-controller. As the vehicle I. progresses from right to left a circuit is established from the shoe K, switch 0, secondary contact G, and energizing-coil of switch E to negative rail A. This causes the switch E to close, and current to the motor is supplied therefrom. As the vehicle progresses this action is repeated, and when the vehicle stops the switch which energizes the particular section on which the vehicle stands will maintain the closed relation due to the shuntenergizing-coil.

If it is desired to leave a train standing at a station or siding and to prevent it from being started without the knowledge of the station agent, the switch 0 is opened, which will permit the switch or switches energizing the sections to open, and by no act of a person on the train can they be closed again. It is necessary for the station agent or operator to either close the switch to a particular section by hand or by means of the switch N. If the switch 0 forms a step in the controller when the power is shut off and the train has been receiving current from the sectional eonductors, the switches In E IE will open, and the train cannot start until the operator again closes the switches, either by hand or by means of the switch N. lVhen the switch N is employed, the current enters from the conductor 0, wire a, switch N, wire Z), and energizing-eoil of switch E to ground. This will cause the switch E to close, and the conductor F will receive current from the supply-main D, which will be transmitted to the motor J through the shoe K. As soon as the vehicle I has traveled to a point where the forward portion of the shoe K touches the conductor 0 the motor will receive current therefrom and proceed as in any third-rail system. If it so happens that the train comes to a standstill over the sectional conductor F or T the switch U is actuated so as to close the circuit through wire I) or 19 as the case may be. Assuming that the train did not stop at this particular station and it was desirable to receive current from each of the conductorsections, the switch 0, between the shoes K and K", would be closed, and the operation would be as follows: A train approaching from the right would receive current from the conductor C, and as soon as the forward end of the shoes K and K engaged with the sectional conductors F G a shunt circuit would be formed through the switch 0 and energizing-coil of the switch E to the negative rail A. This would close the switch it, and current to the motor would be received from the cond uctor F. The same action is repeated as the vehicle progresses, the relation of the shoes and contacts being such that the circuit of the advance section is complete before leaving the rear section.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail view of the switch E, in which a blow-out magnet P is included in the circuit from the source of supply 1) to extinguish the are formed when the circuit interru iited. ()n the right-hand end of the armature-lever is a handle 7L, pro vided with a bolt 7L, adapted to engage with holes in the stationary piece 71. when itis desired to lock the switch in either its open or closed position.

Fig 3 shows a further modificatirm,in which a few turns of series coil are employed in conjunction with the shunt for holding the switel i in its closed position.

In the event of its being desirable to establish the continuity of the third-rail system and dispense with the use of the shoe K and the automatic operation of the switches E E E the latter are closed by hand and the bolts 7L shot into a hole in the piece 71?, holding them in their closed position.

If it is desirable to block an approaching train, the switches closing the several sections are locked in their open position by means of the bolt h engaging with a hole in the stationary piece ]L2. This prevents the automatic operation of the switches, and the supply of current failing the engineer is at once informed even though he has run by his signals.

By making the space between the parts of the conductor 0 of considerable length the train may be made to stop of itsown accord; but ordinarily the brakes are applied by the engineer.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination of a third or main working conductor connected with a source of supply, the continuity of which is interrupted at predetermined points, a conductor-section located between adjacent ends of the main working conductor and insulated therefrom, a moving vehicle, a contact-shoe carried by the vehicle arranged to complete the circuit between the conductorsection and the source of supply, and means located in any convenient place, for controlling the current supplied to the conductorsection irrespective of the operation of the vehicle.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a third or main working conductor eonnected with the source of supply, the continuity of which is interrupted at predetermined points, a set of sectional conductors located between the ends of the main working conductor, switch-magnet coils connected between the secondary sectional conductors and the return-circuit, and a connection extending from each switch, so arranged that the circuit between the source of supply and a sectional conductor can be controlled.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of sectional conductors, switches for closing the circuit between the conductors and a source of supply, means carried by the moving train or vehicle for closing the sections in advance of the train, and additional means independent of the vehicle for closing the circuit between the sectional conductors and the v source of supply.

4, In an electric railway, the combination of a sectional working conductor, means carried by the moving vehicle for establishing connectionwiththe Working conductor,means for rendering the sections of working conductor inactive after the power has been shut off from the motor, and means independent of the train or vehicle for closing the circuit between the source of supply and the sectional working conductors.

5. In an electric railway, the combination of a main working conductor connected to a source of supply, the continuity of which is interrupted at certain points, sectional conductors substituted at the point of interruption, a main contact-shoe carried by the vehicle making contact with the working and secshoe normally idle,but arranged to make contact with the secondary conductor, and acting in conjunction with the main contact-shoe to close the circuit between the source of supply and the secondary conductors.

6. In an electric railway, the combination of a source of supply, sectional working conductors normally disconnected therefrom, switches for connecting the conductors with the source of supply, and locking devices for maintaining the switches in their open and closed position irrespective of the operation of the train.

7. In an electric railway, the combination of a main working conductor connected with the source of supply, the continuity of which is interrupted at certain points, sectional Working conductors located between the ends of the main conductor, contact devices carried by the vehicle, switches for closing the circuit between the source of supply and the sectional working conductors, and a lock for each switch to maintain it in its open or closed position irrespective of the operation of the train:

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1896.

WILLIAM B. POTTER.

Witnesses:

B. B. HULL, E. W. OADY.