US653649A - Underground system of electric railways. - Google Patents

Description

c. A. BALPH UNDERGBOQJND SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. (Applicnicm filed Sept. 14, 1897 (No Model.) 2 Sheets'-Sheet l.

No. 653 649. Patented My, 1900.

I wIlII////l/l/Il/ MWk WW No 653,649. Patented July l7, I900.

42. A. BALPH. Y UNDERGROUND SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC BAILWAYS.

(Appliction filedfiapt. 14, 1897.)

2 Sheets- 8MB? 2,

(No Model.)

at am museum. ms c M zak said rails being connected to: the partible' UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

or-mamas A. YBALPILIOF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA;

UNDERGROUND SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Iietters Patent N 0. 653,649, dated July 17, 1900.

' Application filed September 14, 1897. Serial No. 661,674. (No model.)

To all whom it Duty concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BALPH, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and'nseful Improvement in Underground Trolleys; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact .description thereof.

My invention relates to an underground trolley system for electric street-railways.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide such an undergroundsystem in which the main conductor is so incased as to exclude the admissions of water or dampness, whereby many of the difliculties heretofore encountered in underground systems of this kind are obviated.

The other purposes and advantages of the invention will all be fully hereinafter set forth.

' That which I regard as new will be found in the claims hereinafter. 7 p

To enable others skilled in thear't to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanyings drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of a portion of my improved underground system, part thereof being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section 'of the conduit, showing the parts contained therein and the construction of said conduit in detail. larged cross-section ofthe conductor, and its casing, together with the plungers which form contact therewith. r

Like letters indicate like parts in each of the figures. 1

In the drawings I have illustrated my'in-,

vention in connection with an ordinary form.

of road-bed in which wooden cross-ties a are embedded in crushed'stone and concrete, uch

construction being the one commonly" employed, although my invention is not limited in its use to any particular form of road bcd. I As this is the most common form of road-bed in use, I have shown my invention asapplie'd thereto in order to show that my-invention maybeapplied, to such road-beds as areal-v ready in use without any material change. Secured tothe ties a are suitable rails b,

Fig. "4 'is an enyokes c by means of the rods 1), said rods having nuts on the ends thereof. These partible yok'es c are bolted-to the ties at by means of the bolts 0, and said yokes are held together by means of the cross-bars d. The cross-bars d tend to hold the yokes together, while the rods I) tend to draw them apart, whereby said 'yokes are held in proper position with reference to each other, and a slot e is formed at the upper endv thereof in which the trolley 'pole travels.

The space between the rails is usually filled in with paving-blocks, and to avoid the necessity of the use of manholes I prefer to form the yokes with a removable piece 0 which forms the upper end or one side of said yokes.

' This removable piece 0 has a flange a formed thereon, and this flange o is bolted to flange c on the main part of the yoke, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. By this construction when it is desired to gain access to the parts within the yoke it is only necessary to remove a row of the paving-blocks adjacent to the slot on the side of the removable piece 0 whereupon by removing the bolt which holds the parts 0 in place said removable portion can be removed and access can be had to parts within the conduit.

In order to obtain means for carryingofi the water which'may collect within the conduit in cases where the system is applied to a road having already a; road-bed like that illustrated, .1 form a gutterf at the bottom of the conduit, and this gutter I'line with cement f. out a portion of the ties at in order to make this gutter continuous, and accordingly the ties are cut out as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to provide for this continuous gutter. 7 At proper. intervals a drain-pipe f? leads from said gutter to a sewer or other outlet.

Mounted on. the cross-ties a, at suitable intervals apart, are the brackets g. These brackets 9 support the shell or casing it, said shell or casing being held in proper aline- 'ment by means of the/ plates 1' on both sides thereof,'which-are bolted on the bracket. 9 and which engage the base h of said shell or casingh. This shell or casing h is preferas glazed fire-clay or:other material of like nature. This casing h may becomposedof It is necessary, therefore,to cut too" sections of suitable length cemented or oth- An insulator 7t isinterposed between the conductork and the seatfwithin the casing h. The conductor 7- may be of any shape in crosssection desired, although I prefer to have its.

upper or contacting [ace llat, for reasons which willmorefullyhereinafterappcar. Plungers I, arranged at suitable intervals, pass down and through the casing It, said plungers having heads I, which are adapted to be forced into contact with the conductor k. These plungers Z are held within suitable insulating tubes or guides m and are adapted to move up and down freely therein. These guides at are supported by the cross-bars (I, said guides having the shoulders m, which rest upon the longitudinal bars 11, extending through from one plunger to another throughout the length of the system. The upper end of the guide m has a neck m formed thereon, and a rubber orother collapsible hood 0 is secured at its lower end around this neck n so as to form a tight joint with said guide m. The upper end of the hood 0 has a contracted opening 0', which when distended can be passedover the upper end of the plunger l until it reaches the groove 1 formed in such plunger, whereupon by the contraction of said hood a close water-tight joint is made between the connection 0 and the plunger Z. The guide m is inserted within an openingin the casingh, and the joint between thetwo parts is'then cemented or otherwise closed to prevent the entrance of water or moisture.;

The upper end of the plunger 1 is threaded and screws into a threaded seat in, the con-.

'wish to limit myself in any way to any particular size. Springs t are secured within suitable insulating-plates f, secured to the V longitudinal plates at, said springs acting to hold the sections 1' normally in an elevated position, said sections being adapted to yield, however, when pressed down by the action ofthe trolley-wheel or other transmitting de-- vice, as will more fully hereinafter appear. Any suitable pole or rod 3 is connected to the trolley-wheel, said rod passing up through the slot e and carrying through connections (not shown) the electricity to the motor of as to force the plunger 1 into contact with the main conductor 70. The electricity is then carried by the plunger l to the conductor 2', whence it passes through the trolley wheel and pole to the motor in the car. As the trolley-wheel passes from one section to another that end of the conductor '1' with which it first'co'mes in contact will first be depressed and the electricity will passin the way described to the motor. As the trolley-wheel advances further along toward the middle of the conductor 7" the other end of the conductor will begin to descend, andwhen the trolley-wheel has reached about the mid-point of said conductor both plungers on said condoctor will be in contact with the main conductor k. Asthe trolley-wheel passes beyond the mid-point the end just vreversed by said trolley-wheel will begin to rise and the plunger at that end will be freed from contact with the. conductor, being forced up by the spring 25'. In this manner the several sections of the conductor 7' are brought into use, and said sections are only brought one at a time into contact with the main conductor k.

The aboveconstruction admits of a shalglow conduit, so that it is not necessary to extend the conduit belowthe ties, except, as I have referred to, to .form the gutter for carrying on? the water. The casing h, which contains the main conductor k, is water-tight, so that all moisture is excluded and the eflicieucy is greatly increased. ,Even'if water should collect in the conduit and reach a height above that of the casing, yet no serious results would follow, owing to the water tight joints.

The flexible hood 0 between the guide m and the plunger'l prevents any water finding its way down within the guide on to the cas= ing, it, while at the same time said connection admits of the raising and lowering of the plunger.

Whatl claim as my invention is- 1. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination with a suitable conduit, of a plurality of yielding sectional conductors, a main conductor electrically charged,-a casing completely inclosing said main conductor, a tube entering said casing, a plunger on said sectional conductor,- and within said tube, said plunger and said tube being severally provided with circumferential grooves, and a collapsible hood surrounding the upper end of said tube and plunger and engaging said grooves, substantially as set.

forth. l

In an nndergroundfis'ystem for electric railways, the combination with a suitable conduit, of a. plurality-of yielding sectional, conductors, a main conductor electrically charged, a casing completely inclosiug said upper end of said hood beingimmovably secured around said plunger, substantially as set forth.

3. In an underground system for electric railways the combination with a suitable conduit, of a plurality of yielding sectional tions, a sectional conductor, said springs hearing against said conductor at each-side of the mid-point thereof, projections at each end of said'conductor, and a mainconductor electrically charged, with which" said"projectioform contact, substantially as set forth.

5. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination with a suitable conduit, of a main conductor, a casing completely inclosing said conductor and located in said conduit, reciprocating plungers adapted to enter said casing and make contact with said conductor, sectional conductors from which said plungers depend,'a'nd longitudinally-disposed plate-springs for supporting said sectional conductors, substantially as set forth. 1

In'testimony whereof. I, the said CHARLES A. 'BALPH, have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES A. BALPH.

Witnesses? Rom". D. Terran, ROBERT C. TorTEN.

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