US672741A - Electric-railway trolley. - Google Patents

Description

No. 672,741. Patented Apr. 2s, mol.

c. H. MYERS. l

ELECTRIC RAILWAY TROLLEY.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1897. Renewed Sept. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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CHARLES H. MYERS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

ELEC-TRIC-RAILWAY TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent N0. 672,741, dated April 23, 1901.

Application filed November 30, 1897. Renewed September 8, 1900. Serial No. 29,450. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Electric-Railway Trolley, of which the following is a specification.

In electric railways in which the motor derives its power from a current taken from an electrical conductor by means of a trolley the direction of the current passing through the motor is changed by a controller or like contrivance within convenient reach of the motorman, so as to reverse the direction of travel when shifting theposition of the trolley. The current after being spent in propelling thecar or vehicle is returned to the generator usually by means of the rails,which are electrically bonded, so as to form a continuous conductor. The leakage of the current from the rails is a source of great damage to water, gas, and other pipes along the line of the road,and, moreover, the electrical bonds between the rail-joints require frequent replacement, which adds materially to the cost of maintaining the road in working order.

The purpose of the present invention is to obviate the employment of the rail as a means of returning the current to the generator and to provide a trolley which will take the current from the live conductor and return it by means of a second conductor paralleling the main or live conductor.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the following description.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to a full disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, Yin which- Figure 1 is a front view of a trolley constructed in accordance with this invention, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the base-plate, to which the trolley arm or pole is attached. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the lowersegment-contacts,which are attached to the deck of the car or conveyance. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the insulation placed between the component parts of the base-plate and the upper set of electrical contacts. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the upper set of contacts and the base-plate, showing the insulation in place.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in the several views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The deck of the car or conveyance is represented by the numeral 1 and has electrical contacts 2, of segmental form, bolted or otherwise secured thereto and which form the terminals of the wires or conductors extending from the motor. A bolt or journal 3 extends vertically from the deck l and is concentric with the contacts 2 and is the axis upon which the trolley arm or pole 4, its base 5, and the upper set of electrical contacts 6 turn. The base 5 is in a higher plane than the contacts 6 and is connected therewith by braces 7. The base 5 is stepped or offset, as shown at 8, which parts 8 are in a lower plane and are of segmental form and have the upper ends of the braces 7 applied directly thereto, the parts 5 and 8 being integrally cast or secured together in any substantial and convenient way. A block of insulation 9 is interposed between the component parts of the base 5 and is bolted or otherwise secured at its edges to the offset portions 8 and is provided with a raised portion 10, which comes between the inner edges of the said parts 8, so as to brace them against inward displacement.

The trolley arm or pole 4 is mounted upon a rod or shaft 11, which is supported at its ends in lugs 12, rising vertically from the base 5. Coil-springs 13 are mounted upon the end portions of the rod or shaft 1l, upon each side of the pole 4, and have their outer ends secured to the lugs 12 and their inner ends engaging with the pole, so as to hold the wheels carried thereby in engagement with the conductors. These springs 13 may be separately formed; but it is preferred to construct them of a single wire, the middle portion of which is formed into a loop 14 and is engaged with a pin or headed stud 15, applied to a side of the pole.

A fork is applied to the upper end of the pole 4, and its members 16 are electrically in- IOO sulated from each other and are bifurcated at their upper ends and receive and support wheels 17, which travel upon the conductors. An idler 18 of some insulating material is journaled between the branching members of the fork at the crotch and is intended to prevent injurious contact ofthe fork with one or the other of the conductors in the event of the Wheels 17 leaving them.

The base and upper set of electrical contacts 6 are mounted to turn upon the pin or journal 3, thereby admitting of the polebeing easily reversed when it is required to change the direction of travel of the car or conveyance, as when returning over the road. It is 4obvious that the mountings and electrical contacts for the trolley arm or pole may be applied to a single as well as a double trolley. A sleeve 19 is applied to the part 9 and is mounted upon the journal 3 and prevents any lateral play of the base 5 and the parts attached thereto. The contacts 6 correspond with the contacts 2, and their end portions are beveled at their under sides, so as to ride upon thefextremities of the contacts 2 when shifting the position of the trolley.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is-- v1. In an electric railway, the combination of fixed terminal contacts of segmental form oppositely disposed about a common center, movable terminal contacts of correspondingr segmental form and placed to cooperate with the said fixed contacts and having their eX- tremities beveled, a raised sectional base having its parts electrically insulated and rigidly connected and in electrical connection with the respective movable segmental contacts,

and a trolley-arm having electrically-insu-A lated traveling contacts electrically connected with the said respective movable contacts, substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of fixed contacts of segmental form, correspondingmovablesegmental contacts,araised base having its parts offset and electrically connected by braces to the movable contacts, a block of insulating material snugly fitted between-the separated parts of the base and rigidly secured'to each and forming a part of the base, and a trolley-arm secured to the said block and provided with electrically-insulated traveling contacts in electrical connection with the said movable contacts, substantially as described.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of ixed segmental contacts, movable segmental contacts cooperating with the xed coutacts, a segmental raised base having its parts offset and electrically and rigidly connected with the movable contacts, a block of insulating material having a raised portion and snugly tted between the offset parts of the said base aud forming a part thereof, means rigidly connecting the several parts, a bearing-sleeve applied to the central portion of the base and mounted upon a vertical journal, and a trolley-arm applied to the insulated section of the base and having electricallyinsulated traveling contacts electrically connected with the outer sections of the said base, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of xed segmental contacts, cooperating movable segmental contacts, a sectional base having each of its parts formed with upper and lower portions having an oset arrangement, braces connecting the lower portions of the sections with the movable contacts, a block of insulated material having a raised portion .and snugly fitted between the upper and lower portions of the sections of the base and rigidly connected thereto and forming a part of the base, a transverse shaft supported in lugs applied to the end portions of the base, a trolley-arm mounted upon said shaft and pressed upward at its free end by a spring mounted upon said shaft, and electrically-insulated contacts applied to the trolley-arm and electrically connected with the outer` parts or sections of the aforesaid base, substantially as set forth.

5. In a trolley, the combination of a fork having its members electrically insulated from each other and bifurcated, contactwheels journaled in the bifurcations of the fork members, and a wheel of insulating material j ournaled in the crotch formed between thefork members, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

.0. H. MYERS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, FRANcEs PEYToN SMITH.

IOO

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