US724369A - Electrical towage traction-way. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. s1, 1903.

S. W. WOOD. vELEGIRIOAL TOWAG'B TRAOTION WAY.

APP'LIOATION FILED JULY 12,' 1902.

PIG. 5.

FIG. z

N0 MODEL.

1. G. I P

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN W. WOOD, OF NEV YORK, N. rY.

ELECTRICAL TOWAG E TRACTION-WAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 724,369, dated March 31, 1903. Application filed July l2, 1902. Serial No. 115,284. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Bc it known that I, STEPHEN W. WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towage Traction- Ways, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to electrical tractionways and motors especially intended for towage on canals.

The object of the invention is to produce an electrical traction-way having two tracks on which the tractors may travel at diierent elevations and' in either direction and shall be able to present either side toward the canal while running on either track, so that towage connections to boats in the canal may be made in any position of tractors while on the ways.

A further object is to construct a strong self-bracing system of supports and incidentally` to improve the traction-way and the tractor thereon to adapt them to the purposes of this invention.

The invention consists in certain constructions and combinations, substantially as hereinafter set forth in the claims.

Figure l is a top plan of atraction-way according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the way, showing tractors on both the tracks thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a canal, showing the general relation of traction-ways to the canal.

In towing boats along a canal it is necessary that the tractor, if it runs on the towpath, should be sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other side of the canal. Most canals have lout one tow-path for any given s ection of the canal, which path is located according to the necessities of the case, crossing from side to side of the canal as circumstances require.

My traction-way is arranged along the towpath of the canal at such distance from the water as not to interfere with the towage ot' boats by animals. The ways are supported on two series of posts, one series A A being higher than the other series B B and farther from thewater. On top of the series of posts A there is a continuous rail l. This rail may be of any of the usual forms of rails for traction-motors. verted-U rail shown in section in Fig. 2.

The limit of height to which tractors may extend is generally determined by tbeheight of the highway-bridges above the tow-path, (usually nine feet.) As the tractor in thev present case extends above the rail 1, the posts A will rarely exceed six or seven feet in height.

The posts B will be so much shorter than posts A that the top of a tractor on the lower post will be below the height at which the tow-line is connected to said upper tractor. In the illustration Fig. 3 the top ot' a tractor on post B is shown to be lower than the bottom of tractor on post A. 'The rail 2 (illustrated in Fig. 2) is also an inverted-U rail.

Guide-rails 3 4 on each set of posts, below the top, aiord bearings for guide and trolley wheels of the tractors.

The frames of the tractors 10 are made-to inclose the traction-Wheel 11, which wheel runs on top of the traction-rail. The traction-wheel'll is driven by any suitable electrical engine 12.

The rails 3 and 4 are both shown as insulated rails. The electrical current will be supplied to either of these guide-rails in any usual and suitable manner at such voltage as may be desirable; but as a low speed only can be employed for canal traction it is usually safe to use uncovered electrical conductors for rails on these traction-ways.

One of therails 3 or 4 is a return or ground rail, the other a feed or supply rail.

Guide and trolley wheels 13 and 14 run on the rails 3 and 4.

Let us consider therail 4 to be the insulated conductor or electrical-supply rail'for each way, as shown in Fig. 2. Then wheel 14, in addition to its function as a ,guidewheel, will also be a trolley-wheel'through which the electrical current will pass and be conducted to the engine 12. The frame of the tractor, which extends down at each side of the traction-way, has bearings for the vertical axles of wheels 13 and 14 at opposite sides of the guide-tracks. That part 16 of the frame which supports the trolley-wheels is insulated, as at 17, from the remainder of the metallic frame. The trolley-wheel 14can be connected by any convenient system of A convenient form is the in-` IOC an exceedingly strong structure, as the alternate braces extend nearly in the direction of -the strain in towing, said strain on the way being both lateral and longitudinal.

As the taller posts are subjected to greater strain than the shorter, these posts may be Vmade more numerous, as illustrated in Fig. 1,

and if arranged directly behind posts B the two series of posts may be immediately connected, as by a bracket or other'connection. (See dotted lines D, Figs. 1 and 2.)

The tractor-frame has means, as a loop 2G, at each side of the frame whereby a'tow-line can be connected to the tractor and lead thence to a boat or towof boats in the usual manner. The tractor is therefore reversible as to its position on the track,being movable with suitable electrical connections with either end in advance. The tractors are also constructed to run on either one of the two ways. Suitable switches or other means for changing the tractors from one track to the other or from one side of the canal to the other are provided, but not herein `described and claimed, it being understood that such transfers may be made by usual mechanical means. l

In order that the tows may pass each other on the canal, the boat drawn by the lower tractor is stopped or slackened and the boat drawn by the upper tractor passes over the slack tow-line thereof. The tow of' boats towed by animals will be no more interfered with by the traction-tows than by the same number of tows by animal-power. The space on the tow-path occu pied by the traction-way above described will generally be less than two feet in width.

1. An electrical traction-way for canal towage, having two tracks side by side at different elevations, each track supported by its own set of posts.

2. An electrical traction-way for canal towage having one traction-rail supported by posts, a second traction-rail alongside the same at alowerlevel and supported by shorter posts, and braces connecting the two lines of posts.

3. In an electrical towage traction-way, the combination of a series of supportingpcsts, a traction-rail surmounting these posts, guiderails below the top of the posts, at each side thereof and supported thereby, one of said guide-rails being also an electrical conductor, and a motor adapted to ride on the tractionrail and having a guide-wheel to ride on the guide and conductor rail.

4. The combination with the tow-path of a canal, of a towing-way at the side thereof, said wayhaving two traction-railseach adapted to support tractors, the rail next the water being at a lower level than the outer rail.

5. The combination of an outer series of posts having a traction-rail at their tops, an inner series of posts of less height having a traction-rail at their tops, and guide-rails connected to each set of posts, below and parallel with the traction-rails.

6. The combination with the tow-path of a canal, ofa traction-.way having an elevated traction-rail at the outer side of the tow-path, a lower traction-rail nearer the canal, and tractors constructed to run in either direction on either way, and having towing attachments toward` the canal in all positions.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN W. VOOD.

'Witnesses:

JEssIE S. LYNCH, RALPH S. ROUNDS.

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