US746512A - Electric railway. - Google Patents

Description

No. 746,512. 1 4 PATBNTED DEG. 8,1903.V

. R. HBNER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 19, 1902.

WITNESSES UNITED ESTATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT j OFFICE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. l746,512, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed December 19, 1902. Serial No. 135,870. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HBNER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of `New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric railways, and particularly to those in which a socalled third rail is used as a conductor in connection with a shoe suspended from the car and adapted to take current from said conductor.

The object of my invention is to provide protection for the said conductor against the action of the elements, and particularly against snow or sleet, while allowing the contact-shoe of the customary construction to be used.

Another object of my invention is to prevent accidents such as may occur by persons coming in contact with the live conductor.

To this end my invention consists in a particular novel construction of a sectional protector or cover for Athe conductor or third rail and also in a particular device for. temporarily moving the sections of the protector out of the way of the arm which carries the contact-shoe.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate two forms of my invention, and the features of novelty will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a'plan of a third-rail construction having my invention applied thereto with parts in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe sameparts with some of the protector-sections in section. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail showing a lstop device for theprotector dierent from that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan of the second form of my invention; and Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional elevations thereof on lines 6 6 and V 7y 7, respectively, of Fig. 5.

In each of the constructions shown the third-rail conductor A is arranged between two beams B B',which extend above the top of the rail and which are supported in any suitable manner, the third rail being usually located at a higher level than the adjacent main or track rail C. On the conductor-rail A is adapted to slide acontact-shoe D, which lis generally secured loosely to the car-as,

for instance, by means 'of links E-the lower ends of which are pivotally connected with the said shoe, while their upper ends have a similar connection with other links pivotally attached to an arm or bracket upon the car. Thus the shoe will always ride on the third rail A notwithstanding any up-and-down movement of the car-body. So far the construction is substantially the usual one.

In order to protect the third rail against contact with living beings, as also against the detrimental action of the elements, and particularly of ice, snow, or sleet, I provide a protector or cover arranged to extend from one beam B to the other B', so that the rail A is contained in a normally covered or closed conduit or channel. In the forni of construction illustrated by Figs. l to l the sections F of the protector are hinged to one of the beams B, as indicated at'F, so that they are capable of swinging upwardly into a position such as indicated in Fig. 3, in which they leave a free path for the links E,as well as for the arm or bracket from which such links are suspended. In order to normally close the protector-sections F down upon the beam B, I may relysi mply upon gravity, or a spring Gmay be used to start the protector-sections downward. Instead of this I may also simply provide a stop II,'such as shown in Fig. 4, preventing the protector-section from 'falling outward and causing it to return to its normal position as soon as it is allowed to do so.

It will be understood that some device has to be provided to lift the protector-sections into the position indicated by Fig. 3 in advance of the links E or other supporting means of the contact-shoe D. This operating device for the protector-sections is connected with the contact-shoe,preferably in a loose manner, so that the operating device and the shoe may to a certain extent move independently of each other. The connection maybe effected by bolts E2, extending through slots E3 E4. The operating device consists of a plate-like body I,preferably apertured at I2 for the passage of the links E, which support the shoe D and which is provided at one end or at both ends with a toe J, having a IOO surface beveled downwardly and adapted to project with its free lower end under the protector-sections F. To facilitate the engagel ment of the toe J with the protector-section,

the latter may be provided with notches F2, as indicated in Fig. 2. It will be seen that the contact-shoe is located under the platelike body I, which thus forms a cover and protector for the shoe. The body I is also preferably so constructed as to act as a guide for the operating device, and for this purpose a lateral guiding extension I is formed on said body or secured thereto, the said extension being arranged to overlap the beam B', so that the beam is, as it were, received in a groove of the said operating device. Furthermore, the body I preferably rests and travels upon the top of both beams B B'.

It will be understood that proper care should be used to prevent short circuits, and to this end it will be preferable to make the protact shoe.

device. protector-sections F are opened or raised only tector-sections F and the operating device I J of non-conducting material, or, if this is not advisable for mechanical reasons, to insulate the said operating device from the con- In operation the protector-sections F Will normally extend in a horizontal position from one beam B to the other B', so as to cover the conduit which contains the third rail A and to prevent the entrance of Asections F, such section will be gradually raised to the position shown in Fig. 3, so as to be out of the way of the links E, or, generically speaking, of those parts which connect the contact-shoev and theoperating device with the car. These parts I have termed in the claims a carrying-arm, and I desire it to be understood that such term is to be interpreted broadly as covering-any suitable supporting connection from the car to the contact-shoe or operating device. Similarly, I wish it to be understood that where I have used the term contact-shoe I desire to include under this term any suitable contact It will thus be understood that the where this is necessary for the taking of the current and that they drop back to their normal positions as soon as the car has passed.

In the form of construction illustrated by Figs. 5, 6, and 7 the protector-sections f are arranged to move horizontally out of the path ofl the carrying-arm. For this purpose the y said sections f are mounted to slide upon transverse guide-bars K and are normally drawn by springsf, attached to brackets or hooks f3, into a position above the third rail A. Theoperating device has a body 7,', with a lateral guide member il and beveled toes j arranged to engage cut-away surfaces f2 on the protector-sections f, although it is not necessary to cut away the corners of the protector-sections, as shown. The toes j are bevrmama eled from one side to the other instead of from top to bottom and are thus adapted to force the protector-sections sidewise instead of upward. The connection of the operating device with the carrying-arm may be similar to that shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3. The operation of the second form of my invention will be substantially the same as that of the first form, except that the protector-sections are moved laterally instead of upward to uncover the conduit.

I desire it to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention.

While in the drawings I have shown the protector-sections Ff provided with flat upper surfaces, I desire it to be understood that they may be given any desired shape, and in some cases they may be curved or roofshaped to facilitate the shedding of rain and the like. It will also be understood that while I have described the contact-shoe and the operating device as supported from the car by the same carrying-arm such construction is not essential, as each of the said parts may have its own connection with the car.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. -The combination, with a conduit, a conductor and a protector therefor consisting of individually-movable sections, of a contactshoe adapted to engage said conductor, and an operating device held to move with said contact-shoe and arranged to shift the protector-sections from their normal position, said operating device being provided with a guide member arranged to engage the top of the conduit.

IOO

, 2. The combination, with a conductor, of v beams arranged at each side thereof, a protecting-cover consisting of individually-mov able sections adapted to extend from one beam to the other, a contact-shoe arranged to engage the conductor, an operating device held to move with said contact-shoe and to shift the protector-sections from their normalposition, said operating device being provided with a guide member in engagement with the top of one of said beams.

3. The combination, with a conductor, of beams arranged at each side thereof, a protector consisting of individuallymovable cover-sections arranged to extend from one beam to the other, a contact-shoe arranged to engage the conductor, a carrying-arm for said contact-shoe, and an operating device through which extends said carrying-arm and which is arranged to move with the contactshoe and to shift the protector-sections from their normal position, said operating device being arranged to rest and slide on the upper surfaces of both of said beams.

4. 'lhe combination with a conduit having an open top, of a conductor arranged in said conduit, a contact-shoe arranged to engage the conductor, a protector consisting of individually movable sections arranged to IIO ro vice arranged to travel v upon the top of the conduit and to move the protector-sections out of their normal position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBT. HBNER.

Witnesses:

JOHN LOTKA, OTTO v. SCHRENK.

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