US749042A

US749042A - Electric-railway system

Info

Publication number: US749042A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1904-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1921-01-05

Description

No. 749,042. PATE-NTED JANL5, 1904.

W. M. EADER;

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. A

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903. no MODEL. 1 ssaBnTs-gnnm'l.

'PATBNTED JAN. 5, 1904.1. W.M. EADER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903.

I 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2-- NO MODEL.

wqlforgz ys No. 749,042. PATENTED JAN. 5; 1904.

W. M. BADER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILE]; JULY 2'], 1903. y

no MODEL. I a'sHnBTs-sHEET s. I nn '1 l Y um- Z 1 III 3 2 l I tur 7F" 0? a y 0'4 J? J1?- /\J4 Jj 6 l A /V Z5 Z5 60 20 2% J1 0 0 30 I 53 31 i 6! I UNITED STATES Fatented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,042, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed July 27,1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. EADER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mid dletown, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented a newand useful Electric-Railway System, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in electric-railway systems of that general class in which a third rail is used for supplyingcurrent to the car-motor, one of the traffic-rails being utilized as a return-conductor to the central station.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a current-collecting device by which perfect contact with the third rail or currentconductor will be insured at all times; and a further object is to provide an improved form of third rail the sections of which are so arranged at crossings and switch-points as to permit the current-collector to leave one sec-- tion of the rail and to readily engage a second section while the car travels under previously-acquired momentum from one section to the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which all of the parts shall be of standard size and shape, so that they may be readily interchanged should any one part become worn or broken.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of support for the current-collector that will permit of vertical adjustment of the collector with respect to the height of the car-truck and which will permit a ready detachment of the collector should it become necessary to examine or repair the same.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction may he made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a portion construction of the third rail.

Serial rt. 167,201. (No model.)

I of the third-rail system, illustrating the condoctor and its supports and showing a current-collecting device arranged and constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the currentcollector. Fig. 3 is a face View of the currentcollector detached from its support. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation "of the current-collector on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the roller-guards detached. Fig. 6 isa similar view of the support-bar of the currentcollector. Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the end portion of one of the conductors. Fig. '2' is an elevation of a slightly-modified Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the application of the invention to an underground-conduit system. Fig. 9 isa plan view of a portion of the carrying device for the current-collector, showing one of the wire-grooves. Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of a form of trolleywheel which may be used in the place of the wheels shown in Fig. 1 in order to remove ice from the current-conductor. Figs. 11 and 12 are views of details.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention may be utilized in surface, elevated, or underground systems, and in the drawings there is shown the thirdrail support in the form of a bracket 1, these brackets being disposed at suitable intervals along the line of the roads and provided, prefbolt and the opposite side of said third rail."

The third rail is preferably formed of a strip of non-conducting material, such as wood, having a coating of waterproof material in order to prevent saturation. This strip is provided on both its upper and lower edges with strips of copper or similar conducting material, as indicated at 10, and the strips are arranged continuously, except at crossing-points, where other tracks would interfere with the third rail. At these points the metal strips are brought together, being bent over the inclined end portions of the wooden strips and affording a gradual inclined surface in order to space the rollers of the current-collector, as shown in Fig. 7. In some cases the intermediate strip of wood may be dispensed with and the metallic bars connected together at intervals by brackets, as indicated at 11 in Fig. 7".

15 indicates a channel-bar forming a part of a truck-frame and provided with a pair of spaced and recessed lugs 16, that form the supports for the removable current-collector. The current-collector comprises a verticallydisposed frame 17, provided near each edge with a vertical slot 18, in which are spaced horizontal cross bars or pins 19, any one of which may be received by the recessed lugs 16 in order to permit of the necessary vertical adjustment of the current-collector. As the current-collectors will all be made of the same size, this vertical adjustment is necessary owing to the variation in the height of trucks in cars of ditferent manufacture.

Projecting from the outer face of the baseframe 17 are two sets of lugs 20, between which are pivoted upper and lower rollercarrying levers 21, these levers being in the form of bell-cranks and the pivotal connection being at the angle of the lever. To the end of the approximately horizontal arm of each bell-crank lever is secured a bolt 22, forming a shaft or spindle for the reception of a concaved roller 23, formed of conducting material and adapted to engage one of the metallic strips 10 of the third rail. The approximately vertical arm of each bell-crank leveris provided with a slot 24, through which extends a bolt 25, that is screwed into the base-plate 17 and locked into position by a jam-n ut 26. Between the vertical arm of the lever and the head of the bolt is a metallic compression-spring 27, normally tending to force the vertical arm of the bell-crank lever inward and insure good contact between the roller 23 and the current-conducting strip. Excessive inward movement of the bell-crank levers is prevented by a lug or block 28, secured to the base-plate and forming a stop for limiting the movement of the bell-crank levers and the rollers which they carry. As the rollers are thus held they may readily leave one section of the third rail and on passing a second section will engage the inclined end of said second section and will be slightly separated thereby against the stress of the springs 27.

To each of the bell-crank levers is secured a roller-guard of the construction best shown in Fig. 5. This guard has a pair of arms 31, disposed one on each side of the roller 23 and adapted to engage the third rail in order to assist the contact of the rollers therewith when passing from one section of the third rail to another section, as shown in Fig. 7.

The main frame of the current-collector may be secured to the truck of the car, as already described; but it is preferred under ordinary conditions to secure the carrying-bar to the journal-boxes of the truck, as shown in Fig. 1, as at this point there will be less tendency to a vertical movement. The supporting-lugs 16 are preferably made detachable, so that in the event of breakage they may be replaced without necessitating the employment of a whole bar.

In Fig. 8 is illustrated the application of the invention to an underground-conduit system, in which designates an ordinary form of conduit, and 51 the main frame of the current-collector. The frame 51 is connected by bolts 52 to a base-plate 53, forming the bottom of a slot-bar 54, that is extended up above the surface of the ground and connected to a suitable support on the car. The base-plate is provided with insulated bushings 55, through which extend bolts 52 in order that any grounding of the circuit through contact of the slot-bar with the conduit will be prevented.

When used in connection with underground conduits, the current-conductor is supported by transverse sills 57, each carrying a block 58, of insulating material, and each block has a vertical pin 59, adapted to fit in a suitable recess formed in the currentconductor 60. In this instance the currentconductor is formed of iron or steel, and after being placed into position for the pins 59 small cotter-pins 61 are inserted through alining openings in the current-conductor and the pin. As an additional means of preventing displacement the lower surface of the current-conductor may be grooved to receive the upper portion of the insulated block 58, as shown in Fig. 8.

The opposite edges of the current-conductor are arranged on arcuate lines struck from a common center, and the trolley-wheels are here shown as formed with peripheral corrugations for contact with the conductor, so that they may remove ice from the conductor during the cold weather.

The current conductor may be formed either of a continuous bar of conducting material or the construction may be substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1, wherein conducting-strips are placed at opposite sides of a non-conducting body portion. In either case it is preferred to groove the intermediate portions of the conductor or its support and form drainage-openings 63 from the bottoms of the grooves in order to prevent the accumulation of water.

The current-conducting wire or wires are led down through suitable openings formed in the slot-bar and extend through a groove IIO 64 in the top of the body portion, the terminals of the wires being connected to the body portion by bolts or binding-posts 65.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In an electric railway, a third rail having sections. provided with tapering or inclined ends, a current-collector including a pair of spaced rollers for engaging the opposite edges of curved rail, and means for holding the rollers in spaced relation after leaving a rail-section.

2. In an electric railway, a third rail formed of sections having inclined or tapering ends, a pair of pivotally-mounted rollers, springs tending to force the rollers toward each other, and means for preventing contact between the rollers after leaving a rail-section.

3. In an electric railway, a third rail including sections having tapering or inclined ends, a pair of contact-rollers for engaging vertical arms of thelevers, springs carried by the bolts and bearing on said arms, and a stoplfor engaging said verticalarms and thereby limiting inward movement of the same.

5. loan electric railway,a current-collector, including a base having a pair of spaced slots, contact devices carried by the base, pins or bearings extending across the slots, and recessed lugs arranged on the car or vehicle for receiving said pins or bearings.

6. In an electric railway,a current-collector including a base, a pair of spaced pivot-lugs carried by the base, bell-crank levers pivoted between said lugs, rollers mounted at the outer ends of said levers, springs engaging the inner ends of the levers and tending to move the rollers toward each other, and guards extending in part over the rollers, and provided with arms arranged on eachside of said rollers, substantially as specified.

7. In an electric railway, a third rail including a pair of alined contact-bars inclined toward each other and connected at the end of a rail-section, and means for supporting said bars.

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

WILLIAM M. EADER.

Witnesses:

E. E. PETTINGALL, LUTHER M. D; AHALT.