US429277A - lineff - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. L. LINEPF. ELECTRIC TRAMWAY AND GAR.

No. 429,277. Patented-June 3, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. L. LINEFF.

ELECTRIC TRAMWAY AND GAR.

.277. Patented June 3, 1890.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No'ModeL) A. L. LINEFF.

ELECTRIC TRAMWAY AND GAB Patented June 3, 1890.

z y 4 will I Ill/111111 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER LOGIN LINEFF, OF OHISVVIOK, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC TRAMWAY A ND CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,277, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed March 6, 1890. Serial No. 342,895- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER LOGIN LINEFF, of 88 High Road, Ohiswick, in the county of Middlcsex,England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements relatin g to Electric Tramways and Cars, of which the fol-lowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in or pertaining to an invention for which Letters Patent were granted to Lineif and Bayley, dated the 18th of June, 1889, No. 405,365; and the invention consists in reducing the width of the slot-opening of the channel in which the collector works; in making the contact for the return-current independent of the state of the road, and thus preventing any possibility of sparking at the wheels; in providing means for an extra return-circuit to carry the return-current independently of the rails; in rendering the points or switches in the track more reliable and better adapted for the purpose, and in making the insulation of the main conductor more permanent and the conductor less accessible to mechanical or electrical derangements than heretofore.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a cross-section of a side channel with running and check rails to form the slotopening of same. Fig. 2 represents slight modifications, which will be hereinafter more fully referred to. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section showing the mode of connecting a positive rubber with the conductor. Fig. at is a side elevation, partlyin section, showing the connection of the trailing collector with the car; and Fig. 5 is a plan of part of the under frame of electric car with the trailing collector, and showing the mode of supporting the same. Figs. 6 and '7 show the means for attaching the trailing collector with the supporting-arms. Fig. 8, Sheet III, represents a plan of a point or switch arranged according to this invention, and Figs. 9 and 10 are cross-sections showing details of the same.

A represents the roadway.

B is the running-rail, and B the check rail, both of which are carried by a chair 0, which is sunk in a channel in the roadway in the usual manner.

A great objection to electric traction has hitherto been the use of a slot in the center of the track, in which the support for the trailing or other collector works, and it has therefore been proposed to combine the flange-groove and the slot; but here again an objection is raised, because the slot has been the whole width of the flange-groove, and consequently light wheels have passed through and accidents have occurred.

To avoid both the above-named objections, and to enable me to employ the side channel without fear of accidents, the check-rail B is placed a distance from the running-rail B only sufficient to permit of the passage of the supporting-arm of the collector; but this distance is not suflicient for the flange of the running-wheel when the channel-slot is also the flange-groove. To provide the requisite width of groove, while retaining the narrow slot, the inner edge of the check-rail B is rabbeted or recessed; or the inner edges of both rails B and B may be rabloeted or recessed, as shown at Fig. 1.

In the former patent, above referred to, the return electric current goes through the wheels and rails; but when the rails are covered with dirt or grit, or accidentally obstructed by small stones, which cannot always be avoided where there is much traffic,sparking at the wheels of the cars takes place, and it is of the utmostimportance that this sparking should be prevented. For this purpose an arrangement such as shown at Figs. 1 and 2 is employed. In the former patent rubbingpieces are provided in connection with the conductor, in which pieces the trailing collector works. I now employ two sets of rubbers-one D for the positive current in electrical connection with the main conductor E; the other set D is intended for the return or negative current.

The negative rubbers D may be either cast with the chair, as shown in Fig. 1, or formed of separate pieces, bolted or otherwise attached to the chair, as shown in Fig. 2, and, if necessary, insulated therefrom. In the latter case the return-current will pass by a separate conductor E, as will be seen in Fig. 52, which is carried in a notched portion of the rubber D and retained bya set-screw or otherwise.

In an underground conductor exposed to the inlluenceof weather and all the dirtand dust which may get access to the channel, it is very advisable to have the insulation protected by metallic sheathing, similar to condnctors used for submarine cables or underground conductors used for telegraphic and other purposes. In applying this principle to the underground conductor with projecting rubbing-pieces I proceed as follows: The copper conductor E is placed in an iron tube or casing E in the center of which it is retained (so as to be insulated therefrom) by a packing of suitable insulating material. At each joint of the casing E which will correspond to each rubber D, I apply a T piece or connection G, (see Fig. 3,) which serves to connect the two lengths of pipe. Into the stem of the T-piece G, I fit an earthenware insulator G, through which the stem of the rubber D passes. The foot of the stem of the rubber D is threaded, and takes into another T-pieee G which surrounds the copper conductor E, and is insulated from the pipe E by an earthenware piece G. By screwing down the rubber D contact is made with the copper conductor E. The space round the stem is filled with some plastic insulating material. In this arrangement the tube E becomes earth, and maybe fixed direct to the chair by means of screw-clips H, as shown at Fig. 1; or the conductor maybe fixed in the following manner: The stem of the rubber D passes through an earthenware insulator G, and the whole is placed in a pocket cast with the chair (I. The intervening space is filled with plastic insulating material through an opening in the casting. The conductor E may be only slightly insulated or even a bare cable or rod, as the main insulation is already provided for by the arrangement of rubbers. This arrangement is similar to one shown in respect to the former patent. The collecting apparatus, as described in the former patent, requires modification to adapt it to the new circumstances, and I therefore construct it of two contactropes J J, covered with short ferrules, as before. These ropes J J are fixed by means of metal clips J 2 to a strip or strips of some sufficiently rigid insulating material K, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 6 in section and in Figs. l and 7 in elevation. This collector J J K slides between the rubbers D D, arranged on the hit-and-miss principle, the lower trailing rope J being in immediate contact with the positive rubbers D and the upper rope J with the negative rubbers D. The position of the rubbers D D will be so arranged that the collector is tilted a little to one side, so that the weight of the upper rope will insure good contact with the upper rubber. One rope J will be in electrical communication with one of the arms supporting the collector, and the other rope J with the other arm. This form of collector will be interchangeable, and in case the lower portion becomes worn it will only be necessary to turn the collector end for end without changing the face of the same. Thearrangement of the beams carryin g the arms for supporting the collector and the attachment of the collector to the arms will be now described.

The electric car is constructed with six wheels, the axles of two pairs being attached to a bogie-truck L, Figs. at and 5. The bogie Lis fitted with the motor, driving-gear, brake, and electric collector, (of which only the latter is shown in the drawings,) and is thus selfcontained, and if any accident happens to the driving or collecting mechanism the bogie is taken bodily from under the car and replaced by a spare one. The third axle L is attached in the usual manner to the frame of the car; but while one of its wheels is fast on the axle the other is loose, thus providing for any diil'erence between the outer and inner rails on curves. The car is thus eminently adapted to pass sharp curves, the friction and grinding of the wheels against the rails being reduced to a minimum.

To the axle-boxes I. L, on one side of the bogie L, is pivoted a trail-beam in two parts M M, (preferably of channel or girder iron,) one part M being pivoted to the axle-box L and the other part M to the axle-box L inner ends of these parts M M work against a wearing-plate M rigidly attached to the axle-boxes, and the outer ends are provided with shoes M, pivoted thereto, as described in the former patent, so as to allow for a certain amount of swinging movement when passing curves.

The arms carrying the collector consist of a strip of brass or other conducting material N, thoroughly insulated and furnished with a protecting-casing N and securely clamped in the shoe M. This arm passes downward through the channel-slot to the trailing collector, to which it is secured by a strap N in electrical connection with one of the ropes J or J, by which the currentis conveyed from or to the conductor-rubbers. The strip N is prevented from being drawn through this strap N" by being turned up slightly at the end or by any other suitable means.

On curves the distance between the ends of the trailing collector which follow the curve will become shorter, and the distance between the arms is also at the same time reduced, butnot to so great an extent. To counteract the effect of this difference, the strap N is made somewhat longer than the width of the arm, so that a certain amount of play in a horizontal direction is allowed for. A good contact between the strap N and the metallic strip in the arm will be insured by any suitable arrangemel'lt, such as a spring. (Not shown in the drawings.) In order to allowa certain play in a vertical direction, rendered necessary when an obstruction on the runhing-rails causes the wheels to jump, a space is left between the bottom of the strap N and the turned-up edge of the metallic strip N. A further degree of elasticity in this respect is afforded by making the shoe at each end of the trailing beam rest on a spiral spring, instead of directly on the beam, so that any slight movement of the latter will expend itself in compressing the spring and will not strain the trailing collector. The straps N are connected with the trailing ropes J J, so that the current from the positive pole of the dynamo will beconveyed from the lower rope J of the trailing collector through one arm M of the trail-beam tothe motor on the car, and thence by the opposite arm M to the upper rope J back to the negative pole of the dynamo at the generating-station.

The arrangement of apparatus adapted for points and crossings is shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

As will be seen from the drawings, the original running-rail B and guard or check rail B diverge, while between them a fresh running-rail B and guard or check rail B are made to start, such fresh rails terminating together in a single movable tongue 0. This tongue 0 is pivoted at its base to a double chair 0, and furnished with a spring 0, which keeps the tongue 0, under ordinary circumstances, to one side of the slot-opening for automatically guiding the car-wheel in the desired direction. The wheel of a car coming in the opposite direction will push the tongue over and open a way for itself in the usual way- In order to support the extremity of this movable tongue 0 at a point as close to its free end as may be found convenient, I pivot thereto a plate 0 which is broad enough, when in its normal position, to rest in recesses provided on each side between the rails and a chair specially constructed for the purpose. (See Fig. 9.) The plate 0 is lozenge-shaped, so that when a supportingarm of the collector reaches the plate it will by sliding along the edge thereof force the plate to one side, and thus open for itself a path, without, however, leaving the movable tongue unsupported. Spiral springs O 011 either side will cause the plate 0 to return to its normal position (the central position in Fig. 8) whenever it has been displaced therefrom as soon as the supporting arm has cleared it.

Occasionally it may be necessary to use the point 0 as a facing-point, in which case the tongue 0 and supporting-plate 0 will be moved by hand by means of a hinged catch P, Fig. 10, pivoted to a rod P, attached to a hand-lever P suitably arranged by the side of the track, the said catch engaging with a slot P, out in the under surface of the supporting-plate 0 The rod P is surrounded by a spiral spring Q, contained in a cylinder Q, against the edge of which the catch presses when the rod is pulled in by the movement of the hand-lever. The catch is thus caused to assume a horizontal position in line with the rod, and thereby engage with the slot in the supporting-plate. The continued movement of the lever pulls over the plate 0 until one of its obtuse angles reaches the back of the recess in which the plate slides. As the catch engages with the plate 0 at a point between the pivot and the point of the obtuse angle, the further movement of the lever will. pull over the movable tongue 0, the point of the obtuse angle of the plate 0 acting as the fulcrum. One movement of the hand-lever P therefore first causes the catch P to engage with the slot P of the supporting-plate O and draw it over, and finally pulls over the movable tongue 0 and allows a clear passage both for the arms of the collector-beam and for the car-wheels. \Vhen the hand-lever is released, the several springs act to return the parts to their normal position and cause the catch to drop clear of the'slot in the supporting-plate, as shown in the figure. This last movement is rendered more certain by a small spiral spring R on the pin of the catch, (see Fig. 8,) as it is importantthat the catch shall be withdrawn clear of the arms of the collector.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. The improvement in electric tramways and cars as herein shown and described, and consisting in the combination of two rails B 13, having rabbeted heads to form both the .wheel-groove and the channel-slot, two sets of rubbers D D, one set in connection with the main conductor and the other with the rails, or a return-wire or earth, a double trav eling collector J J, carried by arms connected with the car and working in the channel-slot, a six-wheeled car having four wheels mounted on a bogie, to which beams carrying the collector-arms are pivoted, and the other two wheels on a common axle, one being loose, a permanent way in which the points are provided with underlying pivoted lozenge-shaped supporting-plates, and means for operating the plates and points by hand, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In electric tramways having an underground side channel, the combination of two rabbeted or recessed headed rails B B to form the slot-opening of reduced width, and a rail-groove of full width, as herein shown and described.

3. For electric traction purposes, the combination, with a double set of rubbers, one for the positive and the other forthe negative current, of a trailing collector consisting of two flexible ropes insulated from each other and sliding between the positiveand negative rubbers, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The means, as herein shown and described, for carrying the trailing collector, whereby difliculties in going round curves are overcome, and consisting in the combination, with the collector, of arms attached thereto,

IIO

so as to allow for slight vertical motion, supporting-beams, to which the arms are pivoted, and a bogie-carriage, on which one end of the car is mounted and to which the supportingbeams are pivoted, all substantially as set forth.

5. The means of connecting the rubbers to the main conductor, and consisting in the combination of the main conductor inclosed within and insulated from a metal tube, and the rubbers with the T-connections G G and the insulation-pieces G G, arranged as shown and described.

6. In electricallypropelled vehicles, the combination, with a car, of a two-axle bogie carrying all the electrical and mechanical

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