US738721A - Third-rail system. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTE-D SEPT. 18 1903.

1 h x u /llll/Illlllfllll J. H. HUGHES. THIHD HAIL SYSTEM. APPLIOATIO FILED APR. 3b, 1903.

` NomoDHL Noms mans co. rnnm4mw.. WASHINGTON D c t A,AngA A rre. 738,721.

Patented september s, 1903:?.

UNITED4 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. HUGHES, OF GREENWVICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF "TO FREDERICK A; HUBBARD, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT.

`Tl-IiRD-nAlpL SYSTEM.

.SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N o. 738,721, dated September 8, 1903.

Application tied April 30,1903.

Toall whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. HUGHES, a citi-4 zen of the United States of America, and a resident of Greenwich, in `the county of Fair` field and State of Connecticut,lhave invented certain new and useful Improvementsin` ThirdsRail Systems, of which the following is a specification. i,

My invention relates to protected thirdor conducting rails for electric railways; and it consists of an improved construction of said rails for economyof material, dispositionof same for strength, and facility of mountin securing, and insulating the same. Y

It also consists of improvements iu the mounting apparatus, as `hereinafter del scribed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a vertical transverse section of my improved third-rail system. Fig. 2 is a detail in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail in vertical `transverse section, showing a slight modification of the gripping and holding de-` vices of the rail-mounting. Fig. 4t is a detail in transverse section, showing a modification of the rail-insulating device.

The rail is `in its essential form of transverse section an angle-bar whereof one Iiange a. is of considerable greater width than the other flange b, and the web of flange c has an intermediate offset c, whereby flange a, being t the vertical support of iiange b, hereinafter calledthe rail-head, has its lower margin a', whereby it is mounted for support, located intermediately of the lateral range of the railhead for facilitating limited lateral dimensions of the structure, as will appear further on. In one form of construction the rail has the T-head `e of the lower edge vand the side ribs or flanges f intermediately of said head e and the offset c, adapting it to be substantially clampedbetween jaws g of supportingbrackets 71 adapted for being seat-ed on and secured to any suitable foundation and provided with suitable clamping-bolts i, said jaws being either integral parts of the brackets,suitably chambered on the gripping-faces, as indicated at j, for the application of suit`- able insulating material 7c, Figs. l to 3, and, if desired, separate parts g2, made entirely of insulating material, as in Fig. 4. When such Serial No. 154,976. lNo model.)

separatejaws, as g2, are used, they will be conned against vertical displacement by ribs g3 of the vertical plates of the brackets. In a slightly-modified but equivalent form of construction the rail has side ribs oranges Znear the lower edge of flange c, andthe jawsg are notched in the gripping-faces to correspond with said ribs, so as to receive them with the required insulating material 7s, like clamping-bolts t' being used. that in both of these forms there is powerful support againstvertical displacement in either direction, as well as against lateral displacement, and thus these ribs serve both for mounting and strengthening the rail. As the clamping-bolts of the railfl'holding brackets have to be below the jaws for avoiding possible interference with electric cur-` rents, the edges of the base-fiangc's of the brackets are placed in contact with each other at h for positive resistance to the stress of the clamping-bolts and causing the full effect of such stress on the jaws. j

The conducting-shoe m is carried on a bracket n, which, itis to be understood, is suitably attached to any suitable part'of the car,the arrangement being such that the upper surface of the shoe makes contact with the under surface of the rail-head b to facilitate the application of a protective guard over the top and the outside of the rail. For such a guard I provide a continuous angle structure of wood strips o p, suitably reinforced at the angle of junction q by metallic angle-brackets, as s, placed outside andsuitably bolted on, said brackets being reinforced with strengthening-ribst'in the locality of the angle, the chief need of reinforcement being iin the location of the joint q. This guard is mounted on the outer vertical surfaces of the outer brackets h by bolts u in the lower margin of strip o, said bracket being preferably notched at o to receive said bolts laterally, said bolts being too long to be inserted through holes on account of interference with therail, and the strips o are notched atwto clear, the

upper ends of the bracket-stiffeningflang`es- 'U On the inner margin of the topstrip j) of the guard is a drop-rib fr, ,of wood or other protective material, guarding against contact with the inner edge' of the rail-head b.

It will be seen IOO It will` now beseen thatthe' lateral .offset c in the vertical rail-flange ct in'the direction` of the vertical member of the protective guard enables wider dimensions of the railhead Within a given breadth of the guard and with the part a of the vertical flange properly centered within the gripping-jaws of thesupporting-brackets of given dimensions, besides affording greater strength of the rail With'a minimum of metal.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The improved third rail consisting of the angle-bars comprising the vertical supporting-{iange and the horizontal railheadsaid vertical flange having the lateral offset and the side ribs or lianges for stiffening and for mounting and securing the rail.

2. The combination with the `rail vconsistingv of the angle-bar comprising the vertical supporting-liange and horizontal rail-head, said vertical flange having ,the side ribs or 4flanges for stiffeningland for mounting and securing the rail, of the supporting-brackets having the gripping-jaws adapted to clamp said rails with intervening insulating material, and suitable clamping-bolts.

3. The combination with the rail consistingof the angle-bar comprising the vertical supporting-liange and horizontal rail-head, said vertical ange having the side'ribs or flanges `for stiening and formounting and secu-ring the rail, of the supporting-brackets having insulated gripping-jaws adapted to clamp said ribs, said jaws applied to the vertical bracket-plates, h-aving ribs for confining said jaws against vertical displacement.

`prisi-ng vfor mounting and, securing ythe rail, of. the supporting-bracketshaving the gripping-Jaws adapted to vclamp said rails with intervening insulating material and suitable clampingbolts.

5. In a third-rail system the combination of the rail consisting of the angle-bar comthel vertical supporting-flange and the horizontal flan ge-head, supporting-brackets and clamping-jaws carrying the rail, the -angle protective guard attached to and supported on the outside brackets, and the idropguard of the inner edge-of 'the top offthe angle-guard.

'6. In a. third-rail systemthe combinationof the rail yconsisting of the `angle-bar comprising :the vertical supportinglange vand the horizontalange-head, andthe supporting-brackets and clamping-jaws'carryingfthe rail, said lbrackets having bearing contact with ,each other, of the base-flanges `for .positive resistance tothe'stress of the clampingbolts, and- .fullreffect of such stress on fthe Jaws.

Signed at Greenwi'ch'thisQOth day of April, 1903.

-JHN H. HUGHES.

Witnesses RALPH M; CAMERON, 'CHARLES CAMERON.

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