US328420A - mclaug-elin - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. F. MCLAUG'HLIN.

ELEOTRIG RAILWAY. No. 328,420. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. F. MQLAUGHLIN.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

N .420. Patented Oct. 13, 1

UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MOLAUGHLIN, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE NATIONAL ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM, (LIMITED,) OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,420, dated October 13, 1885.

Application filed August 25, 1865. Serial No.175,259. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: mittently to the several motors areso arranged Be it known that I, JAMEs F. MCLAUGHLIN, relatively to each other that the current will a citizen of the United States, and a resident not at any specific moment be supplied to the of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented entire number of motors on the section. In certain Improvements in Electrical Railways, other words, some of the motors will be out of which the following is a specification. of circuit while others are in circuit.

My invention consists of certain improve As a means of carrying this into practical ments in electrical railway systems, the main effect, one or both of the contact-wheels O 0 object of my invention being to provide for may be constructed so as to make an inter [O the running of a larger number of cars on a rupted connection with the said conductors A circuit with the motors in multiple are than is B by building the wheel up with alternating possible in the ordinary way. metallic and insulating segments, asillustrated In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is in Fig. 2, or by notching the wheel, as shown in a diagram illustrating my improvement. Fig. Fig. 3, so that as the car travels on the track I 5 2 is an'enlarged view of a contact-wheel which and the wheelO, for instance, travels in conmay be used in carrying out my invention. tact with the conductor A, the motor of the car 6 Fig. 3 is a View of a modified form of wheel. 'will receive an intermittent current from the Fig. 4 is a view illustrating how the contactconductor A, and in practical operation the wheel may be applied. Fig. 5 is a diagram contact-wheelO of the several cars will occupy 20 illustrating a further modification. Fig. 6 is different relative positions, so that while some a vertical section of a construction which may of them at any one moment would be making be employed in carrying out my invention, contact with the electrical conductor A,others and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of part of the would be out of contact therewith, and ala though the number of motors out of circuit at 2'; Referring to the diagram, Fig. 1, A and B specific difi'erent times might vary to some exrepresent the main conductors of the line, tent, yet for practicalpurposes that would not 7 5 which may be the ordinary track-rails or conseriously interfere with their operation. ductors laid alongside thereof or in a conduit The rapidity of the making and breaking between the track-rails, and G is the stationof the current supplied to each motor will 0 ary generator supplying the current to run the prevent its intermittent character from intermotors on the various cars, one of the confering with its operation. ductors A B forming the outward conductor, Other means may be provided for interwhile the other is the return-conductor. mitting the current supplied to each motor M M represent the motors in the various without interfering with the current on the cars, seven being illustrated in the diagram, main conductor. For instance, the interruptand C 0 represent the contacts, which in this ing-Wheel D (illustrated in Fig. 4) may he 8 case are shown as being in the form of wheels placed at any other point in each derived cirrunning in connection with the conductors cuit instead of employing a segmental con- A B. tact-wheel, suitable brushes E E being pro- 40 The numberof cars which can be run in such vided, one to bear on the compound portion a system of multiple are is necessarily limited of the wheel and the other on the metallic 0 by practical considerations; but in order to ring or hub 11. increase the limit without increasing the size This circuit-breaker may be adapted to be of the conductors, I supply the current from operated by a belt, f, from any moving por- 45 the main conductor to each motor in its detion of the car or motor; or, if desired, may

rived circuit intermittently, but at such rapid be driven continuously from clock-work mech- 5 intervals as not to interfere with the practianism g,or other motive power. In the latter cally continuous operation of the motor, and case the circuit-breakers on the several cars the devices whereby the current is fed intermay be timed to run in concert or synchronously, so that a certain number of motors on the section or circuit will always be out of circuit at any time that the others are in ci'r cuit.

In practical operation, where one of the contact-wheels O is used to interrupt the circuit it will be necessary to provide for the contingency of the car stopping, so as to leave the wheel with the insulated portion thereof in contact with the conductor, as illustrated in Fig. 5. In such case a supplementary con tact, 0, may be provided with a conductor, 3, and switch or key 4, forming the branch circuit leading to the motor,which may be closed by the operator at any time to supply the current to the motor, when desired.

In carrying my invention into practical effeet, I prefer to use the construction illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, in which F is a conduit, which is laid centrally between the or-- dinary cartracks, and containing on its oppositeside walls longitudinal insulating-bars T, carrying the conductors AB, in this case preferably of flat copper strips.

I prefer to form the conduit F of two parts, with an overlapping joint, f, at the bottom, asillustrated in Fig. 6, and the conduit thus made is bolted to the transverse sleepers.

H is the under side of a car, and from this is suspended the compound bar J, which carries at its lower end, within the conduit, the contact-wheels O O,adapted to run in contact with the conductors A A. This bar J, as illus-- trated in Fig. 7, consists of two metallic plates, jj, with an intervening plate of insulating material, and the upper ends of the platesjj" are flanged and secured to spring-arms K," which are bolted to the under side of the body of the car, with intervening rubber or other springs k, preferably both above and below the yielding arms K.

I prefer also to employ a third spring, L, connected at its upper end to the under side of the car and at its lower end to the top of the bar J. These springs are employed toabsorb and lessen the shock imparted to the bar J, carrying the contact-wheels, from the motion of the car.

The arms m, which carry the contact-wheels, are electrically connected to the plates j j by any suitable mechanical means; but I prefer, in order to insure the wheels 0 0 being kept in contact with the conductors A B, to interpose springs a, Fig. 6, which tend to push the wheels outward in contact with the conductors A B at all times. The platesjj may be provided with binding-posts 10 p, to which are connected suitable conductors leading to the motor on the car.

In order to prevent the jumping of the car from raising the bar J and its contact-wheels G 0 so far upward as to carry them out of contact with the conductors A B, I affi'x to the bar J brackets S, carrying anti-friction rollers 8, adapted to come into contact with the under side of the top plates of the conduit when the bar is raised to any extent, and so keep the wheels 0 C in contact with the conductors A B.

I claim as myinvention- 1. The combination ofa generator, line-conductors, and cars having motors in derived circuits of an electrical-railway system, with devices for intermitting the currentin the derived circuits, substantially as set forth.

2. Thecombinationof a generator, line-conductors, and cars carrying electric motors, with interrupting contact-wheels in connection with said conductors, substantially as de scribed.

3. The combination of a generator, line-conductors, and cars carrying electric motors, with wheels to make connection with said conductors, one of said wheels being an inter-y electrical conductors with a car having a suspended bar carrying contacts for said conductors and brackets provided with anti-fric' tion rollers, as and for the purpose-set forth.

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

JAMES F. MOLAUGHLIN.

Witnesses;

FRANK M. MILLER, JOHN E. PARKER.

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