AN IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY WOODEN SLEEPERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Louis Van Tenac, of Tredegar, Monmouth-
shire, South Wales, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY WOODEN SLEEPERS."-A communication from
abroad by Jean Arthur Granet, Civil Engineer, of 17, Rue Laffitte, Paris,
in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 2nd October 1863, and dated the 11th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Louis Van Tenac
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th June 1863.
I, CHARLES LOUIS VAN TENAC, of Tredegar, Monmouthshire, South Wales,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY WOODEN SLEEPERS," being a communication to me
from abroad by Jean Arthur Granet, Civil Engineer, 17, Rue Laffitte, Paris,
to be as follows:-
The principal object of the present Invention is a flat wrought-iron bar
which by its peculiar make and the way of fixing it on the wooden sleepers
make the line perfectly secure and able to resist a longer time than with the
common wooden sleepers.
Description. No. 1 & 2, Drawing I., show the section and plan of the
wrought-iron bar. The parts A or notches A are intended to receive the

page_text: flange of the vignole rails or the cast-iron chairs of the double-headed
rails.
No. 3 and 4 of the same Drawing show the same iron bar, only the parts A
are made differently. The holes B are intended for the bolts which fasten
the rails & the wrought-iron bar on the sleeper. The holes C are simply
intended for the bolts, wooden screws, or even spikes, as convenient, which are
to fasten the wrough-iron bar on the sleeper.
No. 5, 6, 7, Drawing II., show the way of fixing the wrought-iron bar
above mentioned and the two rails of the line on the wooden sleeper. The
wrought-iron bar M, N, is let in the sleeper "T," Drawing II., in such a way
as to have the part "D, F," on the same level with the top of the sleeper ;
the rails will consequently lie at the same time on the sleeper and on the
part "D, F," of the wrought-iron bar. The bolts "G" hold firmly together
the rail, the sleeper, and the wrought-iron bar. The intermediate bolts H are
only intended to hold strongly the wrought-iron bar on the sleeper, because
without this precaution the bar could be bent, moved, or twisted at the passage
of the trains. Instead of the bolts H, some wooden screws, even spikes, can
be used to fix the wrought-iron bar.. The bolts "G" are cross a notch cut
out in the flange of the vignole rails. To obtain a good fastening the under
part of their heads is made conical, according to the shape of the flange of the
rail, so as to hold it better.
No. 8, Drawing II., show the vignole rail fixed on the sleeper with the
same bolt "G," but by the medium of two square washers K, placed
between the rail and the head of the bolts these washers are laying at
the same time on the wrought-iron bar M, N, and on the flange of the
rail "R."
The Drawing III. shows the same system as Drawing II., the only difference
is that in the Drawing III., the part D, F, on which rests the flange of the rail,
is formed by two swellings "S," instead of being taken out of the thickness of
the wrought-iron bar itself. This allows the part T, U, No. "9" and "10,"
to be made thinner, and consequently lighter, without any injury to the
strength of the bar.
All that has been said above as to the mode of fixing the vignole rail can
be applied in the same way to the double-headed rail which is fixed on the
sleeper by the medium of a 'cast-iron chair. The cast-iron chair is placed in
the part D, F, Drawing II., like the flange of the vignole rail, and is fastened
to the sleeper with the bolts "G." In the curves or near the joints of the
rails it is a good thing (indeed it is needed) to make use of the bolts G, but in

page_text: the straight parts of the lines some wooden screws and even spikes are suffi-
cient for the intermediate sleepers. A railway line with wooden sleepers
fitted with this wrought-iron bar above described is very secure, costs but
little to repair, and will be found to be very durable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Louis Van Tenac in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th October 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LOUIS VAN TENAC, of Tredegar, Monmouthshire, South Wales, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Louis Van Tenac, Her special, licence that I, the said Charles
Louis Van Tenac, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Charles Louis Van Tenac, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY WOODEN SLEEPERS," a communication to him
from abroad by Jean Arthur Granet, Civil Engineer, 17, Rue Lafitte, Paris,
in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Louis Van Tenac, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Louis Van Tenac, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
The principal object of the present Invention is a flat wrought-iron bar
which by its peculiar make and the way of fixing it on the wooden sleepers

page_text: makes the line perfectly secure and able to resist a longer time than with the
other wooden sleepers.
Description. The Diagrams Nos. 1 and 2, Drawing 1, shew the section
and plan of the wrought-iron bar.
the flange of the vignole rails or the
rails.
The parts A are intended to receive
cast-iron chairs of the double-headed
The Diagrams 3 and 4 of the same Drawing show the same wrought-iron
bar, only the parts A are made differently. The holes B are intended for the
bolts which fasten the rails and the wrought-iron bar on the sleeper. The
holes C are simply intended for the bolts, wooden screws, or even spikes, as
convenient, which are to fasten the wrought-iron bar on the sleeper.
The Diagrams 5, 6, 7, Drawing II., show the way of fixing on the wooden
sleeper the wrought-iron bar above mentioned and the two rails of the line. The
wrought-iron bar M, N, is let in the sleeper T, Drawing II., in such a way as
to have the part D, F, on the same level with the top of the sleeper; the
rails will consequently lie at the same time on the sleeper and on the part D, F,
of the wrought-iron bar. The bolts G hold firmly together the rail, the sleeper,
and the wrought-iron bar. The intermediate bolts H are only intended to hold
strongly on the sleeper the wrought-iron bar, because without this precaution
the bar could be bent, moved, or twisted at the passage of the trains. Instead
of the bolts H, wooden screws, even spikes, can be used to fix the wrought-iron
bar. The bolts G cross a notch cut out in the flange of the vignole rail.
To obtain a good fastening, the under part of their head is made conical,
according to the shape of the flange of the rail, so as to hold it better.
The Diagram 8, Drawing II., shows the vignole rail fixed on the sleeper
with the same bolts G, but by the medium of two square washers K,
placed between the rail and the head of the bolts these washers lay at
the same time on the wrought-iron bar N, N, and on the flange of the
rail R.
The Drawing III. shows the same system as Drawing II., the only difference
is that in Drawing III. the part D, F, on which rests the flange of the rail, is
formed by two swellings S, instead of being taken out of the thickness of the
wrought-iron bar itself. This allows the part T, U, Diagrams 9 and 10, to be
made thinner, and consequently lighter, without any injury to the strength of
the bar. All that has been said above as to the mode of affixing the vignole
rail can be applied in the same way to the double-headed rail, which is fixed
on the sleeper by the medium of a cast-iron chair. The cast-iron chair is
placed on the part D, F, Drawing II., like the flange of the vignole rail, and
is fastened to the sleeper with the bolts G. In the curves or near the joints

page_text: of the rails it is a good thing (indeed it is needed) to make use of the bolts G,
but in the straight part of the lines some wooden screws and even spikes are
sufficient for the intermediate sleepers. A railway line with wooden sleepers
fitted with this wrought-iron bar above described is very secure, costs but little
to repair, and will be found to be very durable.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Louis Van Tenac, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
CHARLES LOUIS VAN TENAC. (L.S.)