A NE WROUGHT-IRON RAILWAY SLEEPER
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Louis Van Tenac, of Tredegar, Monmouth
shire, South Wales, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "A NE
WROUGHT-IRON RAILWAY SLEEPER."-A communication from abroad
Jean Arthur Granet, of 17. Rue Laffitte. Paris. in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 29th August 1863, and dated the 11th May 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 May 1863.
I, CHARLES LOUIS VAN TENAC, of Tredegar, Monmouthshire, South Wales,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW WROUGHT-IRON RAILWAY SLEEPER," being a communication to me from
abroad by Jean Arthur Granet, of 17, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
The principal object of the Invention is a rolled wrought-iron sleeper
intended to replace the wooden sleepers on the railway lines. It includes
also
1°. The way of filling the inside of the sleeper..
2º. The way of fastening the vignole or Brunel rails on this sleeper.
. 3°. The cast-iron chair wanted for using the double-headed rails with this
sleeper and the way of fastening it on the sleeper.

page_text: DESCRIPTION.
The wrought-iron sleeper above mentioned is shown on the Drawings A
nd B.
No. 1, Drawing A, is a longitudinal section.
2, Do.
3, Do.
4, Do.
is the plan above the sleeper.
is the plan seen under the sleeper.
B, is a cross section of the sleeper.
This sleeper is rolled in one piece and filled inside either with beton or
sand agglomerated with lime, or with sand clay, so as to obtain a solid body.
(The choice of material for filling the sleeper to depend on the nature of the
ground, or better to be according to the cheapest way found in the country
here it is used.
In any case tho compound intended to fill up the sleepers is to be well
eaten in.
The vertical sides of the sleepers, Drawing B, to be a little bevel from the
utside to the inside.
The part a, Drawings A, B, and D, is rolled solid all along the top of the
sleeper; part of it is taken out as shown in in 6, No. 2, so as to allow the vig-
nole or Brunel rails, or the cast-iron chairs, to lay on the full breadth of
the sleepers.
The said part a is particularly intended to keep unchangeable the distance
between the rails which by this process can never either move farther from or
closer to each other.
The way of the fitting of the rails in that part 6 is perfectly shown, Drawings
D & C.
Way of fastening the vignole rail.-The way of fastening the vignole rail
on the sleeper is shown on the Drawings A, B, C, D. Two sorts of cast or
wrought-iron washers, fixed by some bolts d, fasten strongly the rail on the
sleeper, they are disposed on each side of the rail, as shown Drawing C. A
thin sheet e, either of lead, felt, leather or gutta percha, made on purpose, or of
any sort of cheap material, is put between the flange of the rail and the sleeper,
to avoid the shocks and vibrations caused by the passage of the trains. To be
able to fit up easily the bolts & when filling up the inside of the sleeper care
must be taken to leave empty the two parts shown in f, No. 3, Drawing A.
Those empty parts are afterwards filled up when the sleeper is laid on the line
and after the bolts are passed through. The gauge of the line is consequently
kept unchangeable by the part a of the sleeper as explained with all the solidity
possible. This process of fastening is consequently very secure.

page_text: Joints. The Drawing E, F, G, are showing a wrought-iron sleeper with
the fastenings when the joint is to be made on the sleeper itself. The
Drawing E is a section of the joint.
The Drawing F is a section of the sleeper.
Do. G is the plan.
The joints are made in three various ways according to the choice of the
railway companies.
1º. The bolts D, Drawings G and F, fixing the rails on the sleepers, arc
opposite each other on the middle part of the ordinary sleeper above mentioned,
two strong bolts are wanted in this case.
2º. The bolts d are disposed on each side of the sleeper, as shown Drawing C,
and then four bolts, two for each end of the rail, are wanted to obtain a secure
and perfect joint. Care must be taken that the bolts of the fishes are not in
the way of those fastening the rail to the sleepers. With the two above-
mentioned ways of fastening the whole of the sleepers of the same line are
exactly alike.
8°. When larger sleepers are to be used as joint sleepers the joint is to
be made with four bolts, as shown, Drawings G and F, with red lines. Now_
when the railway companies, like most of the English companies, join the
rails between two sleepers placed then closer to each other, the line is the
same as before explained, and in this case also the whole of the sleepers of the
same line are alike.
Way of fastening the double-headed rails.-The Drawings H, K, L, show
the way of fastening on the sleepers the cast-iron chairs of the double-headed
rails. The rails are fastened as customary in the jaw of the chair with a
wooden or sheet-iron wedge. As regards the chair itself, to be strongly fixed
on the sleeper, it is to be made with the modifications shown in Drawing H.
The holes "m" instead of being on the same line perpendicular to the rail
are made sideway. The sleeper is the same as that for the vignole rails.
The chairs. are placed on the sleepers like the flange of the vignole rails in the
empty place b, Drawing A. The same sheets e intended to avoid the vibra-
tions, is to be put between the chairs and the sleepers. A common bolt fastens
directly the chair to the sleeper without any other medium as used for the vignole
rail. The joints to be made between two sleepers placed closer to each other.
The whole of the sleepers are alike for the same line.
Dimensions to be given to the sleepers.-It is evident that the thickness,
the length, and the breadth of the sleepers, the thickness of the iron, the
diameters of the bolts, and, in short, all the dimensions whatever are to vary
according to the gauge of the line, the weight of the locomotive engines, of

page_text: the wagons, the importance of the traffic, and the speed of the trains of the
line for which they are intended.
The whole of the Drawings, with the exception of the first, A, are made full
size, and intended for an ordinary line.
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 May, 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 "A NEW WROUGHT-IRON RAILWAY SLEEPER," being a
communication to me from abroad by Jean Arthur Granet, Civil Engineer, of
17, Rue Laffitte, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Louis Van Tenac, my executors, or administra-
tors, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly 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 Offico 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to sax:

page_text: .The principal object of the Invention is a rolled wrought-iron sleeper
intended to replace the wooden sleepers on the railway lines. It includes
also
.1°. The way of filling the inside of the sleeper.
2°. The way of fastening the vignole or Brunel rails on this sleeper.
3°. The cast-iron chair wanted for using the double-headed rails with this
sleeper and the way of fastening it on the sleeper.
DESCRIPTION.
The wrought-iron sleeper above mentioned is shewn on the Drawings A
and B.
No. 1, Drawing A, is a longitudinal section..
No. 2, Drawing A, is the plan seen above the sleeper.
No. 8, Drawing A, is the plan seen under the sleeper.
" 4 Do. B, is a cross section of the sleeper.
This sleeper 'is rolled in one piece, and filled inside either with beton or
sand agglomerated with lime, or with sand and clay, so as to obtain a solid
body. (The choice of material for filling the sleeper to depend on the nature of
the ground, or better to be according to the cheapest way found in the country
where it is used.
In any case the compound intended to fill up the sleepers is to be well
beaten up.
The vertical sides of the sleepers, Drawing B, to be a little bevel from the
outside to the inside.
The part a, Drawings A, B, and D, is rolled solid all along the top of the
sleeper, part of it is taken out as shewn in b, No. 2, so as to allow the vignole
or Brunel, or the cast-iron chairs, to lay on the full breadth of the sleeper. The
said part a is particularly intended to keep unchangeable the distance between
the rails which by this process can never either move farther from or closer to
each other.
The way of the fitting of the rails in that part "b" is perfectly shown,
Drawings D and C.
Way of fastening the vignole rail.-The way of fastening the vignole rail
on the sleeper is shewn on the Drawings A, B, C, D. Two sorts of cast or
wrought-iron washers, fixed by some bolts "d," fasten strongly the rail on the
sleeper, they are disposed on each side of the rail, as shown Drawing C. A
thin sheet "e," either of lead, felt, leather or gutta percha, made on purpose,
or of any sort of cheap material, is put between the flange of rail and the
sleeper, to avoid the shocks and vibrations caused by the passage of the trains.

page_text: To be able to fit up easily the bolts "d" when fitting up the inside of the
sleeper, care must be taken to leave empty the two parts shown in f, No. 3,
Drawing A. Those empty parts are afterwards filled up when the sleeper is
laid on the line and after the bolts are passed through. The gauge of the
line is consequently kept unchangeable by the part of sleeper as explained!
with all the solidity possible. This process of fastening is consequently very
secure.
Joints. The Drawings E, F, G, are showing a wrought-iron sleeper
with the fastenings when the joint is to be made on the sleeper itself.
The Drawing E is a section of the joint.
Do.
Do.
F is a section of the sleeper.
G is the plan..
The joints are made in three various ways according to the choice of the
railway companies.
1°. The bolts "d," Drawings G and F, fixing the rails on the sleeper, are 1
opposite each other on the middle part of the ordinary sleeper above-mentioned,
two strong bolts are wanted in this case.
2°. The bolts. "d," are disposed on each side of the sleeper, as shown
Drawing C, and then four bolts, two for each end of the rail, are wanted to
obtain a secure and perfect joint. Care must be taken that the bolts of the
fishes are not in the way of those fastening the rail to the sleepers. With the
two above-mentioned ways of fastening the whole of the sleepers of the same
line are exactly alike.
3°. When larger sleepers are to be used as joint sleepers, the joint is to be
made with four bolts, as shown, Drawings G and F, with red lines. Now 2
when the railway companies, like most of the English companies, join the rails
between two sleepers, placed then closer to each other, the line is the same
as before explained, and in this case also the whole of the sleepers of the
same line are alike.
Way of fastening the double headed rails.-The Drawings H, K, L, show 3
the way of fastening on the sleeper the cast-iron chairs of the double-headed
rails. The rails are fastened as customary in the jam of the chair with a
wooden or sheet-iron wedge. As regards the chair itself, to be strongly fixed
on the sleeper it is to be made with the modifications shown in Drawing H.
The holes "m" instead of being on the same line perpendicular to the rail 3
are made sideway. The sleeper is the same as that for the vignole rails. Tho
chairs are placed on the sleepers like the flange of the vignole rails in the empty
placo "b," Drawing A. The same sheets e, intended to avoid the vibrations,
is to be put between the chairs and the sleepers. A common bolt fastens

page_text: directly the chair to the sleeper, without any other medium, as used for the
vignole rail. The joints to be made between two sleepers placed closer to
each other. The whole of the sleepers are alike for the same line.
Dimensions to be given to the sleepers.-It is evident that the thickness,
the length, and the width of the sleepers, the thickness of the iron, the dia-
meters of the bolts, and in short all the dimensions whatever, are to vary
according to the gauge of the line, the weight of the locomotive engines, of the
wagons, the importance of the traffic, and the speed of the trains of the lino
for which they are intended.
The whole of the Drawings, with the exception of the first, A, are made full
size and intended for an ordinary line.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Louis Van Tenac, have hereunto
my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
set
CHARLES LOUIS VAN TENAC. (L.S.)