For nearly 200 years wooden railway sleepers are impregnated with creosote. After initially using vacuum pressure processes for impregnation, empty-cell processes have been developed quickly and are used until today. Because of political developments, creosote will probably be banned on the European market in the near future. The Fürstenberg-System-Sleeper, which combines for Europe innovative aspects as incising of the sleeper surface, a double impregnation of Beech sleepers including an alternative oily wood preservative and a modernised quality control shall on the one hand serve as an alternative to creosoted sleepers and on the other hand ensure future use of wooden sleepers in track superstructure. Incising reduced the formation of cracks in sleepers made from European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) until they are dry enough for impregnation, but did not decrease the drying time. A positive effect on preservative retention and -penetration was also occurring. During double impregnation using a water-based preservative and afterwards an oily preservative it became evident, that a gross weight of at least 950 kg/m³ was needed for penetrating the peripheral area of the sleepers to achieve an additional homogenous envelope treatment.

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