Patent: Traction Wheels

Patent Number/Date: 1 July 13 1836

The traction wheels were not the first patent, but they were the first issued without the X that denoted the patents that had been restored after a fire hit the patent office. Traction wheels were designed to help trains stop on tracks. It was simply the cog in the wheels, but it’s very important so the train remains stable and stops. These cogs also helped the train go uphill and turn since they could move in and out of the way of each other, thus preventing them from snapping.