James Boydell

James Boydell (died January 1860) was a British inventor of steam traction engines. His most significant invention was the first practical track-laying vehicle, for which he received British patents in August 1846 and February 1854.{{cite book | title=Account of the Application of Steam Power to the Cultivation of the Land| first=John Algernon | last=Clarke | work=Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England | publisher= Royal Agricultural Society of England| year=1859| volume=20 | pages= 202–203 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S03OAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA202| accessdate=2011-01-24}}

Description

Boydell described his invention as "endless rails" or an "endless railway wheel", later variations became known as Dreadnaught Wheels. In his system flat boards were attached to a wheel loosely at their centres. As the wheels revolved, they were capable of spreading the weight of an engine over the surface of the board. Boydell worked with the steam traction engine manufacturer Charles Burrell & Sons to produce road haulage engines from 1856 that used his continuous track design.Lane (1971), p. 23