Why Train Wheels Are Shaped Like Cones

A train wheel looks like the simplest thing on the railroad. It isn't. That wheel is slightly cone-shaped — and that tiny slope is quietly steering thousands of tons of freight through every curve, keeping the train centered, and stopping it from climbing off the rails. No steering wheel. No differential. No computer. Just geometry. Two shallow cones, fixed to an axle, quietly decide where a machine weighing thousands of tons goes next. #TrainWheels #RailroadEngineering #RailroadHistory #HowTrainsWork #TrainPhysics #RailwayEngineering #TrainFacts #ConicalWheels #RailwayHistory #DrawbarStress