J.W. Elliott
Western Canadian settlement during the 19th century spurred railway development and expansion, but Canadian winters hindered rail movement and clearing snow was an extremely dangerous job for workers.
Dr. J.W. Elliott was a dentist by profession who designed the first rotary snowplough in 1869.
The components of Elliott's invention included a revolving fan and flat plates to catch snow and send it away from the front of the train.
His invention was not a success due to few interested investors.
Sample of inventions patented in Canada by Elliot
| Patent Number | Filing Date | Title |
| 399 | 1871 | An Improvement on a Machine for Removing Snow from Railway Tracks |
| 984 | 1869 | Machine for Condensing Gold Used When Filling Teeth, also to Assist in Extracting the Roots of Badly Decayed or Broken Teeth |
| 1071 | 1871 | Compound Plugger and Root Extractor for Dentists |
| 17860 | 1883 | Dentist's Flask |
Orange Jull
Orange Jull patented an improvement on Dr. Elliott's original patent in 1884.
Edward and Sam Leslie, brothers, built and tested Jull's design.
Components of Jull's improved design included pivoting steel plates, chambers to catch snow and eject it away from the top of the train, a steam engine and a gear system.
The Jull improvement on Dr. Elliott's design became standard equipment on trains during the winter months.
Subsequent improvements by Jull produced better-working snowploughs and reduced further danger to rail crews during the winter months.
