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What is a footplate?
A footplate is a footplate! or so you would think! The definition of a footplate in the dictionary is "the part of a steam railway engine on which the driver stands" and that is most people's understanding of it. But there are some interesting facts surrounding the subject.
The word footplate is a British reference. It refers to a large metal plate that rests on top of a locomotive's frame and is normally covered with wooden floorboards. Technically, the footplate protrudes past the front of the cab and runs alongside the boiler for the length of the locomotive (although this part is usually referred to as the running board). This is evident on classic trams where the step that runs alongside the vehicle is also known as the footplate.
Many old-school railwaymen still refer to the driver's cab on modern diesels and electrics as the footplate even though the definition only refers to steam locomotives. That said, an American steam engine's cab isn't even a footplate. This is because the platform on which the driver stands doesn't rest on the locomotive's frame, instead it is attached directly to the boiler. This is one reason (amongst many) that American steam locomotives look so different to British ones.
So, it would appear that some bits of a locomotive that we didn't think were footplates in fact are, and some bits of an American locomotive that we thought were footplates aren't. Glad we cleared that up!
Posted in: Model Railway
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