Footplate
The
footplate of a
steam locomotive is a large metal plate that rests on top of the
frames. It is the full width of the locomotive and extends all the way from the front
buffer beam to the back buffer beam. The
boiler, the
cab, and other superstructure elements are in turn mounted on the footplate. The footplate also forms the floor of the locomotive's cab, giving rise to the expression
on the footplate for being in the cab of a steam locomotive.
The presence of a footplate is almost universal in
British locomotive construction, is often (but not universally) seen in continental
European locomotives, and practically never on locomotives constructed in the
United States. American practice mounted the locomotive's boiler and cab directly on the frame. The walkways and running boards seen on American locomotives that sometimes give an appearance of a footplate are attached to the boiler or the
pilot and are not structural elements. The absence of a footplate on American locomotives is one thing that makes them look "not quite right" to those accustomed to the British look.
The footplate has openings cut in it for various purposes. The
firebox always extends beneath the footplate. The
cylinders are beneath the footplate, and steam pipes pass through holes to them. The reversing gear control for the
valve gear also passes through, and in some locomotives part of the valve motion also extends through the footplate.
