Footplate

<h2 id="national-variations">National variations</h2>
<p>Although a footplate was almost universal in <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">British</a> locomotive design, and often in continental <a href="/facts/Europe/DTAtrKfh">European</a> locomotives, it was never a common feature of steam locomotives constructed in <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a>, and disappeared from <a href="/facts/List_of_Russian_steam_locomotive_classes/IQ4UgkkM">Russian locomotives</a> and big-power locomotives in British colonies (or former colonies), Australia and New Zealand during the 20th century. On those locomotives, the boiler and cab were mounted directly on the frame,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> and the walkway around the <a href="/facts/Boiler/uPqTq0I6">boiler</a> – "running board" or "foot board" – was not a structural element.
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<h2 id="details">Details</h2>
<p>The footplate has openings cut in it for various purposes.  The <a href="/facts/Firebox_(steam_engine)/9epoje8A">firebox</a> always extends beneath the footplate.  The <a href="/facts/Cylinder_(engine)/XlMRcfFl">cylinders</a> are beneath the footplate, and steam pipes pass through holes to them.  The reversing gear control for the <a href="/facts/Valve_gear/gNVMxbwm">valve gear</a> also passes through, and in some locomotives part of the valve motion also extends through the footplate.

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<p class="note">"Splasher" redirects here. For the video game, see <a href="/facts/Splasher_(video_game)/uPXFqGMg">Splasher (video game)</a>.</p>
 
<p>On <a href="/facts/Steam_locomotives_of_British_Railways/PNb6zA7f">British Railways Standard Locomotives</a> the running plate/board was high enough to clear the wheels; on earlier British locomotives, the tops of driving wheels usually projected through slots in it and were covered by "splashers" – analogous to <a href="/facts/Fender_(vehicle)/Kc8WD4t8">mudguards</a> on a road vehicle.
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Running_board/x07mQrEM">Running board</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Harrington, Ralph (26 March 2007). "Perceptions of the locomotive driver:image and identity on British railways". York University. Archived from the original on 10 September 2007. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070910180131/http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/irs/irshome/papers/locodriv.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070910180131/http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/irs/irshome/papers/locodriv.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Walker, Herbet T. (1 May 1897). "The Evolution of the American Locomotive". Scientific American Supplement (Part 2 of 3). Retrieved 26 March 2007 – via (transcription) Catskill Archive. <a href="http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/absa2.Html" target="_blank">http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/absa2.Html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Footplate open-in-new

Footplate