What name is given to that part of a steam locomotive that forms the floor of the cab?

The footplate of a steam locomotive is a huge metal plate that is located on top of the frames and is originally covered with wooden floorboards. It is usually the full wideness of the steam train and stretches out from the front of the cab to the back of it or raw coal storage just above the bumper beam. The boiler, the cab, and other superstructure elements are in turn mounted on the footplate.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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21 Comments

Steve Tingle

I have ridden in the cab of a steam train. A friend was a member of a preservation society here in England and seeing me standing on the platform invited me up on the footplate, he was a licenced driver.

June Dale Kirkham

Chriss Crockford, I saw Royal Scot while out shopping recently....

deborahpmercer

Chriss Crockford, Another steamhead here!

teresab

That character called Majority Vote knows a lot of stuff.

Ian Swindale

As a steam engine buff I found this easy. Thank heavens here in South Africa we still have some working steam engines.

Jackie Bowers

My father loved trains so much that we Lived across the track

Ian MacBrown

Guessed wrong. Why not just call it the floor?😯

gridirongreen

Sarah Hearn-vonFoerster, my father loved the planet Krypton. That's why I know so much about Kryptonite.

Landra White

The floorplate is the "full wideness"???? I believe the correct term would be "width"!

Shoy Verona Sinclair

Ok good

Janice Fish

Great question

Ed Taber

The trains on the Dumbarton Cutoff used to stop at the end of my block, 6th Ave, in Redwood City, Ca. to let the commute trains on the main line from San Francisco. The engineers on those old steamers would let us kids up in the cab to look around. One old engineer showed me how he carried a heavy tool box to hold down the 'dead mans plate'. He also had his bottle of whiskey in the box. Good times!