footplates

Noun

footplate (plural footplates)

1. The metal plate which forms the base platform of a steam locomotive and supports the boiler and the driver's cab, particularly in the United Kingdom.
   • Unlike the earlier standard designs, in which the whole of the footplate was on the engine, fall plates are re-introduced and these are hinged from the front of the tender to rest on the rearward extension of the cab floor.1954 March, “New Class "9" 2-10-0 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 166
2. The engineer's cab in any kind of train.
   • Kit had fallen into conversation with a footplate man who was deadheading back out to Samarkand, where he lived with his wife and children.2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 845
3. The flat portion at the base of the stapes; pedicel.
   • The footplate of the stapes develops and ossifies in conjunction with the otic capsule and thus takes its origin from the otic placode in the embryo.2008, Michael Valente, Holly Hosford-Dunn, Ross J. Roeser, Audiology Treatment, page 218
4. The part of a roller skate that attaches to the boot.
5. A timber in a wood frame that distributes a concentrated load.
6. A platform on which the driver's foot rests but which, unlike a pedal, has no effect.

See all 7 meanings of footplate