Footplate

It comprises a large metal plate that rests on top of the locomotive frame, usually it is covered with wooden floorboards.

On some locomotives, the footplate is extended beyond the front of the cab to form a walkway around the boiler – usually referred to as the "running board" or "foot board" – to facilitate inspection and maintenance.

[1] The term can also be applied to the external step along the side of a classical tram.

The cylinders are beneath the footplate, and steam pipes pass through holes to them.

On British Railways Standard Locomotives 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 mudguards on a road vehicle.