footplateman en · NOUN
Etymology
From footplate + -man.
Meanings
-
(UK) A railway worker who is either a locomotive engineer or a fireman.
Footplatemen, organised not by the NUR but by ASLEF, had threatened to strike in August 1917 in demand of an eight-hour day.
2020 January 2, Conrad Landin, “Strife and strikes in post-war Britain”, in Rail, page 51:The circular attacks the policy of ASLEF, the principal footplatemen's union, for its opposition to pay differentials between main-line drivers and other footplate men, claiming that it destroys ambition and enterprise.
1964 May, “News and Comment: Breakaway footplate union”, in Modern Railways, page 293:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| footplatemen | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
conductor · pointsman · signalman · switchman · brakeman