Complex sentence: The confined working conditions of a locomotive footplate meant that the earliest development of the stoker took place in this application by designers seeking to maximise power output in the locomotive by feeding coal at a rate faster than a man could shovel.
Split into simpler sentences: The confined working conditions of a locomotive footplate meant that the earliest development of the stoker took place in this application. Designers sought to maximise power output in the locomotive by feeding coal at a rate faster than a man could shovel.