switchman
nounEtymology From switch + -man.
1
Rail transport, Railways, Transport A person who operates railway switches that route trains onto rail tracks.
- This route is repeated automatically on the control panel of the appropriate box as flashing indications covering the track circuits involved and the switchman obeys the instruction by setting up the required route.1959 August, Flt. Lt. R. M. Williams, “The German Federal Railways today: 2. Modern signalling at Hanover”, in Trains Illustrated, page 387:
2
Rail transport, Railways, Transport A person whose job is to help in the switching of railcars in a railway yard.
- Related terms
- switch engine, switcher