switchman

English

Etymology

switch +‎ -man

Noun

switchman (plural switchmen)

1. A person who operates railway switches which route trains onto rail tracks.
   • 1959 August, Flt. Lt. R. M. Williams, “The German Federal Railways today: 2. Modern signalling at Hanover”, in Trains Illustrated, page 387:

     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.

2. A person whose job is to help in the switching of railcars in a railway yard.

Translations

railway switch operator

• Ingrian: strelocnikka
• Russian: стре́лочник (ru) (stréločnik)

References

• “switchman”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.