switchman

American  

[swich-muhn] / ˈswɪtʃ mən /

noun

plural

switchmen

1. a person who has charge of a switch on a railroad.

2. a person who assists in moving cars in a railway yard or terminal.

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switchman British  

/ ˈswɪtʃmən /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): pointsman.  a person who operates railway points

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Etymology

Origin of switchman

First recorded in 1835–45; switch + -man

Example Sentences

Hult, who worked as a railroad company switchman for three decades after his military service, has plenty of company.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023

His father was a switchman for the Canadian National Railway, and his mother was a nurse who encouraged his interest in acting, beginning with an appearance on a CBC radio play when he was 8.

From Washington Post • Nov. 12, 2018

“My grandfather worked on the railroad as a switchman, and there are quite a few articles about him in the newspapers.”

From Washington Times • Mar. 14, 2018

Coach Williams’s longtime man Friday, Wayne Walden, a former academic counselor, played switchman, steering basketball players to these classes.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2017

The switchman went over to the bar where a couple of non-union men were shaking dice for the drinks.

From Snow on the Headlight A Story of the Great Burlington Strike by Warman, Cy