towerman

[ tou-er-muhn ]

noun

, plural tow·er·men.

1. Railroads. a person who works in a switch tower tow and, by means of a signal box, directs the movement of trains.
2. Aviation. an air-traffic controller.

Word History and Origins

Origin of towerman¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; tower ¹ + -man

Example Sentences

If the towerman set those switches and signals 319 times in the course of a day, they must be set absolutely correct 319 times.

From Project Gutenberg

But the towerman at Middleport said that he could not move the siding-switch there; it was packed in with ice and snow.

From Project Gutenberg

Eight times that towerman tried there in the midst of the storm to open that switch and eight times he reported failure.

From Project Gutenberg

He also asked the towerman to telegraph ahead to Dover for a substitute engineer.

From Project Gutenberg

The point of convergence is known to the towerman and all the other workers as the “throat” of the yard.

From Project Gutenberg