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

Included among Iowa lawmakers are pharmacists, doctors, teachers, small-business owners, a railroad switchman and a whole crop of farmers.

From Washington Times • Feb. 27, 2016

According to birth and voter records, his father, Ova Childers, was a railroad switchman.

From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2014

The officials were credited with saying that they would permanently close the transfer, rather than reinstate a single switchman.

From The Pullman Boycott A Complete History of the R.R. Strike by Burns, W. F.