towerman

[ tou-er-muh n ]

/ ˈtaʊ ər mən /

Railroads. a person who works in a switch tower and, by means of a signal box, directs the movement of trains.

Aviation. an air-traffic controller.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; tower¹ + -man

If the towerman set those switches and signals 319 times in the course of a day, they must be set absolutely correct 319 times.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford
He also asked the towerman to telegraph ahead to Dover for a substitute engineer.
Ralph on the Engine|Allen Chapman
The point of convergence is known to the towerman and all the other workers as the “throat” of the yard.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford
Eight times that towerman tried there in the midst of the storm to open that switch and eight times he reported failure.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford

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