pointsman

English

Etymology

From points +‎ man.

Noun

pointsman (plural pointsmen)

  1. (rail transport, chiefly British) A man in charge of railroad points (switches).
    Synonym: switchman
    • 1955 April, R. H. Warring, “Some Early Railway Signals”, in Railway Magazine, page 231:
      The signalman, as such, was unknown at first. At junctions, or for shunting, the pointsman was responsible both for setting the points and working the appropriate signals, the two being independent. As a result, accidents were comparatively frequent, and the pointsman's job was, at best, a hazardous one.
    • 2021 October 20, Dr Joseph Brennan, “A key part of our diverse railway heritage”, in RAIL, number 942, page 57:
      At their point of origin, constructing these boxes presented railway companies with an attractive proposition: to remove the need for pointsmen and flagmen operating at several ground-level locations around a railway site by housing one or two men in a signal structure.

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References

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