Noun
A man in charge of railroad points (switches).
Usage- UK usage
- Synonyms
- Examples
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A pointsman's back straightened itself upright suddenly against a tramway standard by Mr Bloom's window.
More examples (2)
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.
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.
Noun
a policeman stationed at an intersection to direct traffic
- Broader terms