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.

Origin of towerman

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