Motorman
See Operation Motorman for the British Army in IrelandA
motorman is the person who operates an electrified
trolley car,
tram,
light rail, or
rapid transit train.
The term refers to the person who is in charge of the motor (of the electric car) in the same sense as a
railroad engineer is in charge of the engine. The term was (and, where still used, is)
gender-neutral. Though motormen have historically been male, females in the position (such as in the
U.S. during the
World Wars) were usually also called motormen as a job title.
The term has been replaced by more neutral ones, both as social
nomenclature has changed and because many systems employ large numbers of
women in the position. On the
New York Subway, the position is now called
train operator (T.O.), but it is still called motorman in
Chicago.
The operator of an electric
locomotive or an electric
multiple unit train on a
commuter or mainline
railroad is typically called an
engineer.
In the
oilpatch, a motorman is the member of the
drilling crew who is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the engines on an
oil rig.
* http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/Display.cfm?Term=motorman
