Meanings
plural platelayers
- rail transportA railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway installation.
Instead, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) investigation concluded that the gang were reliant upon hearing the approach of trains - "a common practice among platelayers", Assistant Inspecting Officer JPS Main concluded.
2021 September 22, Dr Mike Esbester, “Trackside safety: a permanent problem”, in RAIL, number 940, page 79Synonyms: surfaceman, trackman
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway installation.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna workman who lays and repairs railroad tracks
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
platelayer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/platelayer
“platelayer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/platelayer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “platelayer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/platelayer.
Source: platelayer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.