Crossword clues for switcher
Wiktionary
n. 1 One who or that which switches. 2 (cx electronics English) A switchmode power supply. 3 (context rail transport US English) A railway locomotive used for shunting; a shunter.
WordNet
n. a person who administers punishment by wielding a switch or whip [syn: whipper]
Wikipedia
A switcher or shunter ( Great Britain: shunter; Australia: shunter or yard pilot; United States: switcher, switch engine, or yard goat, except Pennsylvania Railroad: shifter) is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been brought in, and generally moving railroad cars around – a process usually known as switching (USA) or shunting (UK). They do this in classification yards ( Great Britain: marshalling yards). Switchers may also make short transfer runs and even be the only motive power on branch lines and switching and terminal railroads. The term can also be used to describe the workers operating these engines or engaged in directing shunting operations.
The typical switcher is optimised for its job, being relatively low-powered but with a high starting tractive effort for getting heavy cars rolling quickly. Switchers are geared to produce high torque but are restricted to low top speeds and have small diameter driving wheels. Switchers are rail analogs to tugboats.
US switchers tend to be larger, with bogies to allow them to be used on tight radiuses. European shunters tend to be smaller and more often have fixed axles. They also often maintained coupling rods for longer than other locomotive types, although bogie types have long been used where very heavy loads are involved, such as at steelworks.
Switching is hard work, and heavily used switch engines wear out quickly from the abuse of constant hard contacts with cars and frequent starting and stopping.. Nevertheless, some types (like the Swedish class U) have been remarkably long-lived.
Switcher may refer to:
- Switcher, a shunting locomotive
- Video switcher, see Vision mixer
- Switchers (novel), by Kate Thompson
- Switchers Trilogy, by Kate Thompson
- Serial switcher, a person who continually moves his/her custom from one company to another
- Switcha, a Bahamian cuisine beverage
Usage examples of "switcher".
Coming to his feet, Steve found himself behind the panting switcher, which had braked to a sharp stop and was about to unhook from the flat-car.
Then the switcher was steaming out again to the right of way and the tent, its props knocked loose, was collapsing like a wrecked blimp.
They had chosen the switcher for their getaway, but why they had burdened themselves with the whale car was a mystery, unless it had happened by coupling the thing accidentally.
The trailing shriek came as the switcher rattled over a high trestle and hit the curve beyond.
From the panting switcher came a singular laugh that reached the ears of the two men who were reclaiming the rare metal discovered by Absalom Pettigrew.
Mario, the vision switcher, and Bill, head camera operator, to begin with camera one.
And now the most important people in the yards were two small Specialists known as Mountain Switcher and Ocean Switcher.
Mountain Switcher is less important, and you rarely hear his name mentioned in the Song of Earth.
Ocean Switcher was a small, brown-faced man of about forty years, who lived with his tiny wife and seven children of varying ages in a tree-house on the fringes of the delta.
Although he exercised this duty only once a year, the position was considered so important that his name was officially changed, and Da Para became Ocean Switcher all year round.
Here stood Ocean Switcher and Mountain Switcher, each with a team of assistants, each team holding its heavy switching rail.
Whatever the truth of the matter, the Ocean Switcher of that time made a decision and pegged the switching rail to favor the easterly car.
Ocean Switcher, who had stuck to his post until the last, was flung several meters away.
Ocean Switcher, bruised and disgraced, resigned his post, and Da Para took his place and his name.
Further down the track, Ocean Switcher, anticipating the result, gave the order to his men.