A platelayer ^{(British English

British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
)}, fettler ^{(British English

British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
– UK, Australia, NZ)} or trackman ^{(American English

American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
)} is a railway employee who inspects and maintains the

permanent way A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

of a railway, usually under the charge of a

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

called (in UK, Australia and NZ) the "ganger". The term "platelayer" derives from the plates used to build

plateway A plateway is an early kind of railway, tramway or wagonway, where the rails are made from cast iron. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later. Plateways consisted of "L"-shaped rails, where the flange o ...

s, an early form of railway.

Track inspection

Inspecting and maintaining the track, including all its component parts such as rails, sleepers, fishplates, bolts, etc., are the chief responsibility of the platelayer. Their duties include greasing points, and generally watching for wear and tear. When sections of track require complete replacement, larger teams of platelayers work together, and today employ a range of labour-saving machinery for many of the tasks traditionally undertaken by hand by platelayers.

Platelayers' hut

United Kingdom

In British usage the term ''platelayers' hut'' refers to a lineside shelter in which a platelayer would historically be based. In the heyday of steam railway operation a platelayer might be assigned to each mile or two miles of track, with a platelayers' hut as his shelter and working base. He would regularly patrol his section of track. In modern railway operation platelayers tend to operate in mobile teams, and the lineside of the British railway network still includes a large number of abandoned and generally dilapidated platelayers' huts. Platelayers' huts were generally a single room, immediately adjacent to the running lines, equipped with a table, chairs, and a simple heating stove.

Sweden

In Sweden, each railway employed a number of platelayers with the responsibility for the maintenance of a designated part of the line. Instead of working from huts, they lived in cottages along the line (''banvaktsstugor'', singular ''banvaktsstuga''). These cottages were usually designed to match the stations in architectural design. Each cottage would typically have a couple of rooms and a kitchen, and the platelayers often kept a cow or chicken, as well as growing vegetables and fruit. The platelayer system was finally dismantled in the 1950s, but many cottages still stand, typically used for holiday purposes.Banvakt.se
retrieved Feb 1, 2015

Gallery

File:Platelayers' Hut.jpg, An abandoned platelayers' hut in Norfolk in England File:Stockholm–Västerås–Bergslagens Järnvägar Nyhammar 2013b.jpg, Platelayers' cottage in Grangärde in Sweden File:RÄJ Bovik 1925.jpg, Platelayers' cottage in Bovik in Sweden (1925)

References

{{Reflist

Platelayer A platelayer (British English), fettler (British English – UK, Australia, NZ) or trackman (American English) is a railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway, usually under the charge of a foreman called (in U ...