An operating crew member who rides the train and is responsible for its safety, passenger boarding, and securing the rear end. While North American railroads exclusively use the term conductor, this older terminology still appears in historic texts and imported operating rulebooks.
Heard on the job
The guard gave the right away from the rear coach and we started pulling.
Do not mix it up with
- Trainman: Trainman is the general North American term for non-engineer crew, whereas guard is specifically British.