Pl. -men. [f. SURFACE sb. 3 b + MAN sb.1] A miner or other laborer who works at the surface, or in the open air; on a railway, a workman who keeps the permanent way in repair.
1878. (title) Songs of the Rail. By Alexander Anderson, Railway Surfaceman,… Dumfriesshire.
1900. Yorkshire Post, 8 Jan., 6/6. South Yorkshire Surfacemen’s Wages.
