See website:
http://cgi.byrons.force9.co.uk/acatalog/traditional_trading_...

where they show you all types of dolly type switches (usually with a little knobly bit).

More can be seen at:
http://www.forbesandlomax.co.uk/public_html/htm_files/sw_dol...

"The Forbes & Lomax Dolly switches are available in all plate finishes.

The switches are available in 2 way and intermediate. 1 way, 2 way and off (three position), and double pole switches are available on request.

Dolly switches can be mixed with Button Dimmer Controllers on the same plate.

Vertical switches can be made to order."

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Note added at 9 hrs 53 mins (2004-02-01 09:30:19 GMT)
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Rotary switch, rocker switch, rotation switch and push switch are pretty standard \'switches\':
http://www.e-switch.com/thumbs.php
http://www.shinden.com/english/

"Electrical Engineering.
Dolly, the operating member of a tumbler switch; it consists of a small pivoted lever projecting through the outer cover. "
(1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 257/2)

So dolly switches defined like this make sense as switches operated by toggles(the levers with knobs on the end), and the dolly is the lever/toggle. It seems logical that the 'rocker dolly' would be meant to be a toggle that clicked in 2 directions - Marjike's refs and the ones I found just call this a dolly switch. It seems less likely that a lever/toggle like this would push - so perhaps 'push dolly' is being used loosely to mean a 'push button/knob'. A lever/toggle might swivel in different directions to control something, but when we already have a 'push dolly' which seems to be a button not a lever/toggle, it seems quite likely that this might be a knob as well and dolly is again being used loosely. If both these are being used loosely for knobs/buttons not levers/toggles, it seems possible that the 'rocker dolly' might be being used loosely too, as the common rocker switch which we see so much nowadays (picture: http://www.ashley-norton.com/electrical/series1/a4/victorian... ).

It sounds from the asker's comment in the question, "In some cases....It's not a wheeled artifact[!:-)]", as if the asker was already thinking along these lines after looking it up in the dictionary and not finding the def.there - many dictionaries don't contain the explanation of dolly switches.

Naturally I will defer to the wisdom of any wise electrical engineering colleagues who visit the question :-)


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Note added at 9 hrs 11 mins (2004-02-01 08:49:07 GMT)
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(it\'s probably obvious, but just in case: the rocker dolly, rotating dolly, & push dolly all seem to form part of an electrical kit or component list for a switch assembly(-ies), together with the electrical switch & (electrical) switch plate.)

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Note added at 9 hrs 24 mins (2004-02-01 09:01:22 GMT)
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If there is more than one control on each plate, it could also be an abbrieviated way of writing the mixture: dolly(toggle/lever) + rocker, rotating knob + dolly, push button + dolly - it seems less attractive to me at this moment, but still plausible.

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Note added at 9 hrs 26 mins (2004-02-01 09:03:26 GMT)
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(I vote for Marjike\'s answer.)

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Note added at 15 hrs 1 min (2004-02-01 14:38:43 GMT)
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(Marjike answered first :-)