B737-200 CREW HAD ALT OVERSHOOT IN ZKC CLASS A.

Narrative

ALTDEV. ALL OPS NORMAL UNTIL LEVELOFF AT FL350. I OBSERVED THE FO LEVEL THE ACFT AND PLACE THE ALT HOLD ON. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER I HEARD THE ALT ALERT AURAL WARNING GO OFF. I LOOKED UP AND DISCOVERED THAT THE ACFT WAS NOW AT FL354. I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO LEVEL FLT. THE CTR CTLR ASKED US OUR ALT AND I INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE CORRECTING BACK TO FL350. HE THEN ASKED US TO CHANGE FREQS. LATER ON; DURING THE SAME FLT; I REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WHEN THE FO ROTATED THE ALT HOLD SWITCH; BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE -200; HE ROTATED IT TOO HARD AND ACTUALLY TOOK THE SWITCH PAST THE 'ALT HOLD' POS AND TO A 'DETENT' THAT OFFICIALLY DOES NOT EXIST. THE SWITCH STAYED IN THAT POS BUT IT DID NOT CTL THE ALT. ALSO; THE TRUB FUNCTION OF THAT SWITCH DID NOT WORK. ACTUALLY; IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO ROTATE THE SWITCH COUNTERCLOCKWISE INTO THE TURB POS. THE PROB WAS DEFINITELY IN THAT SWITCH. I DON'T THINK ANY OTHER ELEMENTS FACTOR INTO THIS ALTDEV. THE SWITCH DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE FO WAS NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH IN THE -200 TO REALIZE THE AMOUNT OF ROTATION NEEDED TO ACTUATE 'ALT HOLD;' AND THAT HE HAD ROTATED IT PAST 'ALT HOLD.' I WOULD BE LESS THAN CANDID IF I DID NOT DISCLOSE THAT I AM A PERMANENT 'PM' FLYER AND THAT I WAS NOW FLYING AN 'AM' TRIP. I WAS COMING OFF A 3-DAY BLOCK OF TIME OFF; AND HAD RECEIVED AMPLE REST TIME; THOUGH IT IS TRUE I WOKE UP 3 HRS EARLIER THAN I NORMALLY WOULD HAVE. I FELT RESTED AND ALERT. HOW COULD THIS HAVE BEEN PREVENTED? 1) ELIMINATE THE MULTIPLE TYPES OF ACFT THAT WE FLY. THAT WOULD MEAN LESS TYPES OF AUTOPLT/AFDS PANELS TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH. MORE CONTINUITY WITH THE EQUIP MEANS LESS CHANCE OF MISSING THE SWITCHES. 2) GIVE FO MORE TRAINING IN THE -200 AUTOPLT STRESSING THE ALT HOLD FUNCTION.