What You Need to Know About Rail Car Repairers

Position Description Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

Life As a Rail Car Repairer

• Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components.
• Measure diameters of axle wheel seats, using micrometers, and mark dimensions on axles so that wheels can be bored to specified dimensions.
• Test electrical systems of cars by operating systems and using testing equipment such as ammeters.
• Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
• Paint car exteriors, interiors, and fixtures.
• Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation.

Skills Needed to be a Rail Car Repairer

Rail Car Repairers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Rail Car Repairers

• Air Brake Adjuster
• Freight Car Repairer
• Air Valve Mechanic
• Brake Adjuster
• Rail Car Repairer

Rail Car Repairer Job Outlook

There were about 22,300 jobs for Rail Car Repairers in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.2% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,200 new jobs for Rail Car Repairers by 2026. There will be an estimated 2,300 positions for Rail Car Repairer per year.

The states with the most job growth for Rail Car Repairers are Texas, Illinois, and Georgia.

Watch out if you plan on working in Wisconsin, West Virginia, or North Carolina. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Rail Car Repairer Salary

The salary for Rail Car Repairers ranges between about $33,700 and $78,420 a year. The median salary is $56,220.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New York	$71,250
Alaska	$68,390
Massachusetts	$67,660
West Virginia	$66,810
New Jersey	$65,890
Maryland	$65,350
Oregon	$64,230
Virginia	$62,300
New Mexico	$62,300
Pennsylvania	$61,430
Colorado	$60,820
Wyoming	$60,730
Montana	$58,800
Minnesota	$58,240
Washington	$58,090
Florida	$57,780
Tennessee	$57,400
Kentucky	$56,720
Arizona	$56,200
Wisconsin	$56,040
Michigan	$55,880
Arkansas	$55,650
California	$55,320
North Dakota	$54,150
Missouri	$53,170
Illinois	$52,920
Oklahoma	$52,460
Texas	$52,290
Louisiana	$51,470
Indiana	$50,190
Alabama	$49,690
Ohio	$49,100
Kansas	$49,060
Iowa	$48,680
Georgia	$46,500
South Carolina	$46,400
Nebraska	$46,160
Mississippi	$45,830
Idaho	$45,620
North Carolina	$44,740
Maine	$44,470
Utah	$41,920

What Tools & Technology do Rail Car Repairers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Rail Car Repairers:

• Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Windows

Becoming a Rail Car Repairer

Education needed to be a Rail Car Repairer:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Rail Car Repairers Work?

Similar Careers

Those thinking about becoming Rail Car Repairers might also be interested in the following careers:

• Painters, Transportation Equipment

Those who work as Rail Car Repairers sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

• Automotive Body and Related Repairers
• Pipelayers
• Mechanical Door Repairers

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons