What is a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator?
Job Description & Duties Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.
List of Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator Job Duties
- Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes.
- Operate single- or multiple-head spike pullers to pull old spikes from ties.
- Operate track-wrench machines to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
- Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
- Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
- Clean or make minor repairs to machines or equipment.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator?
These are the skills Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Related Job Titles
- Rail Track Layer
- Track Worker
- Track Repair Worker
- Slab Lifting Supervisor
- Track Laying Machine Operator
Job Demand for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
There were about 14,000 jobs for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,200 new jobs for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 1,500 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator are Florida, Texas, and South Carolina. Watch out if you plan on working in Minnesota, Alaska, or Arkansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ranges between about $33,970 and $79,900 a year.
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators who work in Massachusetts, New York, or Oregon, make the highest salaries.
How much do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,170 |
| Arizona | $49,670 |
| Arkansas | $52,660 |
| California | $51,330 |
| Colorado | $54,160 |
| Florida | $47,060 |
| Georgia | $52,440 |
| Idaho | $55,690 |
| Illinois | $56,610 |
| Indiana | $57,100 |
| Iowa | $52,840 |
| Kansas | $50,290 |
| Kentucky | $45,780 |
| Louisiana | $52,690 |
| Maine | $44,460 |
| Maryland | $60,500 |
| Massachusetts | $76,360 |
| Michigan | $53,190 |
| Minnesota | $50,040 |
| Missouri | $48,380 |
| Montana | $54,390 |
| Nebraska | $58,960 |
| New Hampshire | $36,180 |
| New Jersey | $57,880 |
| New Mexico | $53,290 |
| New York | $69,080 |
| North Carolina | $48,800 |
| Ohio | $49,700 |
| Oklahoma | $37,850 |
| Oregon | $62,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,510 |
| South Carolina | $39,250 |
| South Dakota | $48,320 |
| Tennessee | $52,060 |
| Texas | $48,590 |
| Utah | $47,820 |
| Vermont | $49,250 |
| Virginia | $54,980 |
| Washington | $56,410 |
| West Virginia | $58,940 |
| Wisconsin | $50,560 |
| Wyoming | $65,850 |
What Tools do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators:
- Microsoft Excel
- Data entry software
- Timekeeping software
Becoming a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator
What education is needed to be a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator?
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Sector
The table below shows the approximate number of Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators employed by various industries.
Related Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator might also be interested in the following careers:
Are you already one of the many Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
- Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers
- First-Line Supervisors of Agricultural Crop and Horticultural Workers
- Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators
- Locomotive Engineers
References:
Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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