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What Do Rail Car Repairer Do?
Rail Car Repairer Job Description Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.
Life As a Rail Car Repairer: What Do They Do?
- Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
- Repair car upholstery.
- Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
- Install and repair interior flooring, fixtures, walls, plumbing, steps, and platforms.
- Repair and maintain electrical and electronic controls for propulsion and braking systems.
- Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
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What Every Rail Car Repairer Should Know
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.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Railroad Mechanic
- Coach Mechanic
- Streetcar Repairer
- Plow Mechanic
- Equipment Mechanic
Job Demand for Rail Car Repairers
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 22,300 jobs in the United States for Rail Car Repairer. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 4.9% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,100 new jobs for Rail Car Repairer by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,300 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Rail Car Repairer are Idaho, Utah, and Florida. 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.
Salary for a Rail Car Repairer
The typical yearly salary for Rail Car Repairers is somewhere between $33,700 and $78,420.
Rail Car Repairers who work in West Virginia, New York, or Alaska, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Rail Car Repairers in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,690 |
| Alaska | $68,390 |
| Arizona | $56,200 |
| Arkansas | $55,650 |
| California | $55,320 |
| Colorado | $60,820 |
| Florida | $57,780 |
| Georgia | $46,500 |
| Idaho | $45,620 |
| Illinois | $52,920 |
| Indiana | $50,190 |
| Iowa | $48,680 |
| Kansas | $49,060 |
| Kentucky | $56,720 |
| Louisiana | $51,470 |
| Maine | $44,470 |
| Maryland | $65,350 |
| Massachusetts | $67,660 |
| Michigan | $55,880 |
| Minnesota | $58,240 |
| Mississippi | $45,830 |
| Missouri | $53,170 |
| Montana | $58,800 |
| Nebraska | $46,160 |
| New Jersey | $65,890 |
| New Mexico | $62,300 |
| New York | $71,250 |
| North Carolina | $44,740 |
| North Dakota | $54,150 |
| Ohio | $49,100 |
| Oklahoma | $52,460 |
| Oregon | $64,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,430 |
| South Carolina | $46,400 |
| Tennessee | $57,400 |
| Texas | $52,290 |
| Utah | $41,920 |
| Virginia | $62,300 |
| Washington | $58,090 |
| West Virginia | $66,810 |
| Wisconsin | $56,040 |
| Wyoming | $60,730 |
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:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Windows
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox
How to Become a Rail Car Repairer
Are there Rail Car Repairers education requirements?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Rail Car Repairer?
Rail Car Repairers Sector
Below are examples of industries where Rail Car Repairers work:
Similar Careers
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Career changers with experience as a Rail Car Repairer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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