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What You Need to Know About Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator
Example of Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator Job 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.
What Do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Do On a Daily Basis?
- Weld sections of track together, such as switch points and frogs.
- Operate track-wrench machines to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
- String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled.
- Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks.
- Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes.
- Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
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Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator Required Skills
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.
Types of Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator Jobs
- Track Repair Worker
- Special Equipment Operator
- Trackman
- Oil Distributor Tender
- Track Walker
Job Opportunities for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
In the United States, there were 14,000 jobs for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator in 2016. 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. There will be an estimated 1,500 positions for Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator per 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.
What is the Average Salary of a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators make between $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 different U.S. states?
| 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 & Technology 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
Are there Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators education requirements?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator may also be interested in:
Career changers with experience as a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- 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
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