What Do Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator Do?
Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator Job Description 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.
A Day in the Life of a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator
- Paint railroad signs, such as speed limits or gate-crossing warnings.
- Clean, grade, or level ballast on railroad tracks.
- Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
- Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
- String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled.
- Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
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Skills Needed to be a Rail-Track Laying & Maintenance Equipment Operator
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
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
- Emergency Service Restorer
- Section Laborer
- Special Equipment Operator
- Track Worker
- Rail Track Layer
Is There 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.
Salary for 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.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators 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 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
How do I Become 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?
Who Employs Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators?
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators work in the following industries:
Similar Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator might also be interested in the following careers:
Those who work as a Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
- 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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