Guidance.help

Rail Car Repairers

Rail Car Repairers is the O*NET name for people who diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars. The skills rated most useful are troubleshooting, repairing, and equipment maintenance. You may also need to record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed. The strongest interest signal is Realistic (7.0 of 7), then Conventional (3.9) and Investigative, which gives it the code RCI. Getting in usually takes a few months to a year of learning on the job, a level O*NET calls some preparation. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need leading, persuading and making business decisions, it may feel thin.

What they do

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

Main tasks

  • Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.
  • Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
  • Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
  • Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
  • Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
  • Test units for operability before and after repairs.

Skills

  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on troubleshooting and repairing.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCI takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Freight Maintenance Specialist
  • Locomotive Repairman
  • Rail Car Maintenance Mechanic
  • Rail Car Mechanic
  • Rail Car Repairer

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with RCI and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.