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Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

In the Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators occupation, workers 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. O*NET rates it as some preparation, which usually means a few months to a year of learning on the job. It leans on operations monitoring, operation and control, and equipment maintenance. One core duty is to repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts. The strongest interest signal is Realistic (7.0 of 7), then Conventional (4.1) and Investigative, which gives it the code RCI. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
  • Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
  • Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
  • Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
  • Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
  • Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.

Skills

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Repairing
  • Troubleshooting
  • Time Management

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 operations monitoring and operation and control.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 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.

Also called

  • Machine Operator
  • Track Equipment Operator (TEO)
  • Track Inspector
  • Track Laborer
  • Track Maintainer

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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.