Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Receive oral or written instructions from yardmasters or yard conductors indicating track assignments and cars to be switched.
• Pull or push track switches to reroute cars.
• Observe tracks from left sides of locomotives to detect obstructions on tracks.
• Climb ladders to tops of cars to set brakes.
• Set flares, flags, lanterns, or torpedoes in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops to warn oncoming trains.
• Inspect locomotives to detect damaged or worn parts.
• Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.
• Operate locomotives in emergency situations.
• Connect air hoses to cars, using wrenches.
• Make minor repairs to couplings, air hoses, and journal boxes, using hand tools.
• Provide passengers with assistance entering and exiting trains.
• Refuel and lubricate engines.
• Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently.
• Signal other workers to set brakes and to throw track switches when switching cars from trains to way stations.
• Signal locomotive engineers to start or stop trains when coupling or uncoupling cars, using hand signals, lanterns, or radio communication.
• Observe signals from other crew members so that work activities can be coordinated.
• Inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and handbrakes to ensure that they are securely fastened and functioning properly.
• Inspect tracks, cars, and engines for defects and to determine service needs, sending engines and cars for repairs as necessary.
• Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.
• Ride atop cars that have been shunted, and turn handwheels to control speeds or stop cars at specified positions.
• Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently.
• Check to see that trains are equipped with supplies such as fuel, water, and sand.
• Inspect tracks, cars, and engines for defects and to determine service needs, sending engines and cars for repairs as necessary.
• Raise levers to couple and uncouple cars for makeup and breakup of trains.
• Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers.
• Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes.
• Operate and drive locomotives, diesel switch engines, dinkey engines, flatcars, and railcars in train yards and at industrial sites.
• Start diesel engines to warm engines before runs.

Skills

• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

Abilities

• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.

Knowledge

• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

61210/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

29.43/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

470

Yearly Projected Openings

40

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cautiousness
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control

Tools

• Accelerometers
• Ammeters
• Battery hydrometer
• Circuit breakers
• Desktop computers
• Diesel freight locomotives
• Diesel generators
• Electric freight locomotives
• Electrical control panels for generators
• Fire extinguishers
• Flags or accessories
• Flares
• Freight rail cars
• Heavy rail turnout switch
• Kerosene or propane or natural gas or butane lantern
• Oil gauges
• Pilot valves
• Pressure indicators
• Protective gloves
• Rail couplers
• Rail switching systems
• Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicle
• Safety boots
• Safety glasses
• Safety horns
• Safety vests
• Scaffolding
• Screwdrivers
• Specialty wrenches
• Speedometers
• Steam engines
• Temperature gauge
• Train braking systems
• Two way radios
• Voltage or current meters
• Wheel chocks
• Winches

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Expert system software
• Route navigation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Time accounting software