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Railroad Brake, Signal, & Switch Operators
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Railroad Brake, Signal, & Switch Operators
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Operate railroad track switches. Couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Signal engineers by hand or flagging. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes.
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Degrees
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Abilities
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Far Vision| | The ability to see details at a distance. |
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Auditory Attention| | The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds. |
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Reaction Time| | The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears. |
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Oral Comprehension| | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
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Control Precision| | The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. |
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Response Orientation| | The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part. |
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Spatial Orientation| | The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you. |
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Information Ordering| | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
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Oral Expression| | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
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Static Strength| | The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. |
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Extent Flexibility| | The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs. |
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Near Vision| | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
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Dynamic Strength| | The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue. |
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Problem Sensitivity| | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
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Gross Body Equilibrium| | The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position. |
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Manual Dexterity| | The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. |
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Trunk Strength| | The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing. |
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Gross Body Coordination| | The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. |
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Multilimb Coordination| | The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. |
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Night Vision| | The ability to see under low light conditions. |
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Rate Control| | The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene. |
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Speech Clarity| | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
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Visualization| | The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. |
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Written Comprehension| | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |
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Depth Perception| | The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object. |
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Explosive Strength| | The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object. |
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Selective Attention| | The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. |
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Sound Localization| | The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated. |
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Stamina| | The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. |
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Visual Color Discrimination| | The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness. |
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Time Sharing| | The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). |
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Deductive Reasoning| | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
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Perceptual Speed| | The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. |
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Speech Recognition| | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
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Speed of Closure| | The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. |
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Speed of Limb Movement| | The ability to quickly move the arms and legs. |
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Wrist-Finger Speed| | The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. |
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Arm-Hand Steadiness| | The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
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Finger Dexterity| | The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
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Hearing Sensitivity| | The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. |
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Inductive Reasoning| | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
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Memorization| | The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. |
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Flexibility of Closure| | The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. |
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Dynamic Flexibility| | The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs. |
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Glare Sensitivity| | The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting. |
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Fluency of Ideas| | The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). |
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Number Facility| | The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly. |
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Written Expression| | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. |
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Category Flexibility| | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
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Mathematical Reasoning| | The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. |
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Peripheral Vision| | The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead. |
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Originality| | The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. |
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Interests
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Realistic| | Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others. |
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Second Interest High-Point| | Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness |
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Conventional| | Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow. |
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Investigative| | Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally. |
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Enterprising| | Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business. |
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Artistic| | Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules. |
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Social| | Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others. |
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First Interest High-Point| | Primary-Rank Descriptiveness |
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Knowledge
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Mechanical| | Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
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Transportation| | Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits. |
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English Language| | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Mathematics| | Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Telecommunications| | Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems. |
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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. |
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Computers and Electronics| | Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. |
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Production and Processing| | Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
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Sociology and Anthropology| | Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins. |
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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. |
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Economics and Accounting| | Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data. |
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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. |
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Clerical| | Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. |
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Design| | Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Law and Government| | Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process. |
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Wages
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| North Carolina | $41,140.00 |
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Related Careers
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Crane & Tower Operators| | Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. |
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Hoist & Winch Operators| | Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment. |
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Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators| | Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location. |
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Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services| | Drive a truck or van with a capacity of under 26,000 GVW, primarily to deliver or pick up merchandise or to deliver packages within a specified area. May require use of automatic routing or location software. May load and unload truck. |
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Skills
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Operation and Control| | Controlling operations of equipment or systems. |
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Active Listening| | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
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Coordination| | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
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Repairing| | Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools. |
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Reading Comprehension| | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. |
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Speaking| | Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
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Equipment Maintenance| | Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed. |
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Equipment Selection| | Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. |
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Troubleshooting| | Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it. |
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Monitoring| | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
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Operation Monitoring| | Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. |
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Installation| | Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications. |
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Service Orientation| | Actively looking for ways to help people. |
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Quality Control Analysis| | Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
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Complex Problem Solving| | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. |
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Mathematics| | Using mathematics to solve problems. |
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Systems Evaluation| | Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system. |
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Judgment and Decision Making| | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
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Systems Analysis| | Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes. |
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Active Learning| | Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
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Learning Strategies| | Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. |
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Social Perceptiveness| | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
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Critical Thinking| | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
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Technology Design| | Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs. |
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Time Management| | Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
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Writing| | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. |
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Management of Material Resources| | Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. |
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Operations Analysis| | Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design. |
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Instructing| | Teaching others how to do something. |
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Negotiation| | Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences. |
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Persuasion| | Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. |
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Management of Personnel Resources| | Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. |
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Science| | Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. |
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Management of Financial Resources| | Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures. |
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Career Activities
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| Performing General Physical Activities |
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| climb ladders, scaffolding, or utility or telephone poles |
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| load/unload passenger luggage or cargo |
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| move or fit heavy objects |
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| Handling and Moving Objects |
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| set flares, flags, lanterns or torpedoes during emergency stops |
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| throw track switches to route cars |
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| Getting Information |
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| read switching order, train orders, or arrival or departure schedules |
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| Controlling Machines and Processes |
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| couple or uncouple railroad cars |
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| operate track switches |
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| use hand or power tools |
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| use two-way radio or mobile phone |
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| Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment |
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| repair railroad equipment or tracks |
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| service vehicle with water, fuel, or oil |
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| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates |
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| signal directions or warnings to coworkers |
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| Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material |
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| inspect railroad equipment |
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| Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings |
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| monitor railroad vehicle or equipment operation |
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| observe signal from other crewmembers |
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| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events |
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| understand railroad signals |
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| Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings |
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| watch for or relay traffic signals |
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| Performing for or Working Directly with the Public |
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| answer customer or public inquiries |
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| assist patrons or passengers to find seats |
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| collect payment |
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| provide personal services to passengers |
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| Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards |
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| perform safety inspections in transportation setting |
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| Processing Information |
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| verify ticket or pass |
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Career Needs
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Moral Values| | Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. |
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Supervision, Human Relations| | Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management. |
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Company Policies and Practices| | Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company. |
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Supervision, Technical| | Workers on this job have supervisors who train their workers well. |
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Security| | Workers on this job have steady employment. |
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Co-workers| | Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with. |
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Advancement| | Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement. |
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Activity| | Workers on this job are busy all the time. |
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Compensation| | Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers. |
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Working Conditions| | Workers on this job have good working conditions. |
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Achievement| | Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment. |
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Independence| | Workers on this job do their work alone. |
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Social Status| | Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community. |
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Social Service| | Workers on this job have work where they do things for other people. |
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Recognition| | Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do. |
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Variety| | Workers on this job have something different to do every day. |
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Ability Utilization| | Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities. |
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Autonomy| | Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision. |
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Authority| | Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others. |
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Responsibility| | Workers on this job make decisions on their own. |
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Creativity| | Workers on this job try out their own ideas. |
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Career Values
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Support| | Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
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Relationships| | Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |
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Working Conditions| | Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. |
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Recognition| | Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. |
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Achievement| | Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
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Independence| | Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. |
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