Skilled Trades
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
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.
Median salary
$67,370
Typical range
$46k – $85k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Entry / Junior
$45,720
~2 yrs to advance
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Established
$67,370
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Senior
$76,105
Key skills
A typical day
- •Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
- •Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
- •Weld sections of track together, such as switch points and frogs.
- •Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks.
- •Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.