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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 (BLS)

$70,070

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$46k – $87k

Job outlook

+2% (about average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

    Entry / Junior

    $45,640

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

    Established

    $70,070

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

    Senior

    $78,745

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

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.