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Skilled Trades

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Operate or monitor railroad track switches or locomotive instruments. May couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Watch for and relay traffic signals. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes. May watch for dragging equipment or obstacles on rights-of-way.

Median salary (BLS)

$68,840

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$46k – $87k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

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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 "Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers" — 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 Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

    Entry / Junior

    $45,660

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

    Established

    $68,840

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

    Senior

    $77,715

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers.
  • •Signal locomotive engineers to start or stop trains when coupling or uncoupling cars, using hand signals, lanterns, or radio communication.
  • •Pull or push track switches to reroute cars.
  • •Observe signals from other crew members so that work activities can be coordinated.
  • •Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes.

Fields of study

Any field

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