Overview
Railway yard workers regulate yard traffic, couple and uncouple trains and perform related yard activities. Railway track maintenance workers operate machines and equipment to lay, maintain and repair railway tracks. They are employed by railway transport companies.
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Railway yard workers
Operate control panel switches from railway yard tower to set traffic signals and to activate train switches that regulate railway traffic in railway yards
Operate car retarders, turntables and track switches to align locomotives and cars as required for coupling, uncoupling or servicing
Switch cars according to instructions which indicate the location, disposition and number of cars
Lubricate moving parts of railway cars and locomotives.
Railway track maintenance workers
Operate machines and equipment such as sleeper sliders, anchors, rail lifters, drag drills, drag diggers, rail saws and tie-bar cranes to lay, maintain, repair, and align railway tracks, to transfer, spread, level and tamp ballast around ties and rails and to clear snow from tracks
Clean and make minor repairs to machines and equipment
Patrol assigned track sections to identify and report damaged or broken track
Perform other track maintenance duties as directed.