Careers > Signal and Track Switch Repairers

Signal and Track Switch Repairers

$81.3K Median Salary 700 Job Openings (Annual Projection) 6.1% Job Growth

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About This Career

Install, inspect, test, maintain, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, signal equipment, track switches, section lines, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system.

Reported Job Titles

Railroad Signal Maintainer, Signal and Communications Maintainer, Signal Inspector, Signal Maintainer, Signal Maintenance Technician, Signal System Testing Maintainer, Signal Technician, Signalman, Train Control Electronic Technician, Train Control Technician

Career data shown for:

Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Arm-Hand Steadiness

Control Precision

Problem Sensitivity

Finger Dexterity

Flexibility of Closure

Manual Dexterity

Visual Color Discrimination

Visualization

Far Vision

Multilimb Coordination

Deductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

Near Vision

Reaction Time

Information Ordering

Perceptual Speed

Auditory Attention

Depth Perception

Hearing Sensitivity

Oral Comprehension

Oral Expression

Selective Attention

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Trunk Strength

Knowledge

Mechanical

Transportation

English Language

Public Safety and Security

Engineering and Technology

Telecommunications

Computers and Electronics

Skills

Troubleshooting

Equipment Maintenance

Repairing

Quality Control Analysis

Critical Thinking

Operations Monitoring

Equipment Selection

Complex Problem Solving

Operation and Control

Active Listening

Judgment and Decision Making

Time Management

Technology Skills

Presentation software

Electronic mail software

Industrial control software

Spreadsheet software

Facilities management software

Office suite software

Word processing software

Internet browser software

Tools

Voltage or current meters

Audio spectrum analyzer

Ammeters

Screwdrivers

Rail switching systems

Hammers

Closed circuit television CCTV system

Passive infrared sensor

Rail joint gap gauge

Relay tester

Frequency analyzers

Stop watch

Notebook computers

Forklifts

Articulating boom lift

Inkjet printers

Digital cameras

Lifts

Specialty wrenches

Inkjet fax machine

Adjustable wrenches

Brush cutter

Crimping pliers

Megohmmeters

Oscilloscopes

Power drills

Shovels

Power grinders

Slip joint pliers

Personal computers

Abilities

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.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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 that there is a problem.
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.
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.
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.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
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.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
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).
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.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
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.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
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.

Knowledge

Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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.
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.
Telecommunications: Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
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.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Technology Skills

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Industrial control software: Industrial Scientific iNET; QuestSuite Professional
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Facilities management software: Maintenance management software
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Internet browser software: Web browser software

Tools

Voltage or current meters: Digital voltmeters DVM
Audio spectrum analyzer: Audio spectrum analyzers
Ammeters:
Screwdrivers: Mini screwdriver sets
Rail switching systems: Switching system controls
Hammers:
Closed circuit television CCTV system: Closed circuit televisions
Passive infrared sensor: Hotbox detectors
Rail joint gap gauge: Switch obstruction gauges
Relay tester: Relay test sets
Frequency analyzers: Spectrum analyzers
Stop watch: Digital stopwatches
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Forklifts:
Articulating boom lift: Cherry pickers
Inkjet printers: Poster printers
Digital cameras:
Lifts: Power lifts
Specialty wrenches: Oil filter wrenches
Inkjet fax machine: Inkjet facsimile machines
Adjustable wrenches: Adjustable hand wrenches
Brush cutter: Brush hooks
Crimping pliers: Hand crimp tools
Megohmmeters: Meggers
Oscilloscopes: Sampling oscilloscopes
Power drills: Hand drills
Shovels: Snow shovels
Power grinders: Underwater power grinders
Slip joint pliers:
Personal computers:

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