Will “Railway Switch Operator” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Inspect tracks, cars, and engines for defects and to determine service needs, sending engines and cars for repairs as necessary.

• Signal locomotive engineers to start or stop trains when coupling or uncoupling cars, using hand signals, lanterns, or radio communication.

• Connect air hoses to cars, using wrenches.

• Check to see that trains are equipped with supplies such as fuel, water, and sand.

• Refuel and lubricate engines.

• Operate and drive locomotives, diesel switch engines, dinkey engines, flatcars, and railcars in train yards and at industrial sites.

• Provide passengers with assistance entering and exiting trains.

• Climb ladders to tops of cars to set brakes.

• Conduct brake tests to determine the condition of brakes on trains.

• Ride atop cars that have been shunted, and turn handwheels to control speeds or stop cars at specified positions.

• Pull or push track switches to reroute cars.

• Signal other workers to set brakes and to throw track switches when switching cars from trains to way stations.

• Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.

• Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently.

• Make minor repairs to couplings, air hoses, and journal boxes, using hand tools.

• Operate locomotives in emergency situations.

• Receive oral or written instructions from yardmasters or yard conductors indicating track assignments and cars to be switched.

• Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes.

• Observe tracks from left sides of locomotives to detect obstructions on tracks.

• Observe signals from other crew members so that work activities can be coordinated.

• Raise levers to couple and uncouple cars for makeup and breakup of trains.

• Inspect locomotives to detect damaged or worn parts.

• Start diesel engines to warm engines before runs.

• Inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and handbrakes to ensure that they are securely fastened and functioning properly.

• Set flares, flags, lanterns, or torpedoes in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops to warn oncoming trains.

• Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers.