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Date: 04/18/2025

Rail Car Repairers

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Examine car roofs for wear and damage, and repair defective sections, using roofing material, cement, nails, and waterproof paint.
    • Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
    • Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation.
    • Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
    • Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
    • Test electrical systems of cars by operating systems and using testing equipment such as ammeters.
    • Paint car exteriors, interiors, and fixtures.
    • Disassemble units such as water pumps, control valves, and compressors so that repairs can be made.
    • Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.
    • Align car sides for installation of car ends and crossties, using width gauges, turnbuckles, and wrenches.
    • Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
    • Install and repair interior flooring, fixtures, walls, plumbing, steps, and platforms.
    • Install and repair interior flooring, fixtures, walls, plumbing, steps, and platforms.
    • Repair window sash frames, attach weather stripping and channels to frames, and replace window glass, using hand tools.
    • Repair window sash frames, attach weather stripping and channels to frames, and replace window glass, using hand tools.
    • Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
    • Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
    • Test units for operability before and after repairs.
    • Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components.
    • Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
    • Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
    • Measure diameters of axle wheel seats, using micrometers, and mark dimensions on axles so that wheels can be bored to specified dimensions.
    • Repair and maintain electrical and electronic controls for propulsion and braking systems.
    • Examine car roofs for wear and damage, and repair defective sections, using roofing material, cement, nails, and waterproof paint.
    • Replace defective wiring and insulation, and tighten electrical connections, using hand tools.
    • Repair car upholstery.
    • Repair window sash frames, attach weather stripping and channels to frames, and replace window glass, using hand tools.
    • Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components.

    Skills

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    3

    Abilities

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • 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.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • 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.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 54660/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 26.28/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 370
    • Yearly Projected Openings 30

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Attention to Detail
    • Independence
    • Innovation
    • Cooperation

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Automatic lathe or chucking machine
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Bearing fitting tool kits
    • Blow torch
    • Brake tester
    • Claw hammer
    • Cleaning scrapers
    • Cold chisels
    • Combination wrenches
    • Diagonal cut pliers
    • Forklifts
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Jacks
    • Jib crane
    • Levels
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Railway lift table for engine and component
    • Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicle
    • Railway rolling stock lifting jack
    • Safety glasses
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Socket attachments and accessories
    • Sockets
    • Squares
    • Tablet computers
    • Tape measures
    • Torque wrenches
    • Tractor mounted crane
    • Train braking systems
    • Two way radios
    • Wheel alignment equipment
    • Wheel balancing equipment

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Compiler and decompiler software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Internet browser software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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