Occupation Profile

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Workers

(SOC Code : 47-4061)

in California

Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Include ballast cleaning machine operators and road bed tamping machine operators.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$23.14	$20.07	$22.74	$26.65

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Projections for this occupation in California are not available.

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation

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About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.

Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.

Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes.

Lubricate machines, change oil, or fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels.

Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.

Dress and reshape worn or damaged railroad switch points or frogs, using portable power grinders.

Raise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement.

Adjust controls of machines that spread, shape, raise, level, or align track, according to specifications.

Operate track-wrench machines to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.

Grind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

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.

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Data for Tasks not available.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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