CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Summary Job Description Tasks
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. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators. Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
 
Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes.
 
Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
 
Lubricate machines, change oil, or fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels.
 
Dress and reshape worn or damaged railroad switch points or frogs, using portable power grinders.
 
Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
 
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.
 
Drill holes through rails, tie plates, or fishplates for insertion of bolts or spikes, using power drills.
 
Grind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders.
 
Operate track-wrench machines to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
 
Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks.
 
Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
 
Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
 
Clean or make minor repairs to machines or equipment.
 
Clean, grade, or level ballast on railroad tracks.
 
Drive graders, tamping machines, brooms, or ballast spreading machines to redistribute gravel or ballast between rails.
 
Operate single- or multiple-head spike pullers to pull old spikes from ties.
 
Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
 
Turn wheels of machines, using lever controls, to adjust guidelines for track alignments or grades, following specifications.
 
Spray ties, fishplates, or joints with oil to protect them from weathering.
 
Push controls to close grasping devices on track or rail sections so that they can be raised or moved.
 
String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled.
 
Operate tie-adzing machines to cut ties and permit insertion of fishplates that hold rails.
 
Paint railroad signs, such as speed limits or gate-crossing warnings.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Important Knowledge Competencies Competency Description
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 
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.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Important Skill Competencies Competency Description
Operation Monitoring Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
 
Operation and Control Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
 
Equipment Maintenance Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
 
Troubleshooting Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 
Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 
Equipment Selection Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
 
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 
Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Important Ability Competencies Competency Description
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.
 
Control Precision The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 there is a problem.
 
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.
 
Reaction Time The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
 
Static Strength The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
 
Far Vision The ability to see details at a distance.
 
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.
 
Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
 
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.
 
Visualization The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
 
Response Orientation The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
 
Speed of Limb Movement The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Rate Control The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
 
Dynamic Strength The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
 
Stamina The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
 
Visual Color Discrimination The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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).
 
Extent Flexibility The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
 
Gross Body Coordination The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
 
Auditory Attention The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
 
Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
 
Speed of Closure The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
 
Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
 
Gross Body Equilibrium The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
 
Glare Sensitivity The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting.
 
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Tools/Technology Example Product Category
Data entry software Data base user interface and query software
 
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software
 
Timekeeping software Time accounting software
 
Adjustable hand wrenches Adjustable wrenches
 
Air drills Pneumatic drill
 
Air purifying respirators Respirators
 
Air-powered wrenches Pneumatic impact wrenches
 
Backhoes Backhoes
 
Claw bars Pry bars
 
Crowbars Pry bars
 
Dollies Dollies
 
Dump trucks Dump trucks
 
Electric arc welders Welders
 
Fall protection harnesses Safety harnesses or belts
 
Forklifts Forklifts
 
Gas-powered wrenches Impact wrenches
 
Global positioning system GPS devices Global positioning system receivers
 
Grading equipment Graders
 
Grease guns Grease guns
 
Hand files Files
 
Handheld computers Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
 
Hard hats Hard hats
 
Hi-rail vehicles All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled
 
Hydraulic jacks Jacks
 
Jackhammers Pneumatic hammer
 
Laptop computers Notebook computers
 
Light pickup trucks Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
 
Oxyacetylene torches Blow torches
 
Pesticide sprayers Sprayers
 
Picks Picks
 
Pneumatic hammers Pneumatic hammer
 
Portable track loading fixtures Force or torque sensors
 
Power grinders Power grinders
 
Power washers Pressure or steam cleaners
 
Precision tape measures Measuring tapes
 
Protective ear plugs Ear plugs
 
Rail benders Pipe bending tools
 
Rail drills Power drills
 
Rail profile grinders Power grinders
 
Rail saws Power saws
 
Rail tongs Below the hook device
 
Rail-mounted cranes Bridge cranes
 
Safety glasses Safety glasses
 
Safety gloves Protective gloves
 
Shovels Shovels
 
Spike pullers Pullers
 
Tamping machines Tampers
 
Track chisels Cold chisels
 
Track-wrench machines Impact wrenches
 
Tracked bulldozers Track bulldozers
 
Vernier calipers Calipers
 
Weed cutters Hedge clippers
 
Welders Welders
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Prerequisite Qualification Category Education and Experience Level
Required Level of Education High School Diploma (or GED or High School Equivalence Certificate)
 
On-the-Job Training Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
 
Related Work Experience None
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
Alternate Job Title(s)
Ballast Cleaning Machine Operator
Bridge Welder
Emergency Service Restorer
Line and Signal Technician
Machine Operator
Maintenance of Way Foreman
Oil Distributor Tender
Portable Grinding Machine Operator
Rail Maintenance Worker
Rail Track Layer
Railroad Track Mechanic
Railway Equipment Operator
Section Crew Person
Section Gang
Section Hand
Section Laborer
Slab Lifting Supervisor
Special Equipment Operator
Stone Crusher Operator
Track Crew Member
Track Dresser
Track Equipment Operator (TEO)
Track Grinder Operator
Track Inspector
Track Laborer
Track Layer
Track Laying Equipment Operator
Track Laying Machine Operator
Track Machine Operator
Track Machine Operator Repairer
Track Maintainer
Track Man
Track Mechanic
Track Moving Machine Operator
Track Repair Person
Track Repair Worker
Track Repairer
Track Service Person
Track Service Worker
Track Supervisor
Track Surfacing Machine Operator
Track Walker
Track Welder
Track Worker
Trackman
Trackwalker
Way and Power Track Mechanic
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Transportation
Job Family: Railroad
Benchmark Title: Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
 
 
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