Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC

Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.

Also called: Engineer, Railcar Switcher, Railroad Engineer, Switchman, Carman, Hostler, Rail Yard Engineer, Yard Engineer.

O*NET 53-4013.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $60,600; Middle half earn $52,780 to $80,360. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 83% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors.
Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation.
Apply and release hand brakes.
Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones.
Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
Inspect track for defects such as broken rails and switch malfunctions.
Observe water levels and oil, air, and steam pressure gauges to ensure proper operation of equipment.
Couple and uncouple air hoses and electrical connections between cars.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.6 / 5
Speaking3.5 / 5
Active Listening3.4 / 5
Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Transportation4.2 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.6 / 5
Administration and Management3.2 / 5
Mechanical3.1 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic96
Investigative17
Artistic0
Social13
Enterprising18
Conventional55

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

rail maintenance technician · DE Schieneninstandhaltungstechniker/Schieneninstandhaltungstechnikerin · FR technicien entretien infrastructure ferroviaire/technicienne entretien infrastructure ferroviaire
rail switchperson · DE Weichenwärter/Weichenwärterin · FR aiguilleur du réseau ferré/aiguilleuse du réseau ferré
shunter · DE Rangierer/Rangiererin · FR agent de manœuvre du réseau ferré/agente de manœuvre du réseau ferré

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
Rail transport operatives (8234)13,700 employed
Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants (2452)51,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.83. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-4013).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test