Locomotive engineer vs railroad operating engineer

The differences between locomotive engineers and railroad operating engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a locomotive engineer and a railroad operating engineer. Additionally, a locomotive engineer has an average salary of $55,268, which is higher than the $39,170 average annual salary of a railroad operating engineer.

The top three skills for a locomotive engineer include safety procedures, locomotives and FRA. The most important skills for a railroad operating engineer are track maintenance, switches, and hand signals.

Locomotive engineer vs railroad operating engineer overview

	Locomotive Engineer	Railroad Operating Engineer
Yearly salary	$55,268	$39,170
Hourly rate	$26.57	$18.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	1,005	12,132
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

Locomotive engineer vs railroad operating engineer salary

Locomotive engineers and railroad operating engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Locomotive Engineer	Railroad Operating Engineer
Average salary	$55,268	$39,170
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $76,000	Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between locomotive engineer and railroad operating engineer education

There are a few differences between a locomotive engineer and a railroad operating engineer in terms of educational background:

	Locomotive Engineer	Railroad Operating Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Locomotive engineer vs railroad operating engineer demographics

Here are the differences between locomotive engineers' and railroad operating engineers' demographics:

	Locomotive Engineer	Railroad Operating Engineer
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8%	Male, 98.1% Female, 1.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 1.9% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 14.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 1.9% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between locomotive engineer and railroad operating engineer duties and responsibilities

Locomotive engineer example responsibilities.

Receive verbal directions via radio or hand signals from conductors and brakemen and subsequently follow directions accordingly.
Marshal 90-car coal trains for transfer to CSX.
Qualify on GCOR and CSX signal and operating rules.
Evaluate train make-up to properly handle placement of HAZMAT materials.
Master all rules, signals, equipment, and physical characteristics including those of Conrail and Amtrak.
Couple and uncouple rail cars by operating controls such as throttles, airbrakes, switches, gates, and wheel chocks.

Railroad operating engineer example responsibilities.

Operate locomotives to transport freight.
Preform daily safety inspection of locomotive to ensure safe operations according to FRA and company policy.
Qualify on all NORAC rules and physical characteristics of the regional territory.

Locomotive engineer vs railroad operating engineer skills

Common locomotive engineer skills

Safety Procedures, 13%
Locomotives, 13%
FRA, 10%
Rail Cars, 6%
Conductors, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%

Common railroad operating engineer skills

Track Maintenance, 55%
Switches, 29%
Hand Signals, 10%
Rail Cars, 6%

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Locomotive Engineer vs Railroad Operating Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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