How To Become A Railroad Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a railroad mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a railroad mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.78 an hour? That's $45,304 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 17,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRailroad MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,304

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.68%

Asian 1.59%

Black or African American 3.79%

Hispanic or Latino 11.53%

Unknown 3.68%

White 78.73%

Gender

female 0.00%

male 100.00%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a railroad mechanic

Explore railroad mechanic education requirements

Most common railroad mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

50.0 %

Master's

10.0 %

Certificate

10.0 %

Start to develop specific railroad mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Mechanical Equipment	92.96%
Mechanical Repairs	7.04%

Complete relevant railroad mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New railroad mechanics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a railroad mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real railroad mechanic resumes.

Research railroad mechanic duties and responsibilities

Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.
Document repairs, modifications and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements on both paper and in an automate maintenance information database.

Prepare your railroad mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your railroad mechanic resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a railroad mechanic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable railroad mechanic resume templates

Build a professional railroad mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your railroad mechanic resume.