Railroad operating engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical railroad operating engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for railroad operating engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 55.2% of railroad operating engineer resumes contained track maintenance as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a railroad operating engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

4 railroad operating engineer skills for your resume and career

1. Track Maintenance

Here's how railroad operating engineers use track maintenance:

Truck, boxcar and track maintenance.

2. Switches

Here's how railroad operating engineers use switches:

Monitor track switches to ensure proper alignment and align switches to different tracks if necessary.
Operate track switches and derails to change routing of engines or cars within yards or on the road.

3. Hand Signals

Hand signals are signs made using the hands to indicate or communicate certain instructions to anyone when audio communication won't be possible. Hand signals are used to flag down cabs, gesture at people from a distance, teach the deaf, and wave at someone. All these are in cases where voicing out the instructions won't be audible on the end of the receiver.

Here's how railroad operating engineers use hand signals:

Demonstrated a complete knowledge of signals for train movement including hand signals within yard switching operations and signals governing mainline movement.
Signaled engineers to begin train runs, stopped trains, or changed speeds, using telecommunications equipment and hand signals.

4. Rail Cars

Rail Cars, also called railroad cars, are large containers set on a railway and pulled by a locomotive. Rail cars are frequently used for shipping large quantities of product or material, such as metal, chemicals, or livestock; however, a rail car may also transport people such as a subway system. A locomotive often pulls numerous cars that attach to each other, which then form a train.

Here's how railroad operating engineers use rail cars:

Operated Hydraulic Crane Operated Railroad Engine Performed Pre/Post trip inspections Distributed Rail cars to the melt shop
Shuttle wagon Engineers operate a shuttle wagon to shift rail cars as needed within the terminal safely at restricted speed.

What skills help Railroad Operating Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of railroad operating engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a railroad operating engineer resume and required skills for a railroad operating engineer to have include:

Track Maintenance
Switches

Hand Signals
Rail Cars

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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