I
have a son who works as a train engineer for a major railroad
company. As a result, I am interested in his career and how he might
work his way up the corporate hierarchy. Strangely, I had a hard time
finding clear cut descriptions of the career path for railroad
workers.
The
following is my best attempt at sifting through the various resources
posted on the web by railroad companies, government agencies, and
individuals working in the passenger and freight rail transportation
industry across the U.S.
Corporate
Management
At
the top of most railroad companies are the typical range of
management, analysts, and administrative support positions one
typically associates with most organizations. You have the President
of the company and the Board of Directors. Below them are the various
Vice-Presidents and/or Directors for Operations, Finance, Human
Resources, Labor Relations, Information Technology, Marketing, Public
Affairs, Legal Services, and Supply.
Passenger
Train - Operations & Personnel
Managers,
supervisors, and employees working in positions specifically related
to passenger trains and services in the U.S. include:
Station
Masters and/or Depot Agent
Passenger
Management Director
Locomotive
Engineers
Conductors
Car
Attendants - Porters & Stewards
Cooks
& Pantry Chefs
Ticket
Clerks
Baggage
Clerks
Railroad
Postal Clerks
Freight
Train - Operations & Personnel
Rail
transportation in the U.S. consists primarily of freight trains and
shipments. The managers, supervisors, and employees working in
positions specifically related to freight train operations and
maintenance include:
Train
Crews - Primarily consist of the following positions:
Locomotive
Engineer
Conductor
Brakeman
The
Conductor is responsible for the train, the freight and the crew. The
Locomotive Engineer is responsible for operating the train
locomotives. In addition, some trains still carry Brakemen.
| The Road
Foreman supervises engineers. Trainmasters
supervise conductors, brakemen and other train crew. There is some
overlap in their responsibilities. |
Train
Crew employees
are usually
assigned to a specific hub and this will dictate the geographic
region in which they
will work. They
may be required to travel to or be assigned work at any location
within that hub. Assignments within the hub are based on seniority.
Mechanical
Department
-
Responsible
for maintaining
and repairing
the fleet of
locomotives and freight cars. Employees
in this department include:
Engineering
Department - Responsible
for building and maintaining railroad infrastructure, e.g. track,
roadways, signals, bridges and buildings.
Engineering
Manager
Mechanical
&
Electrical Systems
Manager
Signal
Installation
& Repair Person
Bridge
&
Building
Carpenters
Work
Equipment Mechanic
Track
Laborer
Railroad
Yard Management -
Personnel
working in this area include:
| The
Yardmaster
is in charge of the rail
yard. They manage and coordinate all activities in combining
rolling stocks into trains, breaking down trains into individual
railroad cars, and switching trains from track-to-track within
the rail yard. |
Dispatching Center
Personnel - Personnel working
in this area include:
Engineering,
Construction
&
Survey
Personnel -
These
positions may include:
Civil
Engineer
Surveyors
& Rodmen
Graders
& Track
Layer
Flagman
Rail Inspection &
Maintenance-of-Way
Section
Foreman
Road
Foreman
Bridge
Inspector
Track
Inspector
Signal
Maintainer
- Trackman
or Platelayer
Telecommunications
-
Responsible
for the
railroads
state-of-the-art
information
and communication technology
(ICT)
systems.
Systems
Analysts
System
Technicians
Finally, to further
complicate the picture, many traditional railroad job titles are
currently in the process of being changed. For example:
- Some Trainmaster
and Road Foreman positions are being changed to Road Managers
- Dispatchers are
now often called Rail Traffic Controllers
- Roadmasters are
becoming Track Maintenance Supervisors
- Division
Superintendents may now be Operations Service Area Managers
Looking
over the material I collected about railroad positions, trying to
chart a long range personal career path from an entry level
position up the ladder to a senior management position is apparently
going to be a real challenge for anyone. It would be interesting to
see how many conductors have made their way up through the ranks to
Vice-President or a similar senior management position. For many
hourly wage workers, an alternative career path may lie in working
your way up the union hierarchy.
