Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler Drive switching or other locomotive or dinkey engines within railroad yard, industrial plant, quarry, construction project, or similar location.
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler is Also Know as
In different settings, Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler is titled as
- Carman
- Engineer
- Hostler
- Rail Yard Engineer
- Railcar Switcher
- Railroad Engineer
- Switchman
- Yard Engineer
Education and Training of Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education Required for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Degrees Related to Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
- Bachelor in Railroad and Railway Transportation
- Associate Degree Courses in Railroad and Railway Transportation
- Masters Degree Courses in Railroad and Railway Transportation
Training Required for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler in different industries are
- Locomotive Engineers
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
- Hoist and Winch Operators
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
- Ship Engineers
- Crane and Tower Operators
- Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation
- Rail Car Repairers
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Signal and Track Switch Repairers
- Subway and Streetcar Operators
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
What Do Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler do?
- Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
- Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones.
- Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors.
- Drive engines within railroad yards or other establishments to couple, uncouple, or switch railroad cars.
- Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation.
- Apply and release hand brakes.
- Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors.
- Inspect the condition of stationary trains, rolling stock, and equipment.
- Observe water levels and oil, air, and steam pressure gauges to ensure proper operation of equipment.
- Spot cars for loading and unloading at customer locations.
- Inspect track for defects such as broken rails and switch malfunctions.
- Ride on moving cars by holding onto grab irons and standing on ladder steps.
- Operate track switches, derails, automatic switches, and retarders to change routing of train or cars.
- Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel.
- Couple and uncouple air hoses and electrical connections between cars.
- Report arrival and departure times, train delays, work order completion, and time on duty.
- Pull knuckles to open them for coupling.
- Provide assistance in aligning drawbars, using available equipment to lift, pull, or push on the drawbars.
- Drive locomotives to and from various stations in roundhouses to have locomotives cleaned, serviced, repaired, or supplied.
- Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.
- Perform routine repair and maintenance duties.
- Operate and control dinkey engines to transport and shunt cars at industrial or mine sites.
- Operate flatcars equipped with derricks or railcars to transport personnel or equipment.
- Provide assistance in the installation or repair of rails and ties.
- Operate switching diesel engines to switch railroad cars, using remote controls.
Qualities of Good Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Tools Used by Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
- Air brake hoses
- Air pressure gauges
- Automatic switches
- Backout punches
- Bumping posts
- Cab signals
- Capstan car pullers
- Car-mounted derricks
- Color light signals
- Diagonal cut pliers
- Dinkey engines
- Flat cold chisels
- Hand brakes
- Hand wheels
- Handheld sprayers
- Hard hats
- Hearing protection plugs
- Hinged derailers
- Hopper gate openers
- Hot bearing detectors
- Lanterns
- Locking ratchet wrenches
- Mobile radios
- Multipurpose hammers
- Oil pressure gauges
- Personal computers
- Portable derailers
- Position signals
- Protective glasses
- Punch sets
- Rail car stops
- Rail chocks
- Rail skids
- Railcar stabilizing jacks
- Rerailers
- Retarders
- Signal flags
- Signal flares
- Sliding derailers
- Socket wrench sets
- Steam pressure gauges
- Steel-toed boots
- Switching diesel engines
- Switching locomotives
- Tank car dome socket wrenches
- Track switches
- Utility knives
- Water pressure gauges
- Winch car pullers
- Wire cleaning brushes
- Wrench sets
Technology Skills required for Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostler
- Positive train control PTC systems
- Railcar inspection management software
- RailComm DocYard
- Railyard inventory software
- Railyard management software RMS
- Softrail AEI Automatic Yard Tracking System
- Softrail AEI Rail & Road Manager
- Web browser software