Railway Car Technician

Railway car technicians may work on passenger cars, freight cars or both. In general, they:

• inspect rail cars coming into the rail yard to identify defects and determine the extent of wear and damage
• test air brakes before trains leave the rail yard
• repair or replace broken, defective or worn car components such as brake parts, wheels, bearings, pistons, gears and steel parts, ladders and doors
• record information about defects, repairs and time required for repairs.

Railway car technicians often make minor repairs in rail yards or on repair tracks. If major repairs are required, they send rail cars to repair shops. When cars come off rails, technicians work from repair trucks and use mobile cranes to rerail cars.

In rail repair shops, railway car technicians:

• perform scheduled maintenance and upgrade rail cars
• work from blueprints, shop sketches and instruction manuals to repair, fabricate and install steel or wood fittings
• repair and install parts such as air valves, bearings, air cylinders and piping
• use test gauges to test and adjust parts
• paint car exteriors and interiors.

Sometimes the cars in need of repair are not owned by the railway company that makes the repairs. When this occurs, technicians must do the paper or computer work required to invoice the other railway company for repair services.

Railway car technicians are required to work on top of and under equipment, often in confined areas. They work indoors in shops and outdoors in all weather conditions. The working environment often is noisy, dusty and dirty. Lifting up to 20 kilograms is required.

Since railway yards operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, technicians must work shifts. Some overtime work may be required. When cars come off tracks, technicians must travel to the site of the derailment. 

Railway car technicians need the following characteristics:

• an aptitude for mechanical work
• an aptitude for mathematics
• an interest in electrical work, welding and steel fabrication
• excellent manual dexterity
• good vision
• good hearing.

They should enjoy:

• using tools, equipment and machinery to perform tasks requiring precision
• having clear rules and organized methods for their work
• trouble shooting problems.

Railway car technicians are employed by railway companies and private railway car owners. Prospective apprentices are often recruited from among current employees.

Car technicians may advance to supervisory positions and later to management positions. It is possible for technicians to change employers but this occupation is unique to the rail industry and few railway car technicians transfer their skills to other industries.

Railway car technicians are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 7314: Railway Carmen/women. In Alberta, 90% of people employed in this classification work in the Transportation and Warehousing (PDF) industry.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Transportation and Warehousing industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Careers in Transportation website: www.transpocity.ca

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.