Also called: Diesel-Electric Locomotive Technician, Machinist (Railroad)
Repairs and maintains the giant diesel-electric locomotives that pull trains.
You climb inside a 4,400-horsepower locomotive to replace a traction motor or troubleshoot an electrical fault with a laptop. Locomotive shops are huge and loud, and the parts are enormous.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Diesel or electrical technology training plus railroad apprenticeship.
Ways in: Trade school, Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Diesel Technology, Industrial Electrical Technology.
Growing slowly. Steady.
Low risk for 10 years. Remote locomotive data flags problems; repairing diesel-electric giants by hand stays human.
Classes: Diesel or auto tech CTE, Electrical CTE, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-3031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.