Train Conductor Career

*A job as a Train Conductor falls under the broader career category of Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title.

Job Description for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters : Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location. Conductors coordinate activities of train crew on passenger or freight trains. Yardmasters review train schedules and switching orders and coordinate activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations, such as the makeup or breakup of trains and yard switching.


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Railroad Conductors and Yardmaster Career

What skills are required for Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters?

Importance Skills
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

What knowledge is needed to be a Railroad Conductors and Yardmaster?

Importance Knowledge
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.