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Career Change Finder

Jobs for Former Locomotive Engineers

Locomotive Engineers build operation and control, operations monitoring and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation (82%).

Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers

Skills you enjoy

Pick the skills you want to keep using. The list re-ranks.

Sorted by skill match.

25 careers that use your skills

  1. 1Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation
    82%
    Median pay
    $92,100
    Pay change
    Not compared
    Pay for the broader BLS group “Transportation Inspectors”
    Extra educationNone
  2. 2Pile Driver Operators
    78%
    Median pay
    $73,300
    Pay change
    −10%
    Extra educationNone
  3. 3Gas Plant Operators
    78%
    Median pay
    $87,820
    Pay change
    +8%
    Extra educationNone
  4. 4Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
    77%
    Median pay
    $96,710
    Pay change
    +19%
    Extra educationNone
  5. 5Biomass Plant Technicians
    75%
    Median pay
    $102,040
    Pay change
    Not compared
    Pay for the broader BLS group “Power Plant Operators”
    Extra educationNone
  6. 6Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
    75%
    Median pay
    $70,070
    Pay change
    −14%
    Extra educationNone
  7. 7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
    74%
    Median pay
    $58,640
    Pay change
    −28%
    Extra educationNone
  8. 8Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
    74%
    Median pay
    $59,850
    Pay change
    −26%
    Extra educationNone
  9. 9Power Plant Operators
    73%
    Median pay
    $102,040
    Pay change
    +25%
    Extra educationNone
  10. 10Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
    73%
    Median pay
    $77,320
    Pay change
    −5%
    Extra educationNone

Compared with Locomotive Engineers, median $81,410. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.

Your transferable skills

How important each skill is in work as locomotive engineers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).

Operation and Control4.25
Operations Monitoring4.12
Judgment and Decision Making3.25
Complex Problem Solving3.00
Coordination3.00
Time Management3.00

Skills to learn

The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.

  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Repairing
  • Equipment Selection
  • Installation

Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.

Your top 3 moves, up close

A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.

Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation

82% skill match · $92,100 (broader BLS group)

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (58% of workers).
  • On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.

Skills to add

Equipment Maintenance · Quality Control Analysis · Repairing

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Long hours on your feet

Pile Driver Operators

78% skill match · $73,300 · −10% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (53% of workers).
  • On-the-job training: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.

Skills to add

Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Equipment Selection

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Tight deadlines are common

Gas Plant Operators

78% skill match · $87,820 · +8% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (58% of workers).
  • On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.

Skills to add

Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Equipment Selection

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Exposure to hazardous conditions

Similar roles in the same field

If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.

Free help near you

Former locomotive engineers can get free career counseling, job search help and, if you qualify, help paying for training through American Job Centers, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Find an American Job CenterFind training programs

Links go to CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Questions former locomotive engineers ask

What jobs can former locomotive engineers do?

The closest matches are Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation (82% skill match, median $92,100), Pile Driver Operators (78% skill match, median $73,300) and Gas Plant Operators (78% skill match, median $87,820), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.

Which locomotive engineer career changes pay more?

Among the 25 matches, 7 pay more than locomotive engineers at the median. The biggest increases: Commercial Pilots (+51%, $123,220), Ship Engineers (+35%, $109,530) and Power Plant Operators (+25%, $102,040).

Do former locomotive engineers need another degree?

19 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.

How is the skill match calculated?

We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.

Keep exploring

Sources. Skills, tasks and education: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Data Sources & Licenses