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Career Change Finder

Jobs for Former Rail Car Repairers

Rail Car Repairers build troubleshooting, repairing and equipment maintenance 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 Maintenance Workers, Machinery (86%).

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. 1Maintenance Workers, Machinery
    86%
    Median pay
    $60,850
    Pay change
    −10%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  2. 2Millwrights
    85%
    Median pay
    $65,700
    Pay change
    −3%
    Extra educationNone
  3. 3Industrial Machinery Mechanics
    83%
    Median pay
    $64,520
    Pay change
    −4%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  4. 4Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
    83%
    Median pay
    $53,710
    Pay change
    −20%
    Extra educationNone
  5. 5Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
    82%
    Median pay
    $65,380
    Pay change
    −3%
    Extra educationNone
  6. 6Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
    81%
    Median pay
    $70,070
    Pay change
    +4%
    Extra educationNone
  7. 7Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
    80%
    Median pay
    $74,340
    Pay change
    +10%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  8. 8Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
    80%
    Median pay
    $63,800
    Pay change
    −6%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  9. 9Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
    80%
    Median pay
    $56,210
    Pay change
    −17%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  10. 10Pile Driver Operators
    79%
    Median pay
    $73,300
    Pay change
    +9%
    Extra educationNone

Compared with Rail Car Repairers, median $67,530. 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 rail car repairers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).

Troubleshooting4.00
Repairing4.00
Equipment Maintenance3.75
Operations Monitoring3.25
Quality Control Analysis3.25
Operation and Control3.12

Skills to learn

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

  • Programming
  • Operation and Control
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Complex Problem Solving

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.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery

86% skill match · $60,850 · −10% pay

First step

  • Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate (54% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 3 months, up to and including 6 months.

Skills to add

Programming · Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring

Is this right for you?

  • Long hours on your feet
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Exposure to hazardous conditions

Millwrights

85% skill match · $65,700 · −3% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (46% of workers).
  • A certification can help.
  • On-the-job training: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.

Skills to add

Installation · Negotiation · Programming

Is this right for you?

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

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

83% skill match · $64,520 · −4% pay

First step

  • Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate (47% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.

Skills to add

Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring · Programming

Is this right for you?

  • Long hours on your feet
  • Tight deadlines are common

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 rail car repairers 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 rail car repairers ask

What jobs can former rail car repairers do?

The closest matches are Maintenance Workers, Machinery (86% skill match, median $60,850), Millwrights (85% skill match, median $65,700) and Industrial Machinery Mechanics (83% skill match, median $64,520), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.

Which rail car repairer career changes pay more?

Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than rail car repairers at the median. The biggest increases: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+63%, $109,910), Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers (+41%, $95,320) and Signal and Track Switch Repairers (+37%, $92,460).

Do former rail car repairers need another degree?

15 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