# Rail Car Repairers

> Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rail-car-repairers
- SOC code: 49-3043.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $67,530 (10th percentile $46,800, 90th percentile $95,100)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.6%
- Openings a year: 1,600
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 30 |
| Artistic (A) | 3 |
| Social (S) | 8 |
| Enterprising (E) | 3 |
| Conventional (C) | 48 |

## What you'd do

- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 81/100)
- Getting Information (importance 76/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 74/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 73/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 70/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 70/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 70/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 67/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 66/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 65/100)

## Skills

Repairing, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Production and Processing, Design, Administration and Management, Building and Construction, Engineering and Technology, Transportation, Mathematics, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service

## Also called

Air Brake Adjuster, Air Brake Man, Air Brake Mechanic, Air Brake Rigger, Air Brake Worker, Air Compressor Mechanic, Air Valve Mechanic, Air Valve Repairer, Brake Adjuster, Brake Liner

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4703) (CIP 4703, 305 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Dakota County Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dakota-county-technical-college-759) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $89,205 | not reported |
| [Bluegrass Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bluegrass-community-and-technical-college-273) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $80,389 | $88,996 | $10,500 |
| [Owensboro Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/owensboro-community-and-technical-college-2048) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $50,307 | $85,274 | $5,000 |
| [Itawamba Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/itawamba-community-college-1312) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $68,459 | $78,139 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $64,410 | $77,955 | $12,000 |
| [Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southcentral-kentucky-community-and-technical-college-2466) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $71,220 | $77,631 | $8,065 |
| [Elizabethtown Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/elizabethtown-community-and-technical-college-902) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $69,358 | $75,769 | $7,338 |
| [University of Arkansas at Monticello](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-arkansas-at-monticello-2870) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $75,310 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bus-and-truck-mechanics-and-diesel-engine-specialists): $61,770 median pay
- [Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics): $50,620 median pay
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics-except-engines): $65,510 median pay
- [Engine and Other Machine Assemblers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/engine-and-other-machine-assemblers): $53,710 median pay
- [Maintenance Workers, Machinery](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/maintenance-workers-machinery): $60,850 median pay
- [Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electric-motor-power-tool-and-related-repairers): $56,210 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.