Railway Operations Crewmember (88U)
- Enlisted
- Active Duty
- Army Reserve
Transporting ammunition and supplies to Army ports for deployment overseas is absolutely vital to our national defense. Members of the Army railway team, such as the Railway Operations Crewmember, play an integral role in the operation and maintenance of the Army’s railway operating battalions.
Railway Operations Crewmembers are primarily responsible for supervising and operating diesel-electric locomotives and related equipment. They also serve as a crewmember or brakeman in the makeup and movement of railway cars/trains. Some of your duties as a Railway Operations Crewmember may include:
- Interpreting train orders
- Executing instructions received from signal towers, switches, other trains and trainmen
- Signaling with fuses, hands, flags, lamps and engine whistles
- Performing car coupling and uncoupling operations
- Inspecting cars at route stops
- Adjusting lashing and bracing to assure safe hauling of cargo
- Advising dispatchers of arrival and departure times for all passing trains
- Compiling records of locations of all rolling stock
- Performing lubrication orders on railway cars and making minor running repairs
- Sealing cars and recording seal numbers
Training:
Job training for a Railway Operations Crewmember consists of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you’ll learn basic Soldiering skills, and five weeks of Advanced Individual Training. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field.
Advanced Responsibilities:
Advanced level Railway Operations Crewmembers supervise and train other Soldiers. As an advanced level Railway Operations Crewmember, you may be involved in:
- Operating the locomotive’s controls and safety appliances
- Observing, interpreting and executing instructions received from signal towers, switches, other trains and trainmen
- Coordinating train movements
- Complying with operating timetable, rulebook and other specific instructions
- Receiving requisitions for empty cars and authorizing movement to locations for loading
- Compiling performance and delay reports for each trip and turning in locomotive inspection reports showing equipment defects
