Signal Systems Training
Can't decide between electrical and mechanical work? Do both.
The career: Railroad Signalman
Signalmen install, test and repair signal systems to control train movements and highway/rail grade crossing warning systems, assuring compliance with Federal Railroad Administration requirements.
What else do I need to know about being a signalman?
Adjust a power-operated switch machine. Repair a broken crossing gate. Download vital data from wayside signals. Replace a data radio. Multiply these activities by hundreds of wayside signals, Grade Crossing Warning Systems including train motion detection systems, hot bearing detectors and track circuits placed over several hundred miles, and you've got the domain of the signal systems technician, commonly known as a signalman.
On any given day, signal systems control thousands of trains traveling the nation's rails, moving across town or across the country. In addition to controlling train movement, Signalmen ensure the safety of railroad personnel and the public.
Signalmen are responsible for...
- Installing underground cables and signal appliances
- Testing signal equipment and devices in accordance with federal regulations
- Working with heavy equipment - backhoes and boom trucks
- Troubleshooting many types of signal and train control systems
- Test and government reports
As part of their job, signalmen...
- Acquire track protection from dispatchers and control operators
- Plan and schedule daily tasks
- Perform general mechanic work
- Operate power tools
- Inspect for federal compliance
- Operate all types of computer systems
- Obtain a commercial drivers license
What will I learn at NARS?
You take four courses in our classrooms, laboratories and field locations during the six-week program on the campus of Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, a suburb of Kansas City.
You will be instructed in all the work skills required for work as a signalman, including solid knowledge of electricity and electronics, microprocessors and computers.
Signal systems students train on the same signals, electronic switches and computer equipment they will install and service in the field. Training is conducted using traffic control, grade crossing, automotive block signal and automatic inter-locking simulators. There are also track circuit and train motion simulators.
What are the results at the end of the program?
Successful completion of the Signal Systems Training Program qualifies you for entry-level signalmen positions with most railroads. You will receive a certificate of completion and you will also have 16 hours of college credit, giving you a great start on an Applied Associate of Science (AAS) degree. You will also be a top candidate for employment in the railroad industry.
Is this the right career for me?
- I enjoy using computers.
- I enjoy working on both electrical and mechanical components.
- I want to learn to operate heavy equipment.
- I like being outside.