Bridge and Lock Tenders vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: $58K vs $69K Median Pay

Bridge and Lock Tenders vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: what changes?

Consider Bridge and Lock Tenders if you want to operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. Consider Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers if you would rather operate or monitor railroad track switches or locomotive instruments. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Bridge and Lock Tenders and Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Bridge and Lock Tenders

National median pay (2025): $57,700
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 300

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 2.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Bridge and Lock Tenders brief

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

National median pay (2025): $68,840
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 900

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.8%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers brief

How the national numbers differ

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on median pay

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers is at $68,840, compared with $57,700 for Bridge and Lock Tenders.

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on annual openings

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers is at 900 annual openings, compared with 300 annual openings for Bridge and Lock Tenders.

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on projected growth

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers is at 0.8% projected growth, compared with -2.3% projected growth for Bridge and Lock Tenders.

31.3/ 100

Bridge and Lock Tenders

43.2/ 100

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Bridge and Lock Tenders vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Dimension	Bridge and Lock Tenders	Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Median pay (2025)	$57,700	$68,840
Pay percentile	43.3 percentile	60.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-2.3%	0.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	300	900
2025 employment	3,100	10,700
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Bridge and Lock Tenders brief Read Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers brief

Bridge and Lock Tenders vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Bridge and Lock Tenders

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

How the national numbers differ

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on median pay

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on annual openings

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers has the edge on projected growth

Bridge and Lock Tenders vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

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