Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: $81K vs $69K Median Pay

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: what changes?

Consider Locomotive Engineers if you want to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. 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. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Locomotive Engineers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Locomotive Engineers 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

Locomotive Engineers

National median pay (2025): $81,410
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; 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: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
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: Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Locomotive Engineers 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

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Locomotive Engineers is at 2,000 annual openings, compared with 900 annual openings for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

Locomotive Engineers is at $81,410, compared with $68,840 for Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers.

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 0.5% projected growth for Locomotive Engineers.

51.4/ 100

Locomotive Engineers

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

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Dimension	Locomotive Engineers	Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Median pay (2025)	$81,410	$68,840
Pay percentile	74 percentile	60.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.5%	0.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,000	900
2025 employment	27,400	10,700
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months 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	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months 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 Locomotive Engineers brief Read Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers brief

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Locomotive Engineers

Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

How the national numbers differ

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Locomotive Engineers has the edge on median pay

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

Locomotive Engineers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

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