Train Driving Training
Train drivers, formally known as locomotive engineers, are tasked to operate locomotives that transport freight or passengers. Because this job requires a great deal of technical expertise, train engineers are required to receive both extensive hands-on training regarding locomotive operation and detailed classroom instruction concerning locomotive operation and safety principles.
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Required Knowledge
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To be able to drive a locomotive according to federal standards, aspiring locomotive engineers need to be thoroughly educated in all facets of train operation. They must be able to operate controls like air brakes and throttles. They have to know how to monitor instrumentation measuring vital variables like air pressure, amperage, battery charge and speed. They need to be able to evaluate the condition of their train sets before, during and after transit, and have to constantly communicate with conductors and other officials. Lastly, engineers have to know how to deal with emergency situations promptly.
Conductor Training
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that rail transportation workers seeking employment as locomotive engineers are generally required to train as rail conductors before proceeding to the more complex engineering training. Conductors can either be trained by their employers or may be required to complete formal rail conductor training programs offered at various schools or other institutions. For instance, Dakota County Technical College offers a full-time, seven-week certificate course in railroad conductor technology at its campus in Rosemount, Minnesota.
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Hands-On Instruction
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Because of the hands-on nature of the job, would-be locomotive engineers need to attend focused training that provides either on-the-job experience or extensive simulator instruction. They can either get this training by working with railroads or shipping companies or by taking up specially designed courses. For instance, the National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS), as part of its locomotive engineer course, employs special simulation equipment like locomotive electrical-system and block-signal simulators to replicate the actual operation of locomotives.
Classroom Instruction
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Classroom instruction is also part and parcel of a formal locomotive engineer training program. It focuses on instructing students in such necessary areas as general operating principles, general rules and regulations on how to operate trains, and safety principles. Training programs such as the engineer program offered by Modoc Railroad Academy in Pleasant Grove, California, provide the in-depth classroom instruction trainees need to become fully trained and certified.
Re-Qualification Training
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The exacting nature of locomotive operation and the strict federal laws regulating it require even those who have successfully gained licensure and certification to be re-qualified frequently. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations states that locomotive engineers need to be re-qualified every two or three years. During this process, candidates for re-qualification are informed of any changes to locomotive-operation rules and regulations, taught skills that are vital to the operation of any new technologies and tested regarding these new competencies.
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- Photo Credit train car sitting on train tracks image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
