Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and road bed tamping machine operators.

Other names for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: Ballast Cleaning Machine Operator, Bridge Welder, Emergency Service Restorer, Line and Signal Technician, Machine Operator, Maintenance of Way Foreman, Oil Distributor Tender, Portable Grinding Machine Operator, Rail Maintenance Worker, Railroad Track Mechanic, Railway Equipment Operator, Section Crew Person, Section Gang, Section Hand, Section Laborer, Slab Lifting Supervisor, Special Equipment Operator, Stone Crusher Operator, Track Crew Member, Track Dresser, Track Equipment Operator (TEO), Track Grinder Operator, Track Inspector, Track Laborer, Track Layer, Track Laying Equipment Operator, Track Laying Machine Operator, Track Machine Operator, Track Machine Operator Repairer, Track Maintainer, Track Man, Track Mechanic, Track Moving Machine Operator, Track Repair Person, Track Repairer, Track Service Person, Track Supervisor, Track Surfacing Machine Operator, Track Walker, Track Welder, Track Worker, Trackman, Way and Power Track Mechanic,

• Clean tracks, and clear ice and snow from tracks and switch boxes.
• Repair and adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
• Lubricate machines, change oil, and fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels.
• Dress and reshape worn or damaged railroad switch points and frogs, using portable power grinders.
• Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
• Raise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement.
• Adjust controls of machines that spread, shape, raise, level, and align track, according to specifications.
• Drill holes through rails, tie plates, and fishplates for insertion of bolts and spikes, using power drills.
• Grind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders.
• Operate track-wrench machines to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
• Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks.
• Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
• Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
• Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
• Clean and make minor repairs to machines and equipment.
• Clean, grade, and level ballast on railroad tracks.
• Drive graders, tamping machines, brooms, and ballast cleaning/spreading machines to redistribute gravel and ballast between rails.
• Operate single- or multiple-head spike pullers to pull old spikes from ties.
• Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
• Turn wheels of machines, using lever controls, to adjust guidelines for track alignments and grades, following specifications.
• Spray ties, fishplates, and joints with oil to protect them from weathering.
• Push controls to close grasping devices on track or rail sections so that they can be raised or moved.
• String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled.
• Operate tie-adzing machines to cut ties and permit insertion of fishplates that hold rails.
• Paint railroad signs, such as speed limits and gate-crossing warnings.