Trainmaster - Kalamazoo, MI
WatcoJobsCloseBy Editorial Insights
Watco in Kalamazoo, MI is hiring a Trainmaster to supervise and coordinate train crews engaged in switching railroad cars within rail yards and facilities, facilitating loading, unloading, and making trains safely and efficiently. This full-time onsite role includes paid on-the-job training, development through Watco University and the Safe Performance Center, and a culture recognized by Forbes and Newsweek with strong benefits. Core duties: supervise crews, relay switching orders clearly, organize changes via systems and reports, ensure accurate daily train lists, investigate incidents, monitor costs and locomotive requirements, and uphold FRA regulations and safety rules. Qualifications: pass all required testing and hold a current locomotive engineer and conductor certification; must be 18+, HS diploma or GED. Apply on Watco’s careers site, tailoring your resume to show leadership, safety focus, and training ability, and emphasize adaptability to a dynamic environment.
Start a Watco Career and Discover the Difference
Keep the world's supply chain moving. That's what the Watco team does every day at our short line railroads, switching sites, terminals, ports, and logistics hubs. Whether you're at one of these locations or in a support-services role, there's one thread that ties everyone together. We're all or the same team. One Watco.
Here's what you can expect from Watco:
• Outstanding culture recognized by Forbes and Newsweek
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Paid on-the-job training with peer trainers
• Training for conductors, engineers, mechanics, and MOW Team Members at Watco's Safe Performance Center
• Leadership and development programs offered through Watco University
• Career advancement opportunities
Job Summary
Supervises and coordinates activities of train crew engaged in switching railroad cars within rail yard, industrial plant, or similar locations. Facilitate loading and unloading of cars, making, and breaking trains, and switching cars for customers in a safe and efficient manner.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Supervises and coordinates train crews.
• Communicates switching orders to train crews focusing on safety and efficiency.
• Utilize various systems and reports to organize and communicate customer changes to cars.
• Ensure daily train lists are executed accurately and timely by train crews.
• Investigate and provide accurate reports for any incidents or accidents.
• Understand factors to contributing costs and overall profitability of location.
• Understand locomotive requirements based on horsepower and trailing tons and control efficiency of fuel costs.
• Knowledgeable of FRA regulations for railroad industry.
• Ability to comprehend written safety rules, procedures and safety manuals, government regulations, operating and maintenance instructions and other work-related information.
• Ability to comprehend and communicate instructions in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.
• Able to adapt to constant changing environment and utilize common sense and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to train switch crews and other personnel on job-related duties; and provide training related to federal and company regulations, rules, and safety guidelines.
• Ability to pass training and required testing
• Performs other duties as requested or required.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
- Must be able to pass and or obtain all reporting, testing, and certifications as required for this position.
- Must hold and continue to hold, a current locomotive engineers and conductor’s certification.