Yardmasters are employed by railroad companies, where they provide various services related to the management and organization of the operations of the company’s stations. Typically, yardmasters are tasked with jobs like organizing the schedules of employees, managing trains’ arrivals and departures from a specific station, as well as ensuring that the traffic is adhered to in every situation and there are no mix-up on the station. Yardmasters may also oversee the construction of train compositions, ensuring it’s executed smoothly.
It’s not difficult to get hired as a yardmaster in terms of educational qualifications, as the job only requires a high school diploma. On the other hand, intricate knowledge of common railroad operations may be required, as well as a good overview of the operation of the particular station the yardmaster wants to be hired at. Yardmasters usually see good prospects for developing their careers, as the job offers access to various lucrative further positions.
Yardmasters are paid varied salaries for their jobs, in most cases going around $43,000 – $70,000 a year. A yardmaster would see some good bonuses attached to the job as well, such as healthcare and other benefits – though it’s not uncommon for yardmasters to be changed very frequently by the people in charge of a station, as the job market for the position is very saturated and there are always new candidates who’re better skilled and appropriately suited for the position in general.