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An engineer or sometimes the conductor drives the train

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Wiki User

11y ago
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Wiki User

8y ago

On US railroads, the person who drives a train is an engineer.

On rapid transit system and light rail system trains he is referred to as a motorman or an operator. The big difference between an engineer and a motorman is the level of training and certification required. All US railroad engineers are required to have regular training and testing to maintain their certification, the equivalent of a driver's license. Engineers need to be familiar with many components and some minor troubleshooting on the trains engine. The qualifications to become a motorman is much simpler and in they are not required to have the same level of training and testing.

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An interesting trans-Atlantic difference. In the UK, the person US practice calls the "engineer" was always, and still is, called the "driver" irrespective of motive power; but "motorman" was used on some electrified railways including London Underground. Nowadays I think the word "driver" encompasses these people as well. It was regarded as of similar responsibility even though the mechanical aspect of operating the locomotive is simpler with electric traction. In railway parlance the word "Engineer" with a capital 'E' was used with a prefix descriptor as the title for a senior technical manager in charge of equipment design, building or maintenance. Locomotives and rolling-stock were under the Chief Mechanical Engineer's remit, for example.

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Wiki User

9y ago

Engineer, motorman, driver.

Each railroad can pick its own word.

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Wiki User

12y ago

railroad engineer

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
4y ago

Locopilot

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
3y ago

Conductor

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