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Open: April 20, 2026 — Closes: April 27, 2026
Summary
The employee will be responsible for performing a wide range of skilled maintenance and operational tasks supporting historic railroad infrastructure, facilities, and grounds. The incumbent operates heavy equipment and performs advanced trade work under the technical guidance and oversight of higher-graded employees. The majority of duties will be performed in the Locomotive shop and railyard at Steamtown NHS in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Major Duties
NOTE: In support of Executive Order (EO) 14189 "Celebrating America's 205th Birthday" and EO 14314 "Making America Beautiful Again by Improving our National Parks" the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has approved an exception to the 1039 hour time limitation for this position. This approval extends the time limitation to 1560 hours for this temporary seasonal appointment. Major Duties of the position: Performs railroad mechanical maintenance by assembling, installing, adjusting, and repairing components on track equipment, shop machinery, and railroad rolling stock to ensure safe and reliable operation. Conducts routine inspection, servicing, and functional testing of mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems used in railroad operations, identifying wear, defects, and safety hazards. Performs facility and infrastructure maintenance-including painting, surface preparation, grounds upkeep, and basic carpentry-to support railroad shop, yard, and visitor use areas. Operates and maintains a variety of hand tools, power tools, and light equipment (e.g., tractors, forklifts, skid steers, mowers) used in railroad maintenance and support activities. Reads and follows technical manuals, drawings, and written or verbal instructions to complete maintenance tasks, document work performed, and ensure compliance with safety and operational standards. Physical Effort: Duties require the incumbent to sit, stand, stoop, bend, kneel, climb, crawl, work in uncomfortable positions, and walk over rough, uneven terrain. The incumbent may be required to wear protective clothing, gloves, face shields, and/or respirator that may be uncomfortable; and the incumbent may be required to work from ladders, scaffolds, and elevated platforms. Equipment Operator work requires physical effort to handle different sets of controls. The incumbent frequently handles objects weighing up to 50 pounds and occasionally objects weighing over 80 pounds while loading or unloading trucks. Working Conditions: Works both inside and outside. Is continuously exposed to hazardous and unpleasant worksite conditions such as fumes, vibrations, excessive noise, flying particles, moving parts of machines, welding flashes, dust, dirt, and grime. The work is performed on site, on a wide variety of types and conditions of structures. The work is often very dirty or of a nature that may require special protective equipment, such as hard hats, safety toe shoes, respirators, eye/ear protectors, clothing, etc. Climatic conditions must be considered very severe, ranging from very cold to extreme heat and high humidity, rain or snow, and high winds. Exposure to temperatures varying from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to 0 degrees Fahrenheit
