At stops, they signal engineers when to pull out of the station. Conductors on freight trains record the contents and destination of each car. They make sure that cars are added and removed at the proper location. Before leaving the terminal, the conductor and the engineer discuss the route, timetable, and cargo. While underway, they receive information about track conditions over the radio.
Conductors use two-way radios to communicate with the engineer and the dispatcher.
They remind engineers of stops. Yard conductors supervise the crews that couple and uncouple cars from the train. Conductors tell engineers where to move cars. They tell brake operators which cars to add and remove and where to put them. In yards that have automatic classification systems, conductors use electrical remote controls to operate the track switches that route cars.