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I grew up in Altoona, PA during the 1940s and 50s.  Altoona was the home of the heavy works of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was also a crew change point for all trains running between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.  My father was an attorney, but most of my friend's fathers were railroaders.  And many of them worked in passenger service.    I graduated from high school in 1957.  At that time there were approximately 38 passenger train movements a day through Altoona.  But shortly thereafter the PRR began to cut back on passenger service.  The cost of the passenger's trains was killing the railroad, and it decided to reduce significantly the number of trains.Some of the engineers, firemen, conductors, and trainmen retired as the trains were discontinued.  But many others when back to freight service.  As I remember it, in those days the passenger guys, for the most part, at least in Altoona, had started in freight service, and they held seniority across the railroad.  So if they lost a passenger job, they could go back to freight.  I also believe that there was no mandatory retirement age on the railroad.  If a man could pass his annual physical, he could continue to work.  The choice assignments, i.e. Broadway Limited, Pittsburgher, General, were frequently crewed by men in their 70s.  And rumor had it one of the engineers on the Broadway was near 80.  I
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