Grandpa started with the Pere Marquette in 1920.  It was bought out by C&O,
which is now know as CSX.  He retired in 1960.  He was a locomotive
engineer.  Dad started with C&O in 1950 and retired in 1994, spending most
of that as a carman and a locomotive carpenter, the last few years were as a
foreman.  I worked there in 1981-82, got laid-off, then worked there again
in 1993, all of it as a carman-welder.  My final (sh.t or get off the list)
call-back was in 2002.  Officially a 20 year lay-off, as the '93 stint was
in a "special project" job that basically meant I was working for 75% of
full-rate.  Railroad jobs in my area (West Michigan) have had a long history
of lay-offs and call-backs.  I needed more stability.  Now I work in a MI
prison as an officer.  20 years time in now (the '93 bit with CSX was during
a time when some were trying to illegally get me fired).  The POS's are gone
and the dept. is a lot better.  Lay-offs are a rarity and I can retire in
about 5 years at age 52.  Not as bad as you might think.  I spent too much
time in bars during my younger and wilder days that were a lot more
dangerous than the place where I work.  Railroading does get in your blood
and I'll always look at trains differently because of the short time that I
worked on them

I learned a lot about working with steel and how to make fine adjustments
with a sledgehammer.  As Dad told me one time when I was working with him,
"Damn it Kenny, it's a boxcar, not a Swiss watch, hit it again with the
sledge," after I was trying to measure something down to a 32nd.  All the
work I did and I'm pretty sure my Dad did, was with freight.  Not sure about
Grandpa.  He's been gone 40 years this December.

Life does indeed go on and we take what we can make and what we're dealt.  I
hope you have a really long retirement and enjoy every minute of it.

Past my bedtime.  Gotta go.

Ken