WHEN THE FRENCH NATIONAL RAILWAY CONVERTED FROM STEAM TO AN ELECTRIC AND DIESEL-ELECTRIC TRACTION SYSTEM, IT WAS NECESSARY TO RETRAIN OLDER (OVER 40) SKILLED WORKERS--DRIVERS, LOCOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE MEN AND SUPERVISORS OF WORKSHOPS AND DEPOTS. THE INTELLECTUAL AND EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES OF OLDER PERSONS IN RETRAINING WERE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN PLANNING THE RETRAINING. THE PROGRAM COVERS 11 WEEKS--THREE WEEKS OF STUDY OF DIRECT AND ALTERNATING CURRENT, FIVE WEEKS ON THE CONTROL INSTRUMENTS, DRIVING AND RUNNING REPAIRS, AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING ELECTRIC TRACTION, AND THREE WEEKS OF DRIVING. TO INCREASE THE CONFIDENCE OF TRAINEES, DRIVING AND REPAIR MANUALS HAVE BEEN DRAWN UP, YOUNGER AND OLDER WORKERS ARE RETRAINED TOGETHER, INSTRUCTORS ARE CAREFULLY SELECTED AND WELL TRAINED, AND FELLOW-WORKERS WHO HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED TRAINING ARE CALLED BACK TO ACT AS MONITORS DURING THE DRIVING TRAINING. THE PROGRAM HAS PROVED VERY EFFECTIVE IN THAT THE NUMBER OF BREAKDOWNS DUE TO IGNORANCE ON THE PART OF RETRAINED DRIVERS IS VERY SMALL AND THE NUMBER OF DRIVING LICENSES FOR DIESEL AND DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES REFUSED TO EX-STEAMDRIVERS WAS NEGLIGIBLE. THIS PAPER WAS PREPARED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SEMINAR ON JOB-REDESIGN AND OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING FOR OLDER WORKERS IN LONDON, 1964, AND LATER PRESENTED TO THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANPOWER TRAINING AND THE OLDER WORKER, HELD IN WASHINGTON, JANUARY 17-19, 1966. (PT)