diff --git a/git_trac/app.py b/git_trac/app.py
index 6a51664..7549807 100644
--- a/git_trac/app.py
+++ b/git_trac/app.py
@@ -117,7 +117,29 @@ def checkout(self, ticket_or_branch, branch_name=None):
         else:
             branch = str(ticket_or_branch)
             self.repo.checkout_new_branch(branch, branch)
-            
+
+    def old(self, ticket_or_branch, branch_name=None):
+        if ticket_or_branch.is_number():
+            ticket_number = int(ticket_or_branch)
+            print('Loading ticket #{0}...'.format(ticket_number))
+            ticket = self.trac.load(ticket_number)
+            if len(ticket.branch) == 0:
+                raise ValueError('No branch attached to #{0}'.format(ticket_number))
+            remote = ticket.branch
+            local = self._validate_branch(branch_name, ticket_number, ticket)
+        else:
+            remote = local = str(ticket_or_branch)
+        self.repo.merge_into_develop(remote, local)
+
+    def _validate_branch(self, branch_name, ticket_number, ticket):
+        if branch_name is None:
+            branch = self.suggest_local_branch(ticket_number, ticket.branch)
+        else:
+            branch = branch_name.strip()
+            if len(branch) == 0:
+                raise ValueError('no local branch specified')
+        return branch
+
     def _checkout_ticket(self, ticket_number, branch_name=None):
         print('Loading ticket #{0}...'.format(ticket_number))
         ticket = self.trac.load(ticket_number)
@@ -133,12 +155,7 @@ def _checkout_ticket(self, ticket_number, branch_name=None):
                 print('Newly created local branch: {0}'.format(local))
                 self.repo.create(local)
             return
-        if branch_name is None:
-            branch = self.suggest_local_branch(ticket_number, ticket.branch)
-        else:
-            branch = branch_name.strip()
-            if len(branch) == 0:
-                raise ValueError('no local branch specified')
+        branch = self._validate_branch(branch_name, ticket_number, ticket)
         print('Checking out Trac #{0} remote branch {1} -> local branch {2}...'
               .format(ticket_number, ticket.branch, branch))
         self.repo.checkout_new_branch(ticket.branch, branch)
diff --git a/git_trac/cmdline.py b/git_trac/cmdline.py
index 037d876..121455c 100644
--- a/git_trac/cmdline.py
+++ b/git_trac/cmdline.py
@@ -125,6 +125,13 @@ def make_parser():
     parser_checkout.add_argument('ticket_or_branch', type=TicketOrBranch, 
                                  help='Ticket number or remote branch name')
 
+    parser_old = subparsers.add_parser('old', help='Download branch, merge into develop')
+    parser_old.add_argument('-b', '--branch', dest='branch_name',
+                            help='Local branch name',
+                            default=None)
+    parser_old.add_argument('ticket_or_branch', type=TicketOrBranch,
+                            help='Ticket number or remote branch name')
+
     parser_search = subparsers.add_parser('search', help='Search trac')
     parser_search.add_argument('--branch', dest='branch_name', 
                                help='Remote git branch name (default: local branch)', 
@@ -213,6 +220,8 @@ def launch():
         app.create(args.summary, args.branch_name)
     elif args.subcommand == 'checkout':
         app.checkout(args.ticket_or_branch, args.branch_name)
+    elif args.subcommand == 'old':
+        app.old(args.ticket_or_branch, args.branch_name)
     elif args.subcommand == 'fetch':
         app.fetch(args.ticket_or_branch)
     elif args.subcommand == 'pull':
diff --git a/git_trac/git_repository.py b/git_trac/git_repository.py
index 5d5e370..7c77726 100644
--- a/git_trac/git_repository.py
+++ b/git_trac/git_repository.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 ##############################################################################
 
 
-import re        
+import re, os
 import textwrap
 
 from .cached_property import cached_property
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def git(self):
     def master(self):
         head = self.git.show_ref('master', head=True)
         return GitCommit(self, head[0:40])
-    
+
     @property
     def head(self):
         head = self.git.show_ref('HEAD', head=True)
@@ -138,10 +138,33 @@ def checkout_new_branch(self, remote, local):
         self.git.checkout(local)
         self.set_upstream(remote)
 
+    def merge_into_develop(self, remote, local):
+        self.git.fetch('trac', 'develop')
+        if self.git.exit_code.show_ref('refs/heads/' + local) == 0:
+            # local branch exists
+            # We don't use working_tree since there's no risk
+            # of checking out a very old branch
+            current_branch = self.git.show_ref('refs/heads/' + local, hash=True)
+            try:
+                self.git.branch(local,'FETCH_HEAD',f=True)
+                self.git.checkout(local)
+                self.git.merge(current_branch)
+                print('Merged local branch into develop.')
+            except GitError:
+                self.git.branch(local,current_branch,f=True)
+                print('Merge of local branch into develop failed.')
+                return
+        else:
+            self.git.branch(local, 'FETCH_HEAD')
+        self.git.checkout(local)
+        self.set_upstream(remote)
+        self.git.fetch('trac',remote)
+        self.git.merge('FETCH_HEAD')
+
     def create(self, local, starting_branch='develop'):
         """
         Create new branch.
-        """            
+        """
         self.git.fetch('trac', starting_branch)
         self.git.branch(local, 'FETCH_HEAD')
         self.git.checkout(local)