“And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father’s magic carpet made of steel…”
Heard the greatest railroading song ever (IMHO) on the way to work and just wanted to share it again! I never get tired of “City of New Orleans”.
It’s great isn’t it.
I understand Arlo Guthrie gets credit for this song a lot. He may have popularized it (and tweaked the tune a little in the process), but credit for the song belongs to Chicagoan Steve Goodman, who died of lukemia 'way too young.
One line in the song goes "The conductor sings his song again,the passengers will please refrain ". Refrain from what? what does this line mean?
The conductors used to give a little speech about refraining from spitting, smoking (in no smoking areas) and other behaviors that were considered “low class” on premier trains such as the City of New Orleans and the Panama Limited back in the pre-Amtrak days.
LC
Can a train go 500 miles before the day is done with limited track capacity and different crew change points?like the song.
stay safe
Joe
Amen to that!!! It’s my favorite song, and I’m normally a heavy-metal fan![:D] When the song says"… and disipear into railroad news…" is Arlo refuring to when Amrtrash :(! took of passenger operations. Another song that I now of that could be train-related is “Wherever I May Roam” by Metallica, the song really is about the band being on tour but most of the lines could be taken refuring to a train-crews life. Here are the lyrics : the stuff in ( ) is what could be train realated.
…And the road becomes my bride (takeing the railroader lifestyle)
I have stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied ( $ )
Gives me all I need ($)
…And with dust in throat I crave
Only knowledge will I save
To the game you stay a slave (self explanitory)
Rover, wanderer (always going to a different terminal)
Nomad, vagabond (always going to a different terminal)
Call me what you will (people feelings towards railroaders)
But I’ll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I’ll redefine anywhere
Anywhere I may roam (always going to a different terminal)
Where I lay my head is home (always going to a different terminal)
(And the earth becomes my throne)
…And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown (every assignment is different )
Under wandering stars I’ve grown ( gaining experience over time)
By myself but not alone
I ask no one
Somemore of the same stuff is repeated again.I don’t know, you people probably think I’m nuts for takeing this song as a “train song”, but hopefully you can see where I am comeing from. I got the impression of the railroad lifestyle from the forums and talking with train crews, since I am not employed by the RR [:(].
I thought it was “This train’s got the disappearin’ railroad blues.”
Adrianspeeder
All passenger cars had signs that said, “passengers will please refrain from flushing toilet while train is standing in the station” I wonder what happened when a North shore line conductor forgot to lock the toilets when the train got onto the Chicago El
Randy
And that’s what I always thought that line meant…
Great song, love it, but I thought it was a Willie Nelson song? Thats the only version I have heard of.
“The City of New Orleans” is one cool tune but lets not forget a tune for the younger crowd, thats from Jethro Tull " Locomotive Breath ". Just remember "ole Charlie stole the handle and the train it won’t stop going, no way to slow down !!!
You are right Carl,Arlo gets most of the credit,but quite a few perfrformers have done this song, such as Willie Nelson,John Denver(while he was still alive),and others.
And you are very right about Steve Goodman,I would bet that a lot of people don’t even know who he is/was. That WAS way to young.
ps For anybody that are John Denver fans, get,or listen to the cd “All A Board”
The song laments the dissapearing railroad train. I think the origonal City of New Orleans may have been a fast day train on the old IC. The Panama Limited carried the overnite schedule. Seems to me the CoNO took the old PL schedule.
A co-worker recently took a trip on Amtrack CoNO from Memphis south to New Orleans. Schedule calls for the train to depart Memphis about 8am & arrive NO about 3 pm. Coach fare of $17.00. They had a ball. Paid extra to get sleeper for kids & 2 meals in diner. Memphis station has police dispatch in building, so you park in same lot as officers.
IC’s CoNO was an all-coach day schedule that left CHI in AM and got to NOL about midnight. It was an impressive and very fast train that carried an extra service charge for seats. IC had secondary schedules as well, including a train called the Chicasaw (which the railroaders referred to as the “Chicken Bone”–you figure out why, and remember the era). The PL was all-Pullman with parlor car service to Champaign, that left CHI after the workday and arrived NOL about 9:30 AM if I recall correctly. When Reistrup and Alan Boyd ran IC, they added coaches but, fearing pax revolts, called them a separate train, the Magnolia Star, that coincidentally ran on the same schedule as and in “close proximity” to the Panama (i.e., coupled on the front of it-so they really didn’t fool anybody on the service downgrade).
The current CoNO runs on a much slower schedule than the PL, and a comparison to the PL schedule is like comparing the Lake Shore’s to the Century’s–the only thing they have in common is that part of the run is overnight. Old hands are still known to refer to the CoNO as the “Chicken Bone”, a name it assumed in IC days when the namesake train was discontinued.
The refurb of Memphis Central Station is nice and was desperately needed, and can you think of a safer place to park than a Police lot???
And if “CoNO” is the only exposure you have had to Steve Goodman’s work, you need to pick up some of his other stuff, which is witty, pointed and generally timely even today. For example, his “Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request” is hilarious and still very appropriate (except for the part about the lights at Wrigley).
Memphis Central Station is a successful project of bringing an old tired building back to life. More of Central Station in its’ heyday can be seen here as well as several photos from back in the day when Central Station stayed busy all day long: http://www.cbu.edu/~mcondren/MemphisCentralStation.htm
A few recent shots of the City of New Orleans in Memphis.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=45256
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=50261
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=54827
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=56766
I never rode the pre-Amtrak CoNO but my Aunt who lived in Matttoon rode all of the IC passenger trains and she would tell me stories. It is one of the reasons I grew fond of trains…her stories of far away places and her train trips there.
Her husband (my uncle) worked for the IC and she had a passenger pass allowing her free transit on any IC trains and 50% for any other US passenger train. She would routinely go to Chicago once a week for lunch and shopping, leaving Mattoon early morning and returning in the pm.
The City and other IC passenger trains were authorized at 100mph on the Illinois division due to Automatic Train stop provisions. She told me once of how the coffee cups were only filled 3/4 full due to the high speed and going around curves (not too many on the Illinois divsion…but it made a great story).
I grew up with the IC and although the branch line thru my hometime is gone, the memories and photographs remain clear.
MP173
Got the opportunity to ride the Panama Limited…Chicago to New Orleans in 1959…First Class all the way…first class service…a totally enjoyable trip.
Steve Goodman’s “Chicken Cordon Blues” is the perfect antidote to all the low-carb flapdoodle going on lately.
And “Lincoln Park Pirates” might stoke your fire if you have to park your car in a large city. In Washington I BMW. Bus-metro-walk everywhere and rent for the longer trips.
While Steve could write great stuff, his voice was kinda irritating but how do figure tom Waites or John Prine or Tom Rush???
See you at the Vegetables’ Ball or the Group W Bench.
Rix