Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd and was covered by Metallica about 10 years ago or so.
When I’m not playing with my choo chos, I play clawhammner banjo, guitar and harmonica in an old timey folk string band. (www.newsoutherncowtippers.com) We)We have over 30 railroad songs in our repitoire, and that is only a drop in the bucket. Check our Norm Cohen’s Long Steel Rails, and Katy Letcher Lyle’s Scalded to Death by the Steam for openers. I’d guess there are literally several hundred railroad and railroad related songs. Just about every wreck over a century ago was documented by some kind of a song or verse.
HZ
Neil Young’s “Southern Pacific” references both steam and diesel as a reference to the long but now ended railroad career of “Mr Jones”
–Randy
I hope I didn’t sound too critical, Howmus. I thought it was Arlo Guthrie’s also, but some years ago Trains had an article about the City of New Orleans. In a sidebar, they told the story about Steve Goodman and how he declined the limelight. Guthrie’s song was very popular and I also enjoyed it.
It’s most often attributed to Arlo because his is th version that got the most radio airplay. I have several versions of the song, including Steve GOodman’s original, Arlo’s, and John Prine’s. Each is slightly different, with the Goodman original being a faster tempo than most of the covers. Regardless of the performer, it’s a song that really captures the declining state of the rialroads and the country in general in the early 1970’s.
–Randy
I’ll add one more:
The late Chip Chase of the Woods Tea Company wrote The Fireman. It is a traditional-sounding balad that chronicles the career of an eary 20th century railroad fireman who shoveled coal for 30 years and was “set free” by the introduction of diesel locomotives, described in the lyrics as “An Iron mule, big and fast and powerful… …and runs on diesel fuel.”
The Woods Tea Company recorded it. It’s worth looking up.
Dear Friends
Here’s my almost-three-year-old son’s iTunes playlist:
- I Love Toy Trains Opening Theme 1:27 James Brian Coffey
- Smooth Operator 2:01 James Brian Coffey
- This Train 1:31 James Brian Coffey
- Old McDonald Had a Train 3:19 James Brian Coffey
- Down At the Station 2:06 James Brian Coffey
- Wooden Train 1:50 James Brian Coffey
- Hard Workin Crane 1:41 James Brian Coffey
- Animal Train 2:14 James Brian Coffey
- Streamliners 3:30 James Brian Coffey
- Railroad of America 3:40 James Brian Coffey
- Big Train a Comin 2:47 James Brian Coffey
- Legends of the Rails 2:56 James Brian Coffey
- Toy Trains Hall of Fame 3:21 James Brian Coffey
- Boxcar Boogie 2:07 James Brian Coffey
- Take Me to Your Leader 2:18 James Brian Coffey
- Ghosts of the Rail 2:29 James Brian Coffey
- Freedom Train 2:53 James Brian Coffey
- I Love Big Trains - Opening Theme 1:42 James Brian Coffey
- Be Sensible, Be Smart, Be Safe 1:34 James Brian Coffey
- Home Sweet Home 3:29 James Brian Coffey
- I Love Hauling Freight 2:11 James Brian Coffey
- I Love Big Trains - Closing Theme 2:11 James Brian Coffey
- I Love Lionel - Theme 2:18 James Brian Coffey
- So Happy Under the Sea 2:27 James Brian Coffey
- Ridin
Dear Stein
I’ve been on this forum only a short while, but I always find your posts very informative, friendly, and encouraging.
Thank you very much, kind sir, for your wonderful contributions!
–Jaddie
Johnny Cash also had a song, on a late 70’s album, called “Texas 1947”, about the new streamlined Texas Special. (Even though he’s a year early).
Must be that part of me that is French Canadian, but why no one mentioned “Canadian Railroad trilogy” by Gordon Lightfoot is a mystery, but that’s OK, eh, you there?
If you want to really crack up, check out Stan Freberg’s version of the “Rock Island Line”.
I did. And I mentioned another of Gordon Lightfoot’s songs, “Steel Rail Blues” as well.
“Canadian Railroad Trilogy”, is a favorite of mine, and has an epic quality about it. However, I don’t think either song got much airplay in the US, and I only know of the songs from the albums.
Was just listening to Doris Day singing “Sentimental Journey”.
Bukka White’s Panama Limited by Tom Rush
You just can’t leave out the Union Pacific’s “Great Big Rollin’ Railroad”. This appeared on series of TV commercials that were run in UP territory. They were more for the employees than to generate business, but sure were fun to watch!
The song and its background can be found at;
Gosh…I thought I was the only one to have heard of this song and folk singer. Sang it many times in my folk era college daze of the 60’s…still have the LP…originally from NYC so that subway town may have something to do with my affinity for this tune. You haven’t lived until you’ve been to Times Square at 5 pm on Friday… packed in to the IRT!!!
Gee, actually why does this thread keep coming up frequently?
There are plenty of RR songs out there.
One only has to do a search here for such threads to come up with a list.
How about “Gandy Dancer’s Ball” by Frankie Laine?
[:-^]
I think I have read all of this and I don’t think i saw this one >>
“RIBBONS OF STEEL” by Johnny Cash also sung by Sharon Anderson
Johnboy out…
I’m surprised that I haven’t seen mentioned, “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” seeing on how popular the railroad is to fans and modelers.
Our local library has a book from the early 1980s about some railroad songs and their origins. These are mostly bluegrass/folk type songs. Some names you would recognize (and have been mentioned) and some are not. One of them, and not already mentioned, “Billy Richardson’s last ride” I have on an old tape from Grandpa Jones.
Someone already mentioned, “Texas, 1947.” I have that one too. I’ve always wondered if it was meant to represent an actual railroad or train, or was more generic in nature. The only reference in it was that the train was “big and red and silver and she don’t lay no smoke.” Could refer to a few railroads streamlined passenger trains in Texas in that era.
Jeff