Pat Metheny - "The Last Train Home" - UP 844

Randy Musselman · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2008 12:44 am

Hello,

This evening, I was surfing the web on Google video and found this.......I remember this video.....when I was a bit younger.....1987.

Hope you like it. Nice music....nice iron.

Cheers,

Randy

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4434876079606912206&ei=FjxDSe7fPIeQrAKM0uWcDw&q=pat+metheny+last+train+home&hl=en&emb=1

davew833 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2008 3:08 am

I've been watching/listening to Pat Metheny on YouTube all evening... I'm a big fan!

John D · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:28 pm **Posts:** 485

Randy-thanks so much for sharing this. I've been a Pat fan since the mid-80s (but a railfan even longer). It would be interesting to know how the railroad portions of the video were selected, i.e. did Pat choose 844 for any particular reason, or (more likely) did the producer just find "some footage" and add it. The link to preservation? Several:
a. an earlier reader's point about railroad videos and twangy music is right on, and may not help in the credibility department, so "serious" music might help the preservation cause;
b. since the footage includes UP's 844, it would be interesting to know how their PR department might view this, since 844's longevity hinges, in part, on the PR value of steam;
c. let's say that Pat had some role in selecting this. Just like actor Michael Gross and TV personality Spencer Christian host/hosted TV specials on railroading, if Pat had any passing interest (or it could be cultivated), the preservation movement could gain some credibility in the form of another. Nothing to lose, and something to gain, eh?

BTW, my favorite musician is Jean Luc Ponty-I had to add that, at the risk of people crying "non-preservation"!

Jim_Poston · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:22 am

That is definitely a great song. I liked it even before seeing the video.

The Publix supermarket chain in the southeast US used "Last Train Home" as the sound track in one of their Christmas ads.

The ad showed a family riding Amtrak to visit friends and/or relatives for the holidays, but Florida being Florida, the people they were visiting lived on a boat!

(IMO, the visitees should have been living in a refurbed depot, passenger car, caboose, or something RR related.)

John D · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:28 pm **Posts:** 485

I forgot to add one more point about this video, music, famous (?) people, and preservation-a TRAINS magazine article a while back talked about reaching the next generation of railfans (and preservationists). Music is a great way to bridge that age/generation gap.

And for what it's worth-I had the pleasure of meeting travel author Bill Bryson a while back. Some of you may remember he wrote about the more "obsessed" in our hobby-I believe the British term is "anorak" or "gricer" or something like that-much like our "foamer". Well, turns out that Bill is a great fan of O. Winston Link's work. So there.

Richard W. · **Joined:** Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:27 pm **Posts:** 157

I believe those images are from the older UP produced movie about UP 8444. I recognize the shot with the camera strapped to the main rod. I have dreamed for quite a while in doing a video about a soldier returning home by train using that song.

Richard