Trains and Music

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 3:45 am

Did some more fooling around on YouTube, and found these classic trains and classic old-time train songs, starting off in this case with the Rock Island and the B&O:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U711QJZYr5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qsDAyA8 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP_KvK7n ... re=related

UP 4000s (Big Boys):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqMmnp1O ... re=related

Pilot ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKujVmip ... ure=fvwrel

AT&SF 3751 in excursion service:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7L360tk ... ature=fvwp

Various roads and locations (I recognise a CB&Q steamer and a fair amount of what looks like NYC footage in electrified territory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAU0FWhT ... re=related

Modern footage made to look old (Western Maryland Scenic):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwIGxW6MolE&NR=1

Chessie Steam Special:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw0SC68MwjM&feature=fvw

L&N:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Yd7UJ4 ... re=related

(Yawn--late night posting)

I should have had the artists listed, but I'm ready to collapse on the keyboard; may edit this to include the performers. In the meantime, enjoy.

I live in the wrong time; country music and trains just ain't what they used to be. . .

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

How about this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoB9DoRHxg

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

Most of us are familiar with the older train-related songs, such as The Wabash Cannonball and The Wreck of Old 97. Here's a question: How about some newer songs: Train from Kansas City by the Shangri-La's, City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie, Choo Choo Train by the Box Tops, and Silver Train by the Rolling Stones.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:16 pm

Somewhere I have buried away a 45 record with "Turbo Train" on one side and "Southern Crescent" on the B side...........

Bobharbison · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm **Posts:** 3011

This subject comes up pretty often, didn't somebody start a website about train songs? If so, what's the url?

Quote:

Somewhere I have buried away a 45 record with "Turbo Train" on one side and "Southern Crescent" on the B side...........

Are those songs or sound effects? I've certainly never heard a song about the Turbotrain, that would be interesting...

"Listen to that jet engine roar... she's like nothing you seen before... She looks like a 747 on rails... gonna be late when the turbine fails... "

Those things were something else. Was really neat to ride in that dome section and watch the engineer. Though I kept feeling like I needed to duck when we came to overpasses. Between the speed and not much clearance, it was quite the optical illusion.

Steve Singer · **Posted:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:49 pm

You probably wouldn't want to ride it, but there's Savoy Brown"s "Hellbound Train".

Bob Davis · **Joined:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am **Posts:** 1025

Savoy Brown also did Train to Nowhere which had a "old timey" sound to it. One of the more recent train-related songs would be Southern Streamline by John Fogerty, who, in his Creedence Clearwater days did Crosstie Walker. For a more urban rail adventure, it's hard to beat Take the "A" Train by Duke Ellington. It's not only the "finest, the quickest way to get to Harlem", if you go the other direction, it stops near the New York Subway Museum in Brooklyn (for a railway preservation angle).

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

There is a classical music piece called "Pacific 231", if you look up Tomita you may find a synthesized rendition of it.

There was a musical group called "Von Ryan's Express" with a theme song train related.

I had some 45 rpms that were train related songs, I recall "The Erie Lackanwanawanawana......", "I love the Sound of a Train", wish I could re-find those.

derail · **Joined:** Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:45 pm **Posts:** 142

Bob Davis wrote:

Most of us are familiar with the older train-related songs, such as The Wabash Cannonball and The Wreck of Old 97. Here's a question: How about some newer songs: Train from Kansas City by the Shangri-La's, City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie, Choo Choo Train by the Box Tops, and Silver Train by the Rolling Stones.

I can go newer then those if one may tolerate a train song that was not country orientated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crpWsgvFiCs

The video is fan made (the fan being me).

CPR4000 · **Joined:** Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:07 pm **Posts:** 150

The group Norouet from Quebec has a fiddle tune called "Le petit tour du train" on their CD "N2". It was inspired by a ride on the Adirondack.

Walt Lankenau

n2qhvRMLI · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:35 am

Gentle Forum Members,

Here's a fresh music video with trains from October 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh5AmdmO ... r_embedded

de Don n2qhvRMLI
Don Fisher, RMLI

Stationary Steam · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:49 am

When I first heard Josh Turner's "Long Black Train" I swore it was written about the Norfolk Southern! I was working for CSX at the time and lyrics such as "There's an engineer on that long black train, making you wonder if the ride is worth the pain", sure spoke volumes about what we had heard about what working for NS was like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyRZTAmcW7c&ob=av3el

KevinKuzma · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:59 am

Of course, I like any of Johnny Cash' many songs, but I also like this album by Steve Reich & the Kronos Quartet quite a bit:

http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/differen ... unterpoint

stephenpiwowarski · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:43 am

Another great album is baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's Age of Steam
Among the tunes are One to Ten in Ohio, and K4 Pacific.
Gerry loved railroading, and grew up with the Pennsylvania Railroad running behind his house. It has been said that this was his favorite album to work on in his career.
In addition he recorded Roundhouse on his album Westwood Walk and Nights at the Turntable on an album of the same title.
If you like jazz, specifically the sound of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, then you might also enjoy the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (led by Wynton Marsalis) on their album Big Train. Big train is a suite of different impressions about railroads and trains. The individual movements have names like Union Pacific Big Boy, Station Call, and Northbound-Southbound.
There are also a host of classical recordings influenced by railroads. In fact it has been said that composer Paul Hindemith, who for a time was on the faculty at Yale University, would ride New Haven's shore line to help him develop compositions and develop ideas.
And then there are the innumerable folk and country songs and recordings, which are in many cases excellent, specifically from Doc Watson. Also check out Scott H. Biram. Pete Seeger also a few railroad songs.
As a music educator the connection between railroads and music has always fascinated me, and I'm working on putting together an exhibit on music and railroads, but I'm still doing preliminary research.
Enjoy,
Stephen Piwowarski

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:41 pm

dinwitty wrote:

There is a classical music piece called "Pacific 231", if you look up Tomita you may find a synthesized rendition of it.

Here is a performance of the original piece, written by Arthur Honegger:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp80cHYVh2Q

I have read during his stay in New York City, Antonín Dvořák used to enjoy going down to the train station and watching the big steam locomotives come in; though they play no direct part in any of his music.

My favorite song is Life is a Mountain Railway. My pastor grew up not far from the Angelina and Neches River Railroad line in East Texas; once in the middle of a sermon, he made the comment that we lost something when we lost the steam locomotive.