Not to open up another big ol' can of worms or anything, but the title of this 1972 Bachman-Turner Overdrive song does suggest she works for the railroad... LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_McJdCxjIM

How about Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer's On the Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe? It was written in 1944. Judy Garland sang it in Harvey Girls in 1946 and earned Warren and Mercer oscars for best original song. Garland sang it exiting the baggage car end of V&T combine No. 15, which still exists.

Another classic is the Rock Island Line, recorded by Lead Belly while still in prison in Arkansas in 1934.

Here's one from just a few years ago that is actually VERY good, even though most people have never heard of it.

https://youtu.be/sps30K3zJIs

And how could everybody forget this?

https://youtu.be/m4tJSn0QtME

How about these?

https://youtu.be/K2PeC1MkAZE

https://youtu.be/qtapNefCLpA

Did someone mention Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath"?

How about Jackson Browne's "Leaving Winslow"?

Whilst it's not about trains, there are a lot of rail related shots in this music video....(filmed in Manassas, VA, apparently)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adw772km7PQ

I remember that video being shown on a regular basis when I first discovered MTV on a visit to the US back in 1987!

Good evening folks,

Since the granddaddy of all railroad songs has not been mentioned yet, I figured that I would add the famous "old song" which has remained popular for over 130 years. First composed in 1890, LIFE'S RAILWAY TO HEAVEN has survived for over a century as a highly relevant piece of music which tells a story about life in the context of trains and railroading.

The song is typically performed by either Gospel or country music artists, but versions of the song have been performed in other genres too. It has been covered by many artist throughout the decades; from Patsy Kline, to the Oak Ridge Boys. to Brad Paisley, as well as many others. This song is often considered a hymn due to its appearance in many Christian hymnals along with its religious overtones.

A number of people have questioned whether this thread is about "preservation" or "railfanning". I would respectfully submit that thread deserves a place in the preservation forum.

If you stop to think about it for a minute, Life's Railway to Heaven was a new contemporary song when a young John Luther "Casey" Jones was starting his railroad career at the Illinois Central RR. The song is often performed at the funerals of railroaders, and in churches across the country. To think that this song could have been sung by Casey Jones himself in church, played at his funeral, and is still be performed at similar events today is pretty darn amazing.

As written, the song has four verses, with a refrain after each verse. Modern day performances of the song usually omit a verse or two depending on what mood the artist wishes to convey. A more soulful, uplifting version of the song would be performed with an upbeat tempo and often include only the first verse and either the second or third verse (depending on which verse the artist likes), followed by an instrumental performance of the verse and chorus, and then a repeat of the refrain. When performed at a funeral, or more somber occasion, the artist will use the same format, but they will perform the first verse and the fourth verse instead and slow down the song's tempo a bit.

For those that like to know the words to a song, I've reproduced the lyrics for all four verses below:

LIFE'S RAILWAY TO HEAVEN
Composed by: M. E. Abbey, pub.1890

First verse:
Life is like a mountain railway,
With an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful,
From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels;
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

Refrain:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

Second verse
You will roll up grades of trial;
You will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your conductor
On this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction,
Do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

Refrain:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

Third verse:
You will often find obstructions,
Look for storms and wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle
They will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus,
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

Refrain:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

Fourth verse:
As you roll across the trestle,
Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide,
You behold the Union Depot
Into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the Sup’rintendent,
God the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous plaudit,
“Weary Pilgrim, welcome home.”

Refrain:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

Youtube has quite a few performances of the song on their platform. Many come from the Gaither Music Group as they include the song regularly in their performances throughout the past two decades. For example, this performance is often called the "living version" of the song, which uses the usual format described above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU2hvncgEQw

The "funeral version" of the song is often performed with the last verse instead. I like this simple version performed by Boxcar Willie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9uvb_3CA2U

For those who prefer strictly instrumental versions of songs, this upbeat version of the song features the classic harmonica and some very impressive playing by the musician - Buddy Greene!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOsUGoDWgqA

And finally, the link below is the only version of the song that I have found on Youtube so far where the singer performs all four verses of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtdChEfgaKg

So, can I get an "Amen" or "Halleluiah" please? Enjoy!

Cream Train time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2yHBKKzwTQ

Mountain Southbound train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVv4mN1aX8I

Savoy Brown Train to nowhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOhLUWDyXTk