"she's a railroad lady,
just a little bit shady,
spending her days on the train.
Once a Pullman car traveler,
now the brakemen won't have her,
she's tryin just tryin to get home again."
Railroad Lady- Merle Haggard
" Some folks say we have no worries,
no taxes, gas, or coal bills to pay,
we get our heat and gas from the old smokestack
as the ol' train is rattling on her way"
Hobo song to the mounties- Wilf Carter
"She'd travel through the valley,
down mountains she would roll,
it seemed the roar and rattle,
would someday take it's toll,
Well years she's been a runnin',
but 'neer can I recall,
did I ever see a smash-up on the rattlin cannonball."
Ratttlin Cannonball- Wilf Carter
"He was goin' down-grade makin' ninety miles an hour,
when his whistle broke into a scream...
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle,
and a-scalded to death by the steam..."
Wreck of the Old 97- Hank Snow
"See the brave young engineerman,
at the age of 21,
as he stepped down from his engine,
crying 'well, what have I done!',
Have I killed my faithful brakeman,
could it be that he will die?,
Oh, I did my best to save him,
but I could not stop in time."
The Unfortunate Brakeman- Kentucky Ramblers
"Railroad Billy was a mighty bad man,
kill anybody that he think he can."
Railroad Bill- Van Morrison
"Dealin' card games with the old man in the club car,
a penny a point, ain't no one keepin score,
Pass the paper bag that holds a bottle,
feel the wheel a-rumblin 'neath the floor."
City of New Orleans- Sung by many: Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie.
"hear the mighty rush of the engine,
hear that lonesome hobo's call,
we're riding through to dixie
on the Wabash Cannonball."
Wabash Cannonball- Boxcar Willie
"I used to be a railroad bum, living on the go,
I rode freight from canada, down to mexico,
from sunny cal to minnesota, where the riplin' waters fall,
I never seemed to have a dime, but I had myself a ball."
A Railroad Bum- Hank Thompson
"The Devil's train is long and black, it rides on rails of tears,
it's headin' for destruction now, with a drunken engineer."
The Devil's Train- Hank Williams
"I hear that train a-comin, it's rollin round the bend,
and I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when."
Folsom Prison Blues- Johnny Cash
Listen to the whistle in the Rockwood cut on the highline to Silverton town.
and you're gonnin get a shiver when you check out the river,
which is 400 feet straight down:
take on some water at the Needleton tank and then ya struggle up a two five grade, and by the time you get your hieght past the snow sled slide ya had a ride on the Silverton Train."
Silverton Train- CW McCall
"I was born and raised at the mouth of Hazzard holler,
where the coal cars rolled and rumbled past my door,
But now they stand in a rusty row all empty,
because the L&N don't stop here anymore."
The L&N Don't stop here anymore- Johnny Cash.
(check out Michelle Shocked's version!)
"It's a good night for a train ride boys!" Neil Young in opening of Southern Pacific.
