Locomotion.
Original by Little Evy.
Mid 1970's version by Grand Funk Railroad
Pacific 231 an orchestral work celebrating the Pacific steam locomotive( using European loco classification 2-3-1 as opposed to the Whyte classification used in North America 4-6-2) by composer Arthur Honegger. Honegger was a train enthusiast who passionately loved steam locomotives. With this composition he's able to get a symphony orchestra to sound just like a steam locomotive. The piece was written in 1923. There is also a 1949 French film about steam locomotives entitled 231 which uses Honegger's score as the background music.
On he pop/folk side of music my favorite is City of New Orleans. I also love the bluegrass rendition of Orange Blossom Special.
Some of the railroad songs I like..............
Atlantic Coastline Railroad Man by UPSALA
Railroad Bill by Dylan
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore by Elton John
Canadian Pacific & Steel Rail Blues by George Hamilton
A Railroad Bum by Jim Reeves
Railroad Lady by Jimmy Buffet or Willie Nelson
Freight Train by Casey Chambers
Two Trains by Little Feat
Railroad Song by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Freight Train Blues by Marvin Rainwater
One Of These Trains by New Grass Revival
Downtown Train by Rod Stewart
Daddy Was A Railroad Man by Seldom Scene
Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad by Seldom Scene
Never Marry A Railroad Man by Shocking Blue
@L.I.TRAIN posted:i HAVE BECOME FOND OF BOOGIE WOOGIE CHOO CHOO TRAIN, Here is the link to it on you tube. post some links to what you like
Steve
Life's Railway to Heaven
Orange Blossom Special
Ray
Good & Plenty - choo choo charlie was an engineer...
"GiGi you're the one", by the Pantographs
Click on linked text to hear it on YouTube.
Rock Island Line
City of New Orleans- John Goodman
Casey Jones- Grateful Dead
Ramblin Man- Hank Williams Sr, Jr & III
Train Train- Blackfoot
I'm So Lonsome I could Cry- Hank Williams SR
The Pressure is On- Hank Williams Jr
Orange Blossom Special- CDB
Wabash Cannonball- Ernest Tubb as well as Glenn Campbell
Waiting for a Train- Ernest Tubb
Train Keep a Rolling- Aerosmith
Downtown Train- Rod Stewart
Gallopin Goose- C.W. McCall
. . . just to name a few
@Jim R. posted:Click on linked text to hear it on YouTube.
nice, also their "Wednesday Morning"
Fort Worth and Denver Blues (1928) and Katy Blues (1928), Bessie Tucker. Can be found on Youtube. Reflective of a time when railroads played a much more prominent place in people's lives.
Smokestack Lightnin - Chester Arthur Burnett aka Howlin' Wolf
She Took the Katy - Taj Mahal
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Love in Vain - Robert Johnson
Train Kept a Rolling - Aerosmith
Train Leaves Here This Morning - Eagles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3aS7370jLc
Wikipedia has quite the train song list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_train_songs
I always was kind of touched by "Jenny Dreams of Trains", where a little girl loves trains, goes to watch them, and eventually ends up driving them, very sweet song.
Ballad of the FRISCO, used as background music to a slide show I created at https://animoto.com/play/MKxuqdQ1QWOnTp2oplBSMg
Why the FRISCO? My paternal grandfather was a steam locomotive engineer for that road, and an ancestral cousin, a FRISCO brakeman, died in the performance of his duty.
"Bluebird of the Wabash" may be the all-around best railroad song. It actually has a short story inside the song! There's no video to go with it, but the song stands on its own, IMO...
Here's the song, "Bluebird of the Wabash" and a few of my Wabash pix.
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In descending order…
Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot
City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore- Michelle Shocked
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
Blood on the Coal - The Folksmen (A Mighty Wind Soundtrack)
Lot’s of good ones mentioned but I saw Steve Goodman live a few times. I loved everything about him. So For me it’s Steve singing “City of New Orleans”. I don’t have a second choice.
The Log Train. By Hank Williams SR.
@ChiTown Steve posted:Lot’s of good ones mentioned but I saw Steve Goodman live a few times. I loved everything about him. So For me it’s Steve singing “City of New Orleans”. I don’t have a second choice.
I agree with you. If I had to pick just one, it would be that one done by Steve Goodman even though I like some of the other versions such as Guthrie's.
I agree with CA John: Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" is deserving of the best; Steve Goodman/Arlo Guthrie's knockoff of Goodman's "City of New Orleans" is nearly as good, but coming up fast on the inside is "Bluebird of the Wabash", a song like no other - it has a 50's railroad story inside the song! (above)
"Chicago Flyer" by Meade Lux Lewis. Superb train inspired boogie woogie master piece recorded deep in the railroad era (1944).
Another.......Tuba Skinny: "Freight Train Blues". Traditional New Orleans jazz version.
All above plus "Ride The Train" by Alabama
I am surprised no one has mentioned:
"The wreck of the 97"
I think I have the title right, it is an oldie that goes back to 30s or 40s
"Texas & Pacific", a jump blues by West Coast bluesman Louis Jordan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHzz5pp5YXI
A real finger popper, from the great railroad era!
Meet The Trio Ladies as they put a new spin on a classic tune. “Chattanooga Choo Choo”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYL3ZDuxeIo
This tune was published on YT on June 3, 2019 and has over 318 K views.
Gary 🚂
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That's a hard question! Pretty much anything by Boxcar Willie. My band is named: "The Glacier Line (after my railroad) Jammers Band."
We do a very wide variety of songs. YES, of course, we do railroad and railroad related songs.
In fact, we have performed two EXCLUSIVE performances of train songs.
The first was near Mr. Muffins Trains in Atlanta, Indiana; at the Railroad Festival. June 2019
The Second was at the original Monon Depot in Carmel, Indiana in September of 2020.
Wabash Cannonball
The Wreck of The Old 97
Casey Jones
Chattanooga Choo Choo
I've Been Working On The Railroad
Little Red Caboose
I Love The Sound Of A Whistle
Waiting For A Train
Many, many, others...
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Train Leaves Here This Morning- Gene Clark
I've Been Everywhere- Johnny Cash
No one has mentioned an album that must make the Top Five list:
Merle Haggard My Love Affair with Trains
“Nighttime in the Switching Yard”, Warren Zevon.
Riding on that new river train.
Riding on that new river train.
It's the same ol' train that brought me here.
And gonna take me back again.
Gotta be Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans
I can’t believe nobody mentioned Johnny Cash’s Folsom prison blues. Excellent train song -
I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone.
"Smokestack Lightning" the Yardbirds live version, guitar does an amazing rendition of a steam locomotive working hard
"Train Train" by Blackfoot
"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne
My top 5
1. Princess of the Night Saxon
2. Engine 143 Johnny Cash
3. Legend of John Henry Johnny Cash
4. Downbound Train Bruce Springsteen
5. Long Train Running Doobie Brothers
A few more.......
"Night Train" by Steve Winwood
"Last Train Home" by Pat Metheny
"New Delhi Freight Train" by Little Feat
"Red Streamliner" by Little Feat
Two come to mind, and they've probably been shared in the 5 previous pages, but here they are:
Led Zeppelin's cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's Bring it on Home"
and Taj Mahal's She Caught the Katy
