WHAT TRAIN SONGS DO YOU LIKE?

I've always thought that music and trains is a great combination. I believe there are some very talented Forum members when it come to music and model trains.

My favorite train song is City of New Orleans.

Arnold

Takin' the Train by the Saw Doctors - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAUf0u2sBL4

Train by the Clarks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXbLLWmPD0  (forum members / OGR subscribers should recognize the drummer)

I just heard these two in the past week and thought of this thread:

"End Of The Line" by The Traveling Wilburys (RIP Roy Orbison, Tom Petty & George Harrison)

"Runaway Train" by Elton John & Eric Clapton

Can't forget "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. I used to watch TM Books and Video's I Love Toy Trains series of videos. The music was great.

Being old school rock, and in no particular order of preference:

Train, Train  ---Blackfoot

Train Kept A Rollin' -- Aerosmith

Train in Vain ---   The Clash

Rock and Roll Train --- AC/DC

Special shout out to Locomotive Breath -- Jethro Tull

As far as what most consider to be traditional train music:

Orange Blossom Special is the tops of my list.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I've always thought that music and trains is a great combination. I believe there are some very talented Forum members when it come to music and model trains.

My favorite train song is City of New Orleans.

Arnold

Funny you should mention that Arnold.  Trains and music are my two favorite hobbies.  I played brass from 4th - 12th grade, but started playing rock in college.  I've been in 8 bands over the years and gigged with 6 of them.  Started on keys, then keys and bass, and my most recent gigs have been on the drums.  My claim to fame was when a band I was in opened up for America in 2002.  I played bass with that group.

Should the moderator indulge my other interests briefly here is my current drum set up mixing electronic and acoustic drums:

My old setup of all acoustic drums.  I lost parts of this in a flood in 2016.  The insurance claim I got for it had to go to the house renovations instead sadly.

My collection of stringed instruments.  Not shown are my Hagstrom electric guitar and my early father's day gift of a Geddy Lee signature Fender Jazz bass.  The Violin has been in the family for over 120 years and am at best poorly proficient at it.  I bought the acoustic guitar in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico for 400 pesos in 2003 and it rarely looses its tuning.  The Gibson fretless bass was a salvage project and has a custom cherry body I built myself in 1992 and the other basses are Deans which are my go-to gigging bases for the last 20 years.  Finally the other electric guitars are some variation of a Fender Stratocaster knock-off.

My keyboards less my Roland Juno-60, Yamaha DX-100 and a few tone modules I have laying around.

Rusty Draper, In the Middle of the House, 1956

Jonathan, your various musical instruments and ability to play them, is very impressive.

You are not alone when you express your passion for music and trains. Our Forum friends who love music and trains include Leroof, Fendermain and Trumptrain, and probably many others.

I think that what we all have in common as model railroaders, musicians, and music and train lovers, is joie de vive.  Think about the attitude of those like us who build a train layout that started out as a dream. Having a zest for life can go a long way to make that dream become a reality.

Same is true when it comes to learning to play a musical instrument or writing a song.

Of course, there are a myriad of other things people with a zest for life  can make happen. Arnold

City of New Orleans is my number train song.

To add a song to this list I had previously left off, Geddy Lee, who is the maestro behind the bass, keys, and voice (often at the same time) of my all time favorite band Rush did a song on his lone solo release of 2000 called "Runaway Train".

“ Last train to Clarksville “  the Monkees

"500 Miles Away from Home" by Peter, Paul, & Mary

Just heard a song I haven't heard in years - Morning Town Ride, by The Seekers.

@CBQer posted:

The original recording of "The City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman.

The winner of the Steve Goodman award goes to @CBQer (no prize, just bragging rights).  A lot of references to this song and Chicago's own Steve Goodman wrote it, while Arlo popularized it.  Steve also wrote a couple of classic Chicago Cubs songs.  He died young and was and is a Chicago gem. I own a MTH Premier Illinois Central set pulled by a pair of E8's and I think of this song whenever I look at or run that set, imagining it is headed south to New Orleans from Chicago.

Ah, a return to the 60’s

Paul Butterfield's "Mystery Train".   He was another Chicago gem, who mastered the art of blues harmonica.  There is a direct line to trains via train-like wailing of a blues harpist like Paul.  If you haven't heard, search "Mystery Train by Paul Butterfield on You Tube. 

But Junior Parker is a blues man who penned the song in 1953.  His version has some crisp electric guitar and clear lyrics.

Casey Jones by the Grateful Dead !!

For the "bubble gum" set, there's "Last Train to Clarksville" by the Monkees. It was written by either Neil Diamond or Boyce & Hart.

Maybe no expectations by The Rolling Stones. I can see a lot of folks going with crazy train or Folsom prison blues. Hey there are bonus points for anyone who has heard Princess of the Night by Saxon. The lyrics scream rail fan!

@BlueComet400 posted:

I just heard these two in the past week and thought of this thread:

"End Of The Line" by The Traveling Wilburys (RIP Roy Orbison, Tom Petty & George Harrison)

"Runaway Train" by Elton John & Eric Clapton

Yep, only two Wilburys left now: Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan. If you get a chance, go to YouTube to view the official video for “End of the Line.” It’s certainly train-related.

Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/UMVjToYOjbM

The boys left a seat open for Roy Orbison, who died shortly before the video was produced.

@Csxcellent posted:

Maybe no expectations by The Rolling Stones. I can see a lot of folks going with crazy train or Folsom prison blues. Hey there are bonus points for anyone who has heard Princess of the Night by Saxon. The lyrics scream rail fan!

Als0 Stones' "Love in Vain", by Robert Johnson.  Awesome train tune.  Clapton, Taj Mahal did great versions, too.

“Hear My Train a Comin’” by Jimi Hendrix

Forgive me if this has been posted - but a couple nights ago on TCM was a night about "soundies" - a 1940s precursor of music videos. Hadn't heard of them before,

An example, Louis Jordan's "Texas and Pacific."

Drop a dime in the 1940s and watch a music video. For you photography buffs, sort of like an SLR in reverse. There was a projector, a series of mirrors, and the image appeared on ground glass. About eight songs on a loop. One couldn't pick which song.

David

While country music isnt my forte .. you just aint Australian unless you know a bit O Slim Dusty ...

However don't discount live buskers ... ( street performers for the Northern types)

Or just your everyday commute?

City of New Orleans

Both versions of "City of New Orleans" "Orange Blossom Special" and Arnolds song that he put to a layout video awhile back "Who am I".

I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got aaaaaaaall pig iron!

Favorite is Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy". The cadence and guitar immitate the movement and sound of the train.

Couple of bluegrass favorites include the Osborne Brothers "Midnight Flyer" and Seldom Scenes "Old Train" from the album of the same name.

Rock'n'roll entry - David Bowie's "Station to Station"

City of New Orleans

Why limit yourself to just one song? Put on a CD that lasts a while and will really "rock you"...to sleep that is. Try "Track Talk - Onboard!" or "Sleep On A Train".

This one is rather unconventional, but so was Bob Dylan...

Andre

I have previously listed my favorite RR songs a few pages back in this thread, so I won’t repeat them now.

As we all know, many RR songs are in the country & western genre.

Someone recently told me the following:

”Now that the age of self-driving vehicles is here, it is only a matter of time before a country & western song is written & recorded about a pickup truck that leaves its cowboy for a better owner”.  

Now that’s real hard luck !!!

We have a grand piano in our front room. I play classical piano & cocktail piano. No trains when these famous composers were making music. “Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Hayden, Handel, and Chopin.

Gary 🚂

A Man and A Train (Marty Robbins)

Train by 3 Doors Down https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2AL5df0MX8

Freight Train by Alan Jackson https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UKCSaLrCk6A

I'll add my 2 cents after all these years, I agree with laz1957 from 7 years ago ...

" ... train roll on ..."

I thank you all for this thread!  I had not seen it before and now I have more to add to my Spotify list of train songs.

@IRON HORSE posted:

The winner of the Steve Goodman award goes to @CBQer (no prize, just bragging rights).  A lot of references to this song and Chicago's own Steve Goodman wrote it, while Arlo popularized it.  Steve also wrote a couple of classic Chicago Cubs songs.  He died young and was and is a Chicago gem.

Steve Goodman died way too early (36).  What a talent ... and what great songs we've missed because he is gone.

I do like Steve's rendition of his song better than others.  Something more real about it.  Arlo not only popularized the song, but changed the lyrics in a couple of places.

Steve's original lyrics were:

... and ...

"Dealin' cards*  with the old men in the club car."

@GG1 4877 posted:

Funny you should mention that Arnold.  Trains and music are my two favorite hobbies.  I played brass from 4th - 12th grade, but started playing rock in college.  I've been in 8 bands over the years and gigged with 6 of them.  Started on keys, then keys and bass, and my most recent gigs have been on the drums.  My claim to fame was when a band I was in opened up for America in 2002.  I played bass with that group.

...

My keyboards less my Roland Juno-60, Yamaha DX-100 and a few tone modules I have laying around.

Had a Hammond B2 with a Leslie 910, plus a Fender-Rhodes 88 Stage. Have the Rhodes at my house (shopping for a Leslie); the Hammond and Leslie are with my sister in California. Here it is right before I had it and the Leslie picked up and sent out to her.

Speaking of Hammonds, though not technically a train song, the single version of "Time is Tight" by Booker T. and the MG's has a drum track that reminds me of the beat of a steam locomotive. Look it up on YouTube.

@AGHRMatt posted:

Had a Hammond B2 with a Leslie 910, plus a Fender-Rhodes 88 Stage. Have the Rhodes at my house (shopping for a Leslie); the Hammond and Leslie are with my sister in California.

Speaking of Hammonds, though not technically a train song, the single version of "Time is Tight" by Booker T. and the MG's has a drum track that reminds me of the beat of a steam locomotive. Look it up on YouTube.

"Time is Tight" by Booker T. and the MG's" the best 4 to 10 minutes of my day when I am "you tubing" music.

headed there now will focus on the drum track