The book "Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs" copyrighted 1952, includes the following version of "The Wabash Cannonball", which it attributes to "Roger Truhart"
"From the calm Pacific waters, To the rough Atlantic shore,
Ever climbing hills and mountains, Like no other did before.
She's as graceful as a comet, Smoother than a waterfall,
It's the Western Combination, It's the Wabash Cannon Ball.

There is music in her jingle, There is music in her roar,
Like a will-o'-wisp she travels, On her way from shore to shore.
May her greatness last forever, May the glory never fail,
Of the Western Combination, Of the Wabash Cannon Ball."

It does not include a chorus, however the first line of the second verse shares characteristics with the one that is commonly used.