Just found this thread....beautiful memories you've got in you Spaw!

My mother was one of the children that those engineers you mentioned thrilled. Her eyes still sparkle when she talks about the engineer, who would blow the train's whistle to let her know he was coming. He gave her enough warning so that she could run out of the farmhouse......through the hay field and down the hill to the tracks....just in time to wave and get a smile and a wave back........AND another LOUD whistle.

I don't think my grandfather appreciated the trains as much as she did though. He had to walk a couple miles of track after the train came through to make sure there were no fires starting in the hay fields from the train's cinders.

Couple of other train songs......(apologies if I missed seeing them mentioned above)....

"Hobo's Lullaby"
"Daddy What's A Train"

and thanks, ely, for remembering "Great Divide"...it's a beautiful song on the autoharp.