Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle

Subject: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: GUEST,Colin Bargery
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 08:14 AM

Does anyone have a set of words for 'The Railway Whistle or the Blessing of Hot Water Travelling' probably a broadside from about 1835

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: Peace
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 07:59 PM

Colin, I couldn't find lyrics but I am pressed for time. There is mention of "The Railway Whistle Galop" by Richardson:

"Rather later, during the 1860s, came two galops by Charles Coote senior, a prolific purveyor of Victorian dance music, The Mail Train Galop and, called after Charles Dickens' short story of 1866, Mugby Junction, both of them popular in the ballrooms of the day, as were Charles d'Albert's Express Galop, The Railway Whistle Galop (G. Richardson), The Railway Quadrilles by one Hallwood, The Signal Polka composed by George Lee and published in Sheffield where Lee held a position as a church organist, the galop Paris in 10 1/2 Hours (by H.W. Hall) and the Cook's Excursion Galop by Fred Musgrave, whose sheet music cover depicts Cook's tourists enthusiastically climbing Mount Vesuvius heedless of the volcano erupting just above. (Incidentally, the popular song Funiculi, Funicula celebrates the opening of the funicular railway up Vesuvius and I have come across a mention in 1881 of a song entitled Cook's Excursionists by one J. Hillier). Musgrave, incidentally, ran a travelling theatre company which visited Doncaster in 1879 and composed music for its productions."

However, I know that doesn't help much (and the date is wrong).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: GUEST,Colin Bargery
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 08:52 AM

Thanks Peace. The Railway Whistle Galop is in the British Library. I Assume its a purley instrumental piece but I might check next time I'm researching in there.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: Peace
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 10:07 PM

Colin, by any chance do you have ANY of the lyrics at all?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 11:12 AM

No.Just the title

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Whistle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jan 08 - 08:14 PM

Google Book Search tells me that Florence E. Brunnings' "Folk Song Index" contains a listing for "Blessings of Hot-Water Travelling, The (See: The Railway Whistle)."

Note the plural "blessings".

Unfortunately, since the Index is still under copyright, it can't be viewed online.