When I was a kid in the U.S. we certainly knew what locomotives were. I believe in the 1940's & 50's they were changing from steam to diesel, but at least some people called them locomotives. We sang it "See the little pufferbillies" because that was the pronunciation of the people we learned the song from. I always assumed that when the station master turned the little handle, he signaled that the train could now start, and "off we go." Are we all a bit silly fussing over this? I like recalling these songs. Now I sing them to my great nephew who loves trains.
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