Richie,

IMO, not really. These verses became floaters in the 1920s if not earlier. They turn up in everything from college songs to Jimmie Rodgers recordings.

When Libba made her song, she used a piece of this and varied it, memorably and concisely. No doubt she'd heard it from family or friends when younger.

But "Freight Train's" identity is really the refrain most of all: "run so fast," "please don't tell them what train I'm on," etc. That isn't a version of any other song, as far as I know—it's unique.

Bob