Hi Richie,

Similar yes, since the verses are similar. As to whether they're related, it depends on whether you grant similar floating verses as an indication of relationship. I tend to think not, since you can find Samantha Bumgarner's verses in several other related songs. Conversely, Nestor's "Train On the Island" verses are pretty much unique to that song.

Assembling verses into a spur-of-the-moment song is something us banjo pickers have always done. I think Samantha caught the "Fare you well my honey" refrain -- which itself is a floater (another version goes

Fare you well my honey, fare you well my dear,
Fare you well my honey, I'm goin' away from here)

-- and put a hodgepodge of verses to it. Probably her own concoction, but not clearly distinct from several other song clusters, like "Blue Eyes Run Me Crazy" and ""I've Been All Around This World."   

BTW, I want to correct what I said earlier: the "Way Down on the Island" tune IS different from Nestor's for "Train On the Island." Sorry about that. Guess my ear was out at the laundry at the time. The Bumgarner tune is instead similar to one of the several "Finger Ring" tunes.