I had a nice chat last night with a friend that works for the BNSF, and sparked me a bit. Trains run through here, freight only, but I have lived in areas where trains played a major part in economics and daily life. Obviously, when something is that much a part of a life, songs get written. My questions to start discussion are:

Favourite train songs?
One that's been stuck in my head all day is 'Smoke Along the Tracks'
Bye bye, so long
There's something down the track that's calling me
Bye bye, so long
I guess that's just the way I'll always be
When I get that feelin', don't try and hold me back
I'll only leave you cryin' in the smoke along the track

Is this a solely North American occurance?
I don't know of any other place that relied so heavily on train travel for human expansion, but I'm also an idiot.

How do you feel that relationship has changed over the years?
Riding the rails isn't the same as it was, either for freight or personal travel. Do you know of any music to reflect the change? (L&N already taken into consideration!)

Thanks,
~JenEllen