Ah, PatSpaw, that should be read on NPR and every other media that would reach as many people as possible. Absolutely beautiful, though hard to read through the tears.:-)

No one has made mention of our own Art Thieme's tape That's the Ticket which is full of wonderful train songs, including Zack - the Mormon Engineer, The Hobo's Last Ride, Me and Jimmie Rogers, Dobie Bill, & East Texas Red among others. As far as I know, Folk Legacy still offers it on cassette. It is Number FSI-90.

I am not up on the more recent (last 20 years or so) kids' stuff, but surely Ringo must've had some train songs with his series for children with "Thomas?"

One of my earliest memories of a train song is of sheet music mom and dad had of A Railroad Runs Through The Middle of the House, at least that's the name I remember. Oh, the railroad runs through the middle of the house, the middle of the house, the middle of the house...Oh, the railroad ruuns through the middle of the house...All the livelong day. It had a black, white, and red illustration, kind of a caricature of a house with a train coming out of the page, splitting the house right down the middle. We used to sing it a lot and I remember my little kid's mind imagining what it would really be like to have a RR running through our house!

I was fortunate to grow up, most of my childhood, near where the California Zephyr runs with its Vistadome cars giving a 360 view of the magnificient scenery of the West, from Chicago on. Had many fabulous rides on it, as a child and adult. Have also been on the narrowgauge which runs from Silverton to Durango, CO. And, collected old RR spikes at what I think is the highest narrowguage tunnel in the US, the Alpine Tunnel up above Pitkin, CO. I'll post some links, later on.

I have always loved trains and still have some ticket stubs my brother saved for me as a child. The first time I remember riding one was on what was jokingly referred to as the "Toonerville Trolley" which mom and I rode from Casper, WY to Denver, CO, to see my grandma.

One of my favs. is, of course, Hank Williams' I'm so lonesome...I always think of that song when I can't sleep and hear the 2am freight train coming through....

thanks, Jendarlin'...great thread...

luvyakat