classic railroad songs

I'm making a "railfanning mix" CD and can't really think of too many songs to put on it. I was just wondering what classic railroad songs you can think of?

My favorite so far being Johhny Cash's Folsom prison blues.

There are many. A few which come to mInd are: "On the Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe," "City OF New Orleans", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Wabash Cannon Ball" .

Bill, after our discussion last year, you never mentioned "Pan American"?

Ooops! My bad! (as they say nowadays).

We certainly did dig into that very deeply, about the radio station etc.I remember it well.

Guess it is because I possibly have never personally heard the song, myself. I was just asked to investigate it for another person, my brother-ini-law, who was a country & western fan.

No telling what else I left out. My excuse: I am at work when I play choo choo with the computer, don't have one at home--gotta think more about the job than the trains!!!

Have a good day. I appreciate how you have responded to my posts several times.

Bill-you're most welcome!

Justin-Here's a link to LOTS of railroad songs:

http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/songs.html

Some of my personal favorites (coming from a 50+ year-old with lots of bluegrass and country-rock albums from the 1970's):

Old Train-Seldom Scene
Pan American-Seldom Scene
Glendale Train-New Riders of the Puple Sage
Life's Railway to Heaven-Amazing Rythym Aces
City of New Orleans-Bluegrass Alliance (uptempo version)
Coal Tattoo-Billy Edd Wheeler (more of a coal-mining song but talks about laying tracks "in the hole", the mine)
Yukon Railroad-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Silverton Train-C. W. McCall
Orange Blossom Special-Vassar Clements/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

I am wandering if your "Life's Highway to Heaven" is the same thing I know as "Life is like a Mountain railroad"?

Also,"I've been working on the railroad..."(I think that is for children).

Johnny Cash sang something on the "South Wind".

I know there are oodles more.

Any takers? I know this topic has come up before and gotten lots of responses. Can't remember them all now.

I see the link Shemp Howard posted covers everything imaginable. No need for more. That is fabulous.

hah, thanks alot Aa3rt that pretty much did it for about 12 CDs

bill haithcoat wrote:I am wondering if your "Life's Highway to Heaven" is the same thing I know as "Life is like a Mountain railroad"?

Yes, Bill-it's the same one. I have a book of old hymns, the song is titled "Life's Railway to Heaven", written in 1891 by M. E. Abbey and Charlie D. Tillman. The first verse starts out "Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that's brave..."

The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road ...

How about "People Get Ready" by the Chambers Brothers? Let's not forget that one.

"Steel Rail" by Alison Krauss

If we are going to go international, The Albion Band's Fireman's Song off their album Captured is a personal favorite (or should I say favourite) of mine. Of course I am surprised that The Legend of John Henry's Hammer by Johnny Cash hasn't been mentioned either. Boxcar Willie did a lot of train songs as well (but most of these are covers of songs recorded by others).

Canadian Railroad Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot

There was a good up-tempo country song about 10 years back - I can't remember the artist or title (big help, huh!) but the chorus was "Can't stop the train, got to let it roll on". The video, which I only saw once, had the band playing on a flat car I believe, hauled down the track by an ALCO (RS36??) from some Tennessee short line. Who can fill out the details?