TRAINS on LP/CD |
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| As for music, I can think of several. One of the first LPs I had in my collection was by Jimmy Rogers (the singing brakeman) singing railroad songs. Oh yea, and this guy could Yodel too. Alas, this album was ruined during the flood of '72. I've tried replacing it on CD, but so far haven't found just what I'm looking for. There are several of his albums on CD, there was a tribute album, Merle Haggard did an album of his stuff, plus there is a nice boxed-set. What I'm looking for is an entire TRAIN album. |
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| Johnny Cash’s Blood Sweat and Tears was another one I wore out in my youth. The first side has just 3 tracks which tell the story of the legendary John Henry, while the flip side offers several more legend songs including Casey Jones with a live recording of a stream engine whistling at the beginning and end of that track. Johnny Cash had several other train theme albums of which we had a few. |
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| Merle Haggard has one of the largest model train collections in the world. His album My Love Affair With Trains is great because most of the songs are ones you don’t hear everyday, the title track was even written by Dolly Parton. My favorite: "The Silver Ghost" really gives you goose bumps. |
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| I had several kiddy records with trains songs, I remember the Little Red Caboose Behind The Train. "Smoke stack on it’s back - back - back - back, coming down the track - track - track - track, little red caboose behind the train." |
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Randy Dukes : Ride the Rails
Again: A few years ago I spotted a new
country-western-folk singer who’s first album was offered for sale in the classifies
in the back of American Cowboy magazine. This guy is a real live train man working for a
Railroad in Florida. I didn’t know he was a train man at
the time, I just make it a habit to buy every independent  cowboy/western album I can find and decided to add his to my cowboy
collection. Randy actually called me a couple times. I was always in bed and mom got to
talk to him. She loves his southern accent. (Which by the way doesn’t come out while
he’s singing.) During my mom’s talks with him (he called me because I was the
first one to respond to his ad in that magazine) he told mom that he was bringing out a
new album soon that was nothing but train songs, some old, most new written by him. Mom
told him to send one along as soon as it came off the presses, and he even autographed it
for me. I love this guy. I real live railroad man working for a real live railroad and he
sings too. My hero…… If you love trains you have to get his albums.
Heavens buy two or three, and tell him ROBERT WAGNER SENT YA!!! DUKE MUSIC - PO BOX 682 - St. Augustine, FL. 32085 (904)825-6702 |
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| I also have a few sound effects records of train and trolley sounds. My cousin, sister and me used to line up kitchen cars right next to the stereo and I’d play the trolley record and we’d all go for make believe rides. (There was a Trolley museum & antique car shop not too far from that Wild West train ride in Bloomsburg I mentioned earlier.) My favorite is an album that I replaced on CD called Thundering Rails : steam trains passing in the night - driving through the rain - thunder rolling over head - it puts me to sleep. |
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