You may or may not recall that I enjoyed my first trip to Hua Hin much more than my other, and we stumbled somewhat intoxicated to get the sleeper back to Bangkok Hualamphong...  Well, the least said about those escapades the better, but in terms of songs about trains, which do you find the most romantic?
Clarksville?
London?
Central?
Or here?

Or 400 miles away? 

 

In terms of tragic sadness, I think you can't beat "It's a <deleted>e state of affairs, Tommy, and all the fresh air in the world won't make any bloody difference".  But that was not specific to the train nor the station.  

I always feel sad and nostalgic when I recall the many train rides of my youth which I have enjoyed while travelling to and from schools, on the dilapidated Long Island  Railroad, or on The Main Line, or up and down, along the western and eastern coasts of Taiwan, way before they had the new trains with AC.

 

Those were the days when trains were trains, when you could smell the smells of the roadbed, and not feel so isolated from the world outside, as one passed through it.

 

Also, on the Taiwan railway lines, the doorway of the car at the end of the train was completely open, with only a sagging chain to hold one back from falling out.  And, one could drink as many cans/bottles of Taiwan beer as one wished, standing back there.  And, one could urinate out the back, too, which provided a wonderful sense of freedom.

 

You could put 24 cans of Taiwan Beer in your bag, and then finish most of it on the way from Tainan to Taipei, a trip that night take over 5 or 6 hours, beginning at dusk.

 

There was so much more FREEDOM, back then, that you just wouldn't believe....

 

The most romantic train song on this sad list might be this one:

 

But still, when singing about Trains and FREEDOM....then....I prefer this old standby (I am talkin'  the Freedom of the Underground Railroad, here....):

 

 

My father told me that if there hadn't been three tunnels on the train into Edinburgh he'd have never got married, and I have no reason to believe that is true, and I haven't even checked if there are three tunnels.

6 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

My father told me that if there hadn't been three tunnels on the train into Edinburgh he'd have never got married, and I have no reason to believe that is true, and I haven't even checked if there are three tunnels.

 

Maybe he was referring, obliquely, to the tunnel of love?

 

 

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Maybe he was referring, obliquely, to the tunnel of love?

 

 

He'd have probably not enumerated three in that case.

Not when there were scissors in the house. 

5 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

He'd have probably not enumerated three in that case.

Not when there were scissors in the house. 

In the spirit of the thread, I have done a Youtube search for songs about scissors.

Have you ever changed the subject? 
I'd not listened to this before I posted it - "fire" in one syllable - that's like Christmas!
It's "FIRE" as in "Fire" not "Fiiyah" as in Martin Offiah.  But if even Stuart Adamson can't  get it right I am paddling a canoe  400 miles upstream.  Miles, not Miyals.

8 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

In the spirit of the thread, I have done a Youtube search for songs about scissors.

Have you ever changed the subject? 

 

I knew you would, eventually, get around to the discussion of handlebars, and, no doubt soon, bicycles.

 

36 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

I knew you would, eventually, get around to the discussion of handlebars, and, no doubt soon, bicycles.

 

 

All roads lead to Rome, even if you go by the barbers'.
Or maybe look the other way

Midnight Train To Georgia would be mine favourite with train in the title. At midnight, it probably was the last train anyway 😁

 

Folsom Prison Blues is quite catchy. Not very romantic, though.

13 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

You may or may not recall that I enjoyed my first trip to Hua Hin much more than my other, and we stumbled somewhat intoxicated to get the sleeper back to Bangkok Hualamphong...  Well, the least said about those escapades the better, but in terms of songs about trains, which do you find the most romantic?
Clarksville?
London?
Central?
Or here?

Or 400 miles away? 

 

In terms of tragic sadness, I think you can't beat "It's a <deleted>e state of affairs, Tommy, and all the fresh air in the world won't make any bloody difference".  But that was not specific to the train nor the station.  

The song “City of New Orleans”.

 

15 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I always feel sad and nostalgic when I recall the many train rides of my youth which I have enjoyed while travelling to and from schools, on the dilapidated Long Island  Railroad, or on The Main Line, or up and down, along the western and eastern coasts of Taiwan, way before they had the new trains with AC.

 

Those were the days when trains were trains, when you could smell the smells of the roadbed, and not feel so isolated from the world outside, as one passed through it.

 

Also, on the Taiwan railway lines, the doorway of the car at the end of the train was completely open, with only a sagging chain to hold one back from falling out.  And, one could drink as many cans/bottles of Taiwan beer as one wished, standing back there.  And, one could urinate out the back, too, which provided a wonderful sense of freedom.

 

You could put 24 cans of Taiwan Beer in your bag, and then finish most of it on the way from Tainan to Taipei, a trip that night take over 5 or 6 hours, beginning at dusk.

 

There was so much more FREEDOM, back then, that you just wouldn't believe....

 

The most romantic train song on this sad list might be this one:

 

But still, when singing about Trains and FREEDOM....then....I prefer this old standby (I am talkin'  the Freedom of the Underground Railroad, here....):

 

 

 

As a kid / young teenager I travelled often by steam train from my small city to the provincial capital. 350 kilometres, very slow, took 15 hrs.

 

Many 2 to 5 minute stops. About half way a 20 min stop for warm tea and a bun. 

 

Very old carriages, very upright seats, some with no padding depending on what carriage you ended up in. Very basic toilet facility in each carriage.

 

No fans or air conditioning and depending on the outside wind direction carriages often full of smoke and soot from the engine., often enough windows jammed open or closed.

 

Parents watched their kids closely because no closing doors at both end of each carriage.

London Paddington to Pwllheli N.Wales, think it took 12 hours, using the coastal route in N. Wales.

First time I think was 1955...........🤗

Whenever I think of trains, I think of this. 

But my video won't embed as usual, I'm sick of asking how...

https://youtu.be/XHPostn1LL4?si=y0eLkAEkXTPw8V1z

This...

https://youtu.be/eSUdlUmtg3Q?si=D66d6tGwPeYfrC2O

On 4/13/2024 at 1:33 PM, Lacessit said:

 

Cracking song. However how does this fit into trains?

 

The last plane out of Sydney almost gone

In 7 flying hours I'll be landing in Hong Kong...

7 hours ago, RayWright said:

Cracking song. However how does this fit into trains?

 

The last plane out of Sydney almost gone

In 7 flying hours I'll be landing in Hong Kong...

My mistake - I have always thought the lyric was "the last train out of Sydney's almost gone".

15 hours ago, Lacessit said:

My mistake - I have always thought the lyric was "the last train out of Sydney's almost gone".

My mate’s Dad was a railwayman, working out of Sydney. My mate had missed the last stopping train home, but, since he knew all the drivers, he thought he’d see what he could ask.

”No, there’s no way I can make an extra stop; what I’ll do, I’ll slow right down, and if you jump off and start running before you land on the platform, you’ll be fine”

So the driver slowed down, and he stood at the cab door… “JUMP!” and he was off, legs spinning and arms flailing. He ran alongside the train and started to slow down; just as the last coach passed him, two big arms grabbed his shoulders “Street, you were lucky mate! This train doesn’t normally stop here”, said the guard, as they sped off, into the night.

 

 

 

 

This is on my daily playlist - 

 

I'm gonna take a freight train
Down at the station, Lord
I don't care where it goes
Gonna climb a mountain
The highest mountain
I'll jump off, nobody gonna know

… Can't you see, whoa, can't you see
What that woman, Lord, she been doin' to me?
Can't you see, can't you see
What that woman, she's been doin' to me?

 

 I've gone to buy a ticket now, as far as I can
Ain't a-never coming back
Ride me a southbound, all the way to Georgia now
'Til the train, it run out of track

Off their 1977 album, Time Loves a Hero.

 

Who didn't want to be a train driver when they were young?