Paradise

Paradise

by John Prine

 

"Paradise" is a song written by John Prine for his father, and recorded for his 1971 debut album, John Prine. Prine also re-recorded the song for his 1986 album, German Afternoons. The song is about the devastating impact of strip mining for coal, whereby the top of the mountain is blasted off with dynamite to reach the coal seam below. The song is also about what happened to the area around the Green River in Kentucky because of the strip mining. The song references the Peabody Coal Company, and a now-defunct town called Paradise in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

Of course the song and video include coal powered steam trains. It is a sad song in many ways. Many artists have recorded it including the brothers Jim and Jessie. Even though they left out the last verse, it is probably my favorite version - I just love their harmony.

Wabash Cannonball

by Roy Acuff with Lyrics

Name that locomotive.

Lots of folks have wondered about the following verse and who was "Daddy Claxton"

"Here’s to Daddy Claxton, may his name forever stand,
And may it be remembered ’round the courts of Alabam’
His earthly race is over and the curtains round him fall,
We’ll carry him home to victory on the Wabash Cannon Ball."


I finally found this explanation:

"The enigmatic verse about Daddy Claxton was in the version Roy originally heard.  The fact that Roy’s  middle name is Claxton is just a coincidence.  He was named after Dr. P. T. Claxton, a prominent teacher and lecturer at Austin Peay College in Clarksville." (Source)

For the hardcore, here is the Carter Family version with a couple of changes to the lyrics. 

FEC 432 EMD GP40-2

Seen in Stuart, Fla. last spring. Remember spring?
Just missed him going over the bridge on the St. Lucie River. Was operating as a southbound without any other cars, just the locomotive.

 

EMD GP40-2, Serial No. 857078-1, Built date 12-85

A Train Called Glory

A Gospel song about trains by Isla Grant.

Isla Grant was born in Wigtownshire, Scotland.She started singing in folk clubs in Scotland at 14 then discovered country music.

The General

 January 19, 1807 - October 12, 1870 (aged 63)

In honor of General Robert E. Lee's birthday here is a bit of information on the 4-4-0 locomotive "The General".





Western & Atlantic Railroad #3 "General" is a 4-4-0 "American" type steam locomotive built in 1855 by the Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor in Paterson, New Jersey for the Western & Atlantic Railroad. The locomotive is widely known for being part of the Great Locomotive Chase during the American Civil War when Union spies stole the locomotive in an attempt to cripple the Confederate rail network. Today, the locomotive is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The locomotive wasn't named after Gen. Lee but I wanted to put a train in the post to honor a great man on the anniversary of his birth.

Deo Vindice

 

Bahia Honda Railroad Tressel

A previous post about the Overseas Highway reminded me of the uniqueness of the Bahia Honda bridge.

From Wikipedia:
It was purchased by the state of Florida and converted for highway use in 1938.^[4] Rather than rebuilding the bridge, the top of the structure was redecked for use as the Overseas Highway (the existing deck inside the truss was too narrow for vehicular traffic).....

Before being reused as a highway bridge, the Bahia Honda Rail Bridge carried a single track of FEC across Big Spanish Channel from Bahia Honda Key to Spanish Harbor Key. Unlike other bridges on the Overseas Railway, the Bahia Honda has a steel truss construction^]This was a necessary difference from the predominate concrete arch form of the other bridges of the Overseas Railroad, as the channel is the deepest of those spanned, at 24 feet.


See the Wikipedia article for more information. The picture and video below make it easy to see where the original rails were and the highway deck.

Black Mountain Special

A little bluegrass to hold us over to Rock and Roll Saturday at Chickenmom's blog. :)

Of course it is about trains with coal fired steam locomotives.