wayman
Engineer
I did grow up with that song... other railroad songs, too, but for obvious reasons "Old 97" was my favorite. I vaguely recall that I had it on one of those "book-and-record" deals where there was a ten-inch-square paperback with illustrations and lyrics, and stapled in just before the back cover was one of those floppy square one-song records you unbound and played on a record player. Probably produced by the Roanoke railway museum or some such, but I don't remember--I must have been 5 at the time!Which brings up an old railroad song, "The Wreck of Old 97". Have you heard of that? It was a true story. Old number 97 was a mail train and it did wreck betwen Lynchburg and Danville, early 1900's. I am sure you can call it up on the internet. My mother used to sing that song to me.
In the song there is a mention of "it was not 38 but was old 97". Number 38 happened to be the old number of the Crescent (nos 37-38). So, in a round about way, even the old pre-Amtrak Crescent is referred to in that song.
No idea what part of my parents' attic that book-and-record inhabit, but I think I know where to look for my old audio cassette of railroad songs (which probably includes "Old 97"--it was a mix tape). If I find it when I'm down there for Thanksgiving, I'll bring it back with me and convert all the tracks (er, no pun intended!) to MP3s. I'm sure there are lots of good things there I haven't heard in twenty years.