I was seven years old when this song came out in 1956. I only heard it once, but I never forgot it–because, well! What 7-year-old wouldn’t be fascinated by a train running through the middle of the house? I’m afraid I took the lyrics literally. We went to visit Grammy one night and I was kind of sleepy, coming home. So my father turned on the car radio, and this song was what I heard. Woke me right up!
Bob Hilliard wrote it, Rusty Draper and Vaughn Monroe recorded it independently of each other, and it was a big hit in both the USA and Britain.
I remember it well. In retrospect, I think this is where Roger Miller took his inspiration.
I had forgotten this one entirely, but I do remember it now.
Watch out for that 509 – it’s a humdinger. We had a railroad track three houses away until I was in kindergarten when we moved. It would pick up a load every day from the ice house. It shook our whole house, and I thought it was great.
I remember this song and was told it was based on the PGE when it relayed its tracks into Vancouver. Can anyone confirm if this is true?
That would take some digging. I was just a little boy when this song was on the radio.
That song scared the bejesus out of me as a little girl!
I thought it was funny. Who ever heard of a train running through the living room?