The Jingle, The Rumble And The Roar

As a longtime railfan and model railroader, I'm inclined to notice trains-not just where they're normally found, on the railroad itself; but also in popular culture. I mean, I went and saw Unstoppable (and pointed out all the technical mistakes) and managed to enjoy it.

But I also take in the cultural, less railroad-centric depictions of trains and rail travel, and one of the more mind-boggling trends I've noticed is that the cultural icon for trains, for rail travel and transportation is the steam locomotive. 

The problem is that I, as a railfan, know that this idea is horribly out-of-date. Steam traction hasn't been used by a Class 1 railroad in the USA since 1960, and by Britain since 1968. Other parts of the world may have varied (China used mainline steam until the late 2000s, but some Chinese industries and tertiary lines still operate steam locomotives to some extent) but the public's eye hasn't turned away from the hulking, hissing, steam-belching machine that ruled the rails from the first time that machines were created to power transportation. I've primarily collected examples from my hometown of Pittsburgh, but surely others exist elsewhere. The following ad that appeared for a while on East Carson St. is a prime example. 

The Love Train is apparently a 2-8-2 Mikado-type. Therefore, love is freight?

The impetus for this discussion was actually the music video for Scottish-American singer Sheena Easton's hit '9 to 5 (Morning Train)'; the song came out in 1981, thirteen years after British Railways laid its last steam locomotives to rest. 

There is a certain nostalgic appeal to the portrayal of railways in the video that justifies the use of steam; the views of the signalboxes, the traditional architecture of the station, and other elements of rail infrastructure point to a 1950's-era setting, when steam traction would be appropriate. Even in the 1980's, British Rail's infrastructure was still using elderly - albeit time-tested - facilities and equipment for a surprising portion of their daily operations, modern though their motive power and rolling stock would be. Wikipedia relates that the video was indeed shot at the Bluebell Railway, the first heritage railway in the UK to open for the preservation of vintage railway equipment. Similarly, American country musician Josh Turner found himself at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum for the video accompanying his hit 'Long Black Train', in 2003. Tennessee Valley 2-8-0 number 610 played the role as the titular train. 

But trains and music have a long history; quite a long list of traditional, folk, and country songs from the previous two centuries revolve around trains. In the time before the automobile and the airplane, it was the fastest and most efficient mode of transport. Country music certainly did its share of idolizing the steam locomotive, but that's not where we're going with this. What the meat of this essay will be is the headscratchers, the out-of-place iconography, the non-rail-centric subject - like our above ad.

Here's one: this logo used by the Paul Simon Job Corps Center of Chicago.

The Job Corps program doesn't seem to have a railroad curriculum, so this one is kind of a mystery. 

The Starlite Lounge in Blawnox, PA has this mural on their wall, depicting Grand Trunk Western 4-8-4 6325 in its Ohio Central guise, as a 'Hoboken Line' train. One would think trains of New York City would first call to mind the subway. 

Perhaps an equally valid question would be why refer to a 'Hoboken Line' in a Pittsburgh suburb.

Here's the logo of a restaurant at the Snowshoe Ski Resort in West Virginia that we almost dined at during our trip to the Cass Scenic Railroad. It's called 'The Junction'. 

This is not so unjustified an example, actually; as the locomotive in the logo is a Shay. These were geared locomotives built for rough terrain that a typical reciprocating locomotive would have had trouble with. The nearby Cass Scenic is one of a very few heritage railroads operating these unique locomotives. The Junction was a little bit pricey for us, so we ended up eating at another place we liked better two nights in a row. 

This billboard advertising a child care center appeared on East Carson St. near the Waterfront mall. 

This one is somewhat appropriate, since the train depicted is a toy. 

And these are just the few I've seen recently. There must be others out there. If you find one that fits, send me a picture. If I get enough, I may have to post a sequel.