# What is the earliest documented song about steam trains?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 31, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409 "2010-05-31T19:03:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409/1 "2010-05-31T19:03:11Z")

</div>

Trains have been a staple of song writing since the 19th Century but what is the earliest documented song about a train?

The question is prompted by listening to [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAgN_w3TXZc) song from 1909, _In My Merry Oldsmobile_.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409/2 "2010-05-31T20:07:59Z")

</div>

No idea, but it did remind me of this:

> [@](#):
>
> Between Hank Williams pain songs, Newberry’s train songs  
> and blue eyes cryin’ in the rain, out in Luckenbach Texas  
> ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409/3 "2010-05-31T20:17:54Z")

</div>

See

[http://www.railserve.com/music/#Railroad](http://www.railserve.com/music/#Railroad) Songs

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-earliest-documented-song-about-steam-trains/541409/4 "2010-05-31T20:24:06Z")

</div>

[Some stuff from 1830](http://www.musicweb-international.com/railways_in_music.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> But now to the music inspired by the railway. Initially, and indeed at most periods since, this has been mostly popular in character, Broadside ballads, like Newcastle and Carlisle Railway (ca. 1835) and Battle on the Shields Railway (1839) were sung to folk tunes. Possibly the earliest title I have unearthed so far is the rather similar ballad Johnny Green’s Trip to 'Owdam to see the Liverpool Railway which is, of course, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened in 1830. In addition the navvies who built the railways sang their own songs, as had the canal navvies (a few of the latter’s songs survive).
> 
> In 1831 Doncaster’s Theatre Royal staged a pantomime with music entitled The Rail-Road (composer unknown). A Characteristic Rondo for piano solo, also c.1830, conveys the characteristic rhythm of the steam blast; the sheet music cover carries a picture of the Sankey Viaduct on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and the music apparently represents a journey on that line. By contrast William Wilkes’ Quadrille of around 1840 has no especial railway colour in the music despite the cover picture, of Wolverton Viaduct on the London & Birmingham Railway (later LNWR).