Subject:
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Re: Question for you knowledgeable Train-heads
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:42:14 GMT
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Viewed:
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2643 times
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In lugnet.trains, Dave Schuler wrote:
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At this point I am forced to admit that nearly everything I know about trains
comes from “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “The Little Red Caboose,”
with additional blanks filled in by Thomas the Tank Engine.
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Well, confession is good for the soul, but I’m curious as to what exactly
you have learned from these sources, Dave!
Some possiblities from “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad”:
- “I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live-long day” (a job with a railroad entails loong hours)
- “I’ve been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away” (Curious. Implies that working for the railroad is voluntary without pay, and for the presumably rich and bored.)
- “Can’t you hear the whistle blowing, rise up so early in the morn’” (loong ROTTEN hours)
- “Can’t you hear the captain shouting, Dinah, blow your horn!” (whoa, who is “Dinah”)
- “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, someone’s in the kitchen I kno-o-o-ow” (Hello! Who’s with Dinah, and how’d they both suddenly get into a kitchen??)
- “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, strummin’ on the ol’ banjo” (Well, whoever this someone is, they are apparently quite musical)
- “Singing fee fie fiddly eye o, fee fie fiddly eye O O O O, fee fie fiddly eye OOOO, strummin’ on the ol’ banjo!” (He either: a. isn’t too good with writing lyrics, or 2. forgot them).
Frankly, this song actually raises more questions for me than it really
answers.
As for the The Little Red Caboose; this story is rife with misinformation!
Chiefly, the brakes on a caboose wouldn’t prevent a train from slipping down a
long, tall mountain. Careful with that dubious source material, Dave!
As for Thomas and his friends; they provide a lot of insight into the human
condition, but I’m not sure how reliable they are at providing useful
information about railroads. You might want to do some fact checking with data
gleaned from this source as well.
But overall, I’m glad that you are introducing your son to the world of
trainstrainstrains, Dave! One doesn’t really want one’s son growing up with his
head in the clouds (of space:-)
JOHN
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Question for you knowledgeable Train-heads
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| (...) Well, I've always suspected that it's a sort of mnemonic code, like "Ring a Ring of Roses" or "The Pied Piper of Hamlin." As for the "working without pay" bit, I fear that many of the bottom-rung "employees" did exactly that, alas. (...) Of (...) (18 years ago, 26-Dec-06, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Question for you knowledgeable Train-heads
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| (...) At this point I am forced to admit that nearly everything I know about trains comes from "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and "The Little Red Caboose," with additional blanks filled in by Thomas the Tank Engine. I wouldn't even have known (...) (18 years ago, 25-Dec-06, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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