Today’s train song of the day is Rock Island Line. It tells the story of an engineer who smuggles pig iron past a toll gate by saying all he’s carrying is livestock. There are many versions of this tune, the most famous of which is by the British “skittle” singer Lonnie Donegan. At risk of ticking off some of his fans, I’m going to say that I’m not a great fan of Lonnie Donegan’s music, so let’s hear some other versions instead.

Leadbelly…

Little Richard

and of course, Johnny Cash on Sun Records