The Day the Train Pulled into Town

The Intercolonial Railway, Canada’s first national infrastructure project, was initiated as one of the conditions for the Maritime Provinces to join Confederation. It began construction in 1867 and reached Sackville, New Brunswick, on November 30, 1869. This CD celebrates that arrival of 150 years ago, portraying the train as a vehicle that tells of arrivals and departures, of promise and disappointment, of new beginnings and sad endings — the stories of our lives.

Song List

Take Me With You (3:43)

(Janet Crawford, 2019)
Janet Crawford: vocal and harmony
Ray Legere: guitar, mandolin, fiddle, harmonies
Marcel Duplessis: upright bass
Geoff Arsenault: percussion
Frank Doody: banjo

It was always our intention to see the ‘train’ in this project as a vehicle to tell a variety of stories. So many events in our personal histories and in our country’s history have involved trains. Stories of young people arriving in Sackville on the train, from all over the country, to attend Mount Allison University – exciting new adventures; happy new beginnings. Stories of train loads of young men leaving their families to enlist in World Wars I and II. The trains have moved us with our highest hopes and our broken hearts around the country. This song, of separation, hints at the thoughts and feelings brought about by a ‘leaving’.

Chorus:
Take me with you when you leave me
Sing my praises as you go
Don’t forget how much I’ll miss you
Heaven knows I love you so

Fields of green grass that surround me
Up above the sky so blue
On this train that takes me further
All I can do is think of you

Sunshine gathers on this window
As the world whirs by my head
I see your face in the reflection
And hear those quiet words you said

Chorus

Streets and cars are left behind me
Level crossings clang and flash
But there’s a sadness growing slowly
Knowing you are in my past.

And as the darkness slowly settles
And the view begins to dim
It’s not your face that looks upon me
But your heart inside me still.

Chorus
Take me with you when you leave.

— — — — — — — — — —

Freight Train (3:49)

(Elizabeth Cotten, c. 1910)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: guitar, mandolin
Bruce Dixon: electric bass
Roger Williams: dobro
Georges Hebert: guitar
Geoff Arsenault: percussion
Frank Doody: banjo

The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore (4:23)

(Jean Ritchie, 1965)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: guitar, fiddle, mandolin
Roger Williams: dobro
Bruce Dixon: electric bass

Before the Break of Day (4:05)

(Janet Crawford, 2019)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere:- guitar, mandolin, viola
Karin Aurell: flute and bass flute
Bruce Dixon: electric bass
Bill Bridges: string/woodwind arrangement

The sound of the freight trains passing through town in the middle of the night is a sound which I have come to look forward to hearing. This is a sentiment expressed by many people, like me, who have difficulty finding sleep.

I had recently been told of a story a young boy complaining to his parent that he didn’t want to leave the swimming park at supper time. His parents said they could return in the morning. The young boy, disappointed, replied, “Morning is a hundred miles away!” I thought that was a beautiful poetic statement.

Soon I was, as usual, lying awake in the dark as the train’s whistle was heard in the distance – approaching town. This song came to me very quickly – with most of the key verses in place before the train had passed… off into the distance… a hundred miles away.

The train sings a lullaby as it pulls through town
And echos in the dead of night – a long and lonesome sound
Morning is a hundred miles away
And there’s five long hours before the break of day

Amid the doubts that swell deep within the night
The thunder rumbles on …. long after the light
And in the dark the sadness is never far away
But hope and dreams will find themselves before the break of day

It’s a long long train that pulls a mighty load
So long that I can still hear her creaking and her moan
So dim now is the sound of the whistle miles away
In the quiet of the night before the break of day

The train sings a lullaby to those quiet in their beds
Whose slumber is still out of reach with voices in their heads
And dreams will weave their stories and then they’ll fade away
And leave the pillow warm before the break of day

A train sings a lullaby and drifts into the night
The thunder rumbles softly long after the light
There’s five long hours before the break of day
And morning is a hundred miles away

Goodbye Old Railroad (3:40)

(Michael O’Reilly, 2019)
Ray Legere: vocal, guitar, mandolin, fiddle
Roger Williams: dobro
Marcel Duplessis: upright bass
Frank Doody: banjo, harmonies
Janet Crawford: harmonies

Let’s walk down by the river
Like we used to do
Back in the days of our childhood
Back when our love was new

We’d sit underneath the trestle
And listen to the train roll by
With a clickity clack as it went down the track
I swore to you my love would never die

Now that I’m old my hair has all turned grey
I love you as much as I did yesterday
You’ve always been my darling and stood by my side
Through happiness and sorrow; when we laughed and when we cried

But the trains don’t run like they used to
The trestle stands alone
In the still of the night, in the pale moonlight
No more will we hear that whistle moan

The trains have gone forever
In our memory it belongs
But we will stay together
And sing love’s old sweet song

So goodbye to you old railroad

In the Pines (4:32)

(Traditional, c. 1870)
Janet Crawford:- vocal and harmony
Ray Legere: guitar, mandolin, fiddle, harmonies
Roger Williams:- dobro
Marcel Duplessis: upright bass

The Day the Train Pulled Iinto Town (4:20)

(Janet Crawford, 2019)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: guitar, mandolin, fiddle
Bruce Dixon: electric bass
Geoff Arsenault: percussion

I obtained the 1869 newspaper article written in ‘The Borderer’ on the actual event in November, 1869, when the train arrived in Sackville, NB. It was a big deal and a lot of preparation and planning had gone into the ceremony. A lot of dignitaries were on hand to give speeches and the planners, Senators, Mayors and their wives were treated to a lovely luncheon and champagne while they waited for the train to arrive – which was an hour late by the way. Eventually the train pulled up to the station and everyone, now well-oiled and relaxed, danced and sang and had a merry old time. From the actual account of the event, this song was written.

I wish I’d been there that day
I wish I’d seen it makin’ its way
Around the turn at Carter’s creek
Up to the platform for all to meet

I wish I’d been there that day
They all turned out to have their say
Big men with words to brag and take
Little ladies with hankies and cake

And who would know the changes to come
On those quiet days we found
So innocent a time it was
The day the train pulled into town

Horse and carts silently wait
Little could they know of their fate
The skies above the colour of slate
Made them wait – the train was late

At 3 – the whistle blew
The first blast this marsh ever knew
And slowly it stopped with a sigh
Hopes and dreams drift up to the sky

And who would know the changes to come
On those quiet days we found
So innocent a time it was
The day the train pulled into town

But then it came to end the day
As time does not wait for trains to stay
They laughed and danced then rang the bell
“Three cheers” “All aboard!” the railman yelled

A century and a half have flown
And now I tap words on a telephone
But there she blows – long and slow
All through the town like long ago
The day the train pulled into town
The day the train pulled into town
The day the train pulled into town

Long Legged Cowboy (3:48)

(Janet Crawford, 2019)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: guitar, fiddle
Jean Guy Grenier: pedal steel guitar
Bruce Dixon: electric bass
Geoff Arsenault: percussion
Georges Hebert: guitar
Marcel Duplessis: harmonies

As a kid I loved to watch cowboy shows on TV. Black and white, good guys vs bad guys, riding horses and robbing trains. The long legged cowboy was strong, quiet and had a mysterious nature. In this song I really had fun playing with the narrative of legend and history along with the transition of the trains coming to the ‘wild west’.

A long legged cowboy rode into town
And knocked all the girls off their feet
He didn’t say much – spoke with his eyes
The colour of waves in the heat.

The rain has taken all of the signs
Leaving only the story to tell
Without a legend to mark the spot
No one recalls where they fell

Oh, it’s hard to hear the truth in the wind
Ya can’t follow a trail in the rain
when a man can burn a hole in your heart
And that heart just can’t stand the strain
A heart – like a runaway train

A long legged cowboy rode into town
With mystery worn on his face
And on the day he disappeared
No one remembered their place

It’s hard to hear the truth in the wind
Ya can’t follow a trail in the rain
when a man can burn a hole in your heart
And that heart just can’t stand the strain
A heart – like a runaway train

How he made his get-away no one is sure
But they all suspected the train
That sneaks and steals in the dead of the night
And makes off with all of that pain

Iron Horse (3:29)

(Janet Crawford, 2019)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: fiddle, vio-cello, mandolin
Bruce Dixon: electric bass
Karin Aurell: flute and alto flute
Bill Bridges: string/woodwind arrangement

Again – a song born in the darkness on a sleepless night. I was drawn to the abstract notion that our dreams could be transported away on the trains in the night.

Here it comes through the darkness
On its way to who knows where
Rolling through small towns and cities
Stirring slumber everywhere

The iron horse they used to call it
Back when horses had a place
Now it’s called the train to glory
Buy your ticket – show your face

When your quiet sleep is shaken
Be it heart ache – be it strain
There she’ll be the rolling giant
Rumbling through the pouring rain

Her whistle blows its early warning
Muffled by the mist so light
But there it goes forever rolling
Passing through the darkest night

In the night when you feel empty
And you hear that whistle’s bell
Let your soul be raised and taken
Cast your dreams into the well

But If you find your dreams are missing
Taken by some ghostly force
Maybe they have all just boarded
On the train – the iron horse

Her whistle blows it’s early warning
Muffled by the mist so light
But there it goes forever rolling
Passing through the darkest night

So If you find your dreams are missing
Taken by some ghostly force
Maybe all your dreams have boarded
On the train – the iron horse

“All Aboard” your dreams are loaded
On the train – the iron horse.
“All Aboard” your dreams are loaded
On the train – the iron horse.

This Train (5:04)

(Traditional, 1922)
Janet Crawford: vocal
Ray Legere: fiddle, mandolin, guitar
Jean Guy Grenier: pedal steel guitar
Georges Hebert: guitar
Geoff Arsenault: percussion
Bruce Dixon: electric bass

Acknowledgements

Again, my deepest thanks to Ray Legere who is so good to work with. This project was designed as a collaboration between Ray and me, but in truth Ray was the foundation. His vast experience in the bluegrass genre helped provide the interpretations and arrangements for the traditional and cover songs. On my original tunes, he took my simple musical ideas and developed them into ‘real’ songs. Then he added his wisdom and experience, and helped ‘craft’ the songs into arrangements with some of the best musicians working today. To complete the task he then mixed and mastered the entire project through his studio ‘Acoustic Horizon’ and directed the CD launch concert. Thank you Ray – for everything.

Thank you to all of the musicians who shared their talents, which brought these songs to life. To Bill Bridges and Michael O’Reilly who contributed arrangements and compositions to the production.

To Ron Kelly Spurles and Live Bait Theatre who initiated the celebration of the 150 Year Anniversary of the arrival of the Intercolonial Railway. Thanks Ron for including us in your plans. To Karin Aurell who assisted in securing additional funding and to Sandy Burnett for his assistance with the concert.

To the Tantramar Heritage Trust (Paul Bogaard, Karen Valanne and Susan Amos) for providing background information on the history of the event for research purposes.

To Art Clowes at the NB Railway Museum in beautiful Hillsborough, NB. Art’s enthusiasm and encouragement generously allowed us to spend an entire morning doing a photo shoot in and around the remarkable train cars and engines which have been restored at the museum. Thank you, Art.

To Leslie Van Patter for her patience and talents in designing all the artwork for the project, and to Kim McMillan for all the photography. Great job. Thanks folks.

And to the following for their generosity and trust in helping to fund this project. Many thanks: