Railways in Pop Culture

[markem41]

And of course the whole of The Jam's 'Down in the tube station at midnight'.

 

[satisnek]

It's surprising how often the word train features in a song title including some dubious ones!

Took the Train - Bread
Peace Train - Cat Stevens
Train on a Track - Kelly Rowland
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John
Train - Leo Sayer
(Waiting for The) Ghost Train - Madness
Mule Train - Frankie Laine
Last Train to Clarksville - The Monkees
The Day We Caught the Train - Ocean Colour Scene
Train in the Distance - Paul Simon
Midnight Train to George - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Night Train - Visage
Train - Smokie
Soul Train - Swansway
The Runaway Train - Vernon Dalhart
Trains and Boat and Planes - Billy J Kramer and The Dakoras

The O'Jays - Love Train
The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running
Chas McDevitt (with Nancy Whiskey) - Freight Train
The Ethiopians - Train To Skaville
Johnny Duncan & His Blue Grass Boys - Last Train To San Fernando
E.L.O. - Last Train To London
Sheena Easton - 9 To 5 (Morning Train)
Flash And The Pan - Waiting For A Train
Chris De Burgh - Spanish Train
ABBA - Another Town Another Train
Albert Hammond - I'm A Train
The Pyramids - Train Tour To Rainbow City

There must be hundreds...

 

[fowler9]

The O'Jays - Love Train
The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running
Chas McDevitt (with Nancy Whiskey) - Freight Train
The Ethiopians - Train To Skaville
Johnny Duncan & His Blue Grass Boys - Last Train To San Fernando
E.L.O. - Last Train To London
Sheena Easton - 9 To 5 (Morning Train)
Flash And The Pan - Waiting For A Train
Chris De Burgh - Spanish Train
ABBA - Another Town Another Train
Albert Hammond - I'm A Train
The Pyramids - Train Tour To Rainbow City

There must be hundreds...

Sabbat - Ghost Train.

 

[LAX54]

Recently - 2 x HSTs showing up for no logical reason in 'Hannibal' (a US TV show).

On a similar tack, there is a documentary series on History at the moment called Robert Redford's 'The West' a history of the USA from the civil war, featuring how they dealt with the Indians, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Custer, Wyatt Earp, Rise of the Railroads etc, however every so often, one of the steam trains seen puffing over a viaduct, is made up of maroon BR Mk 1 Coaches and a BR staem loco hauling it !

 

[Mag_seven]

Many episodes of "Taggart" feature railways in the Glasgow area including a multi-liveried Class 303 pulling into Exhibition Centre station!

 

[Wombat]

Have we had :

'smoke lingers 'round your fingers; train heave on to Euston'

'and when a train goes by it's such a sad sound'

'and if you ever need self-validation; just meet me in the alley by the railway station'

'I came back to my old city; with fierce determination; and I couldn't find my way out of the station, it's all changed'

Thumbs up! That first one came to mind as soon as I read the thread title.

 

[317 forever]

And of course the whole of The Jam's 'Down in the tube station at midnight'.

That reminds me. In March 1980 the Jam went straight in at no 1 - the first time anyone had done this for over 6 years - with Going Underground. This happened just 5 days before a large increase in Underground fares!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There have been many references to film and tv shows, but don't forget the Ealing comedies and the many references to railways in them, as well as the Great St Trinian's Train Robbery.

In other songs:
Madness - Bingo, on the Liberty of Norton Folgate contains the lines


Half Man Half Biscuit.

Back In The DHSS
Time Flies By (When You’re A Driver Of A Train)

F****n’ ‘Ell It’s Fred Titmus contains the line


Most notable has to be The Coroner's Footnote on 90 Bisodol (Crimond) which regales the tale of a love torn male who plans to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train. Something that sadly occurs too often. It does end by expressing concern for the welfare of the train driver.

There's also "National *****e Day" from CSI:Ambleside, with the opening verse:

Pulling the ice axe from my leg
I staggered on
Spindrift stinging my remaining eye
I finally managed to reach the station
Only to find that the bus replacement service had broken down
After wondering to myself whether or not it should actually be called a train replacement service
I walked out onto the concourse and noticed the giant screen seemed to have been tampered with
Probably by a junior employee
Disgruntled commuters were being regaled with some dismal TVM
Involving a tug-of-love-custody-battle
Stockard Channing held sway...​

 

[EM2]

Sheena Easton 9-5 (search the video on Youtube for the Bluebell Railway)

I happened to see this on one of the TV music channels yesterday.
Flagrant disregard for Health & Safety, and numerous breaches of the Rule Book!

 

[TimNice]

The video to 'Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar' has been very cleverly made with different items of rail side equipment in time with different instruments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S43IwBF0uM

 

[Mag_seven]

Sheena Easton 9-5 (search the video on Youtube for the Bluebell Railway)

I happened to see this on one of the TV music channels yesterday.
Flagrant disregard for Health & Safety, and numerous breaches of the Rule Book!

This is the best version of Sheena Easton's 9 - 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxDKXZFwi9s

 

[Spartacus]

One I'd not really was Erasure's 'Oh L'amour', the original cover used original Railway Series illustrations of Percy and Rheneas in line with the album "Wonderland"'s artwork and other singles from said album. Despite only reaching number 85 on it's original release it gained enough attention for it to be noticed they didn't have permission to use the images, so the cover had to be reworked. I imagine the original could be quite a collector's item now.

 

[RichJF]

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but Mr Bean when he loses his ticket in a 1991/2 pre-international St Pancras, complete with trollies and red ticket gates & Intercity 125.

 

[321001]

The Bible - "Mahalia" filmed at Swindon works on a traverser.
https://youtu.be/u-IF0sr2zhQ

Intaferon - "Get Out of London"
https://youtu.be/6u3UNwybclo

Fake - "Another Brick" filmed at Vitré train station in France
https://youtu.be/6UGapxejQW8

 

[Par]

Gordon Hill in the 1976 FA Cup Semi Final, I'll get me coat...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIdRTxuOs5A

 

[Cowley]

The video to 'Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar' has been very cleverly made with different items of rail side equipment in time with different instruments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S43IwBF0uM

I love The Chemical Brothers and I like that track but I must admit that I've never watched that video before, very relaxing.
Welcome to the forum by the way

 

[leananger]

Locally produced video by Colour Me Wednesday for "Holiday From Your Life" features GWR mainline around Hayes & West Drayton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyIjoOjVZxM

 

[OneOffDave]

Have we had all the nuclear fuel train movements in the original Edge of Darkness?

 

[mackeral1234]

Breakthru by Queen was on on a preserved line (Gloswarks?)

I think Queen's Breakthru was on the Nene Valley.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthru_(song)