In the 1945 hit song "On The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe," sung by Judy Garland and many other notable singers of that era, part of the lyrics are as follows;
Oh, the roads back east are mighty swell,The Chesapeake, Ohio and the ASL,But I make my run and I make my payOn the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.
Who is the ASL? The only possible match I could find was the Atlantic Shore Line Railway, an electric trolley line serving southwestern Maine.
RJ Emery near Santa Fe, NM
There was an Adirondack & St.Lawrence Ry. It didn't start until 1906, but it's possible one of the Hollywood people grew up by the railroad so threw the name in.
Also there was an Aspen Short Line Ry. in the 19th century. It turned up being referred to several times in a book "Documents Relating to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" available on Google books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=bkAKAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA752&ots=5wvLlqkN_a&dq=ASL%20Railroad%20-sign&pg=PA783#v=onepage&q=ASL%20Railroad%20-sign&f=false
"ASL" is only in the movie, it's not in the original Johnny Mercer lyrics as published in 1944, or in his hit record of it from 1945.
My guess is that ASL was an error. The original intent was most likely ACL or Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In that stanza, it also would have made more railroading sense to have used "Baltimore" instead of "Chesapeake" without compromising the rhythm and rhyme. The B&O was a much larger railroad than the C&O.
Regardless, the one train scene in the 1946 movie "Harvey Girls" portrayed two different locomotives, neither in true AT&SF colors, which most likely would have been black.
"The Chesapeake and Ohio and the B&O"
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henry6 "The Chesapeake and Ohio and the B&O"
Doesn't fit. The ending of the second line of the stanza has to rhyme with the ending of the first line. Henry, you would make a poor songwriter!
A short section of the Atlantic Shore Line lives in Maine as the "Demonstration Railway" at the Seashore Trolley Museum. Former ASL rolling stock on hand include a two axle express car, a baggage RPO (108) and a Laconia-built freight locomotive (100). 100 and 108 both run but are used only on special occasions.
Hee means "Bltimore and Ohio and ACL" instead of "Chesapeak and Ohio and ASL."
Checked on line for lyrics and I stand corrected...it is "ASL"!
rcdrye A short section of the Atlantic Shore Line lives in Maine as the "Demonstration Railway" at the Seashore Trolley Museum. Former ASL rolling stock on hand include a two axle express car, a baggage RPO (108) and a Laconia-built freight locomotive (100). 100 and 108 both run but are used only on special occasions.
Ten years ago, I visited the Seashore Trolley Museum. It has an impressive collection of former trolleys and at least one from New Jersey, where I live. IIRC, the unit was a former Public Service Coordinated Transport (PSCT) trolley. I also vaguely recall seeing one of the PSCT President's Cars that ran from from Newark (NJ) Penn Station to Branch Brook Park.
Regarding the Seashore Museum's trolley ride, it was about a mile to a turnaround, then back. At the time, the volunteers were attempting to extend the rails. Was this segment part of the actual route of the Atlantic Shore Line? Since the route I traversed was completely tree lined, what would have been the next stop beyond Kennebunkport?
rjemery Regarding the Seashore Museum's trolley ride, it was about a mile to a turnaround, then back. At the time, the volunteers were attempting to extend the rails. Was this segment part of the actual route of the Atlantic Shore Line? Since the route I traversed was completely tree lined, what would have been the next stop beyond Kennebunkport?
The line is on the actual ASL Right-of-way. The line is about 1.8 miles long to a loop, and the Museum owns an additional 2 or so miles of ROW to Biddeford ME, which is the next town north.
It has been a very very long time since I visited Seashore, but yes, the roadbed is that of the ASL. Definitely.
Interesting following the story of the lyrics....I have listened to 3 Judy Garland renditions and a Johnny Mercer (Composer, lyricist) cut and each is quite different from the other and none of them include the line and railroads in question. The printed lyrics for Mercer's "hit" do not have the line but other printed lyrics do (not attributed to either Garland or Mercer). The Harvey Girl scene does not have the lyric and another cut from a Garland's Best Of album doesn't, and another recording doesn't either. I have almost 4000 albums or LPs (for sale) so I will have to dig out the JG albums. (13 of them) and give a listen as soon as I have a chance!
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henry6 Interesting following the story of the lyrics....I have listened to 3 Judy Garland renditions and a Johnny Mercer (Composer, lyricist) cut and each is quite different from the other and none of them include the line and railroads in question. The printed lyrics for Mercer's "hit" do not have the line but other printed lyrics do (not attributed to either Garland or Mercer). The Harvey Girl scene does not have the lyric and another cut from a Garland's Best Of album doesn't, and another recording doesn't either. I have almost 4000 albums or LPs (for sale) so I will have to dig out the JG albums. (13 of them) and give a listen as soon as I have a chance!
On YouTube, one can view the relevant clip from "Harvey Girls" and hear the stanza sung that I originally posted. Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJXnDaCNFpA
Fast forward to about 5:10 in the clip. The first two lines of the stanza are sung by the AT&SF engineer, the final two lines by his fireman.
This is a different clip than what I listened to and watched... and the one, evidently, to which the entire printed lyrics are for! I actually could be that neither Judy nor Johnny ever sang those lyrics!
I'm still going with Aspen Short Line. Based on the book I linked to in my earlier post, the Aspen Short Line had some connection with the Santa Fe in the 1800's, it could be someone came across a reference to it while researching the ATSF for the movie.
Apparently the ASL was leased by Colorado Midland, and was somehow involved in a trackage agreement with ATSF and CM - perhaps around Arkansas Junction. There may have been some other financial / mortgage connection too.
I'm thinking that only Johnny Mercer can answer this question and he's now decomposing.
henry6 I'm thinking that only Johnny Mercer can answer this question and he's now decomposing.
Judging from the many versions of the song by just him and Judy Garland, I wouldn't doubt that....often happens when in a movie script they need more time or when someone forgets lyrics and all of a sudden they've rewritten the lyrics. Or, in order to hold or renew the copyright on the music the owners will do that especially after the death of the composer.
wjstix I'm still going with Aspen Short Line. ...
I'm still going with Aspen Short Line. ...
That road would be in Colorado, which excludes it because it is not an eastern road. I still believe ASL was simply a flub. I favor the intended road to be ACL (Atlantic Coast Line). The substitution of ACL for ASL in no way compromises the rhythm or rhyme.
Well Hollywood put out a blockbuster movie years back called "Krakatoa, East of Java"...even though Krakatoa is actually WEST of Java.
Stix...you crack me up. That was one of the WORST movies , ever.
To call that movie a "blockbuster" does not speak well for the general movie-going public, does it?
Johnny
Well, remember Johnny Mercer wrote the song and published it (and recorded it) before the "ASL" line was there. So the studio had a writer create new lyrics, which were then sung by Judy Garland, Ray Bolger et al. What the writer wrote and what they sang aren't necessarily the same. Plus, what someone hears listening to the song (or someone listening to the song and transcribing the words on the internet) could also be different than what was written or sung. So who knows what it was really meant to be??
Reminds me of the 1960's, hearing British bands singing US rock or blues songs and how different the words they thought they heard were from the actual lyrics.
Deggesty To call that movie a "blockbuster" does not speak well for the general movie-going public, does it?
You forget the times. The nation had gone through ten years of Depression, dust bowls and bread lines, followed by four grueling years of war. Yes, anything upbeat was definitely a blockbuster then. One cannot realistically apply present day standards to films made nearly seventy years ago.
wjstix Well, remember Johnny Mercer wrote the song and published it (and recorded it) before the "ASL" line was there. So the studio had a writer create new lyrics, which were then sung by Judy Garland ...
Well, remember Johnny Mercer wrote the song and published it (and recorded it) before the "ASL" line was there. So the studio had a writer create new lyrics, which were then sung by Judy Garland ...
Don't be so sure. Mercer probably wrote all the lines, but in the releases made on old 78 rpm vinyl, there was a finite amount of time allotted to a song. The full rendition of the movie version probably would not have fit on a 78, and radio stations would have demanded a shorter version anyway before it could be broadcast. Listener's attention rarely exceeded three minutes. Hence, an abridged version.
A requirement that continued on radio well into the rock and roll era.
Except when you publish a song, you include all the lyrics to protect them. The published version of the song matches up quite well with the pre-movie recordings by Mercer and by Bing Crosby. None of them mention the "ASL" line.
BTW a more interesting question is: Why is there the line about "all the way from Philadelph-i-a" when the character singing it is coming to the West from Ohio, and the ATSF only went as far east as Chicago??
Judy Garland released the song as a single, it was a separate recording and not the one used in the movie. As noted above, 78 RPM records could only get around 4 minutes of music on them generally, the version in the movie with all the different characters taking a turn singing is quite a bit longer than that.
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