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Johny Cash Riding the Rails Film 1986

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Johny Cash Riding the Rails Film 1986
Posted by PolishPower2 on Thursday, October 29, 2009 9:18 PM

and he apparently is driving a Southern Railroad Steam Locomotive with no Fireman in sight!

http://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Cash-Ridin-Rails-American/dp/B0007PLL1A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-p5bTHT3e8&feature=related

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Posted by SSW9389 on Friday, October 30, 2009 6:19 AM

The fireman is on the other side of the cab, firing. I really liked Clinchfield #1 in the video and the U36Cs slamming by. That video on youtube is all spliced up.

Johnny Cash was born in a shotgun house in Kingsland, Arkansas that was backed up to the Cotton Belt main line. His uncle was a Cotton Belt engineer who used to take him for rides in his steam engine. Cash sometimes attended the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festival in the Spring. If you haven't heard it find and listen to his song Ridin' on the Cotton Belt that Cash says was a tribute to his father.

Ed 

 

 

Tags: Cotton Belt
COTTON BELT: Runs like a Blue Streak!
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Posted by DMUinCT on Friday, October 30, 2009 8:41 AM

Johnny Cash was a rail fan, both real and models.

In the late 1970s, when Lionel Trains started the "Lionel Railroader Club", Johnny Cash was given Club Member Card #1 by Lionel.   Later he did some advertizing for them.  He also released an Album called "Victora Station", all railroad songs from "City of New Orleans" to "Wabash Cannonball".

Don U. TCA 73-5735

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Posted by Fred M Cain on Monday, November 10, 2014 10:50 AM

Does anybody have any additional info or details on Johnny Cash, the railfan?  I've tried searching online and other than finding lists of train songs, I can't find anything about his personal interest in trains.

 

I recently bought his autobiography from 1997 and he didn't mention it in there, either.

 

Regards,

Fred M. Cain

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Posted by samfp1943 on Monday, November 10, 2014 4:01 PM

PolishPower2

and he apparently is driving a Southern Railroad Steam Locomotive with no Fireman in sight!

http://www.amazon.com/Johnny-Cash-Ridin-Rails-American/dp/B0007PLL1A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-p5bTHT3e8&feature=related

 

Here is another that Johnny Cash often used in is act: "Wabash Cannon Ball"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZiQ89_s67Q&list=PLFE1FDB5AEBCD7F20

Railroads and Railroading have been an on-going theme in Country Music; Another personalit who was a railfan and model railroader was Merle Haggard. Born in Oklahoma, his family moved to Bakersfield, and his father Jim was a carpenter with the Santa Fe.

Here is a link to a Model Railroader Forum Thread from about 4 years back about Merle Haggard, and how he worked hisrail interest into his life (See the photo of his Tour Bus), and the mention of his Lionel ( O gauge collection) @

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/177162.aspx

 

 

 


 

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Monday, November 10, 2014 6:50 PM

Well, this show aired on a Friday night on (I think) ABC in 1974, which I remember very well as it came into my department for transfer from film to tape two days before the air date.  The producers were way behind schedule on the finished product and were bringing in show segments on 16mm (that was very unusual for anything going onto the networks at that time) from the lab late into the evening for transfer.  We got the whole thing on tape at about three in the morning and by seven or eight that morning the master and one copy were on a plane from LAX to JFK being hand-carried by someone.

I actually enjoyed the show, in spite of the insanely last-minute rush to get the show to the network.  It was, fortunately, the only time I ever had to work with the two producers.  Did love that golden time on the next paycheck, though.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Monday, November 10, 2014 6:56 PM

Well Chuck you did a helluva job on "Ridin' The Rails", my compliments!  I remember seeing it when it aired in 1974 and enjoyed it tremendously.  The only critisism I had of the show was it appeared to have been shot on really cheap film, but no matter, it was still a great show. 

I've got it on a VHS tape which I don't dare play at this time, the VCR's gone cannibal on me and is eating tapes!  Got to get a new VCR, assuming there's any being made.

Nice to hear from someone who was involved in the project!

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, November 10, 2014 7:20 PM

SSW9389
If you haven't heard it find and listen to his song Ridin' on the Cotton Belt that Cash says was a tribute to his father.

I love the Cotton Belt too.  Start this video at 1:31.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Monday, November 10, 2014 7:52 PM

My God how I miss Johnny Cash.  Thanks for posting this Overmod.

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Monday, November 10, 2014 8:55 PM

Firelock76
The only critisism I had of the show was it appeared to have been shot on really cheap film...

As I noted, it was shot on 16mm film, which even then didn't often have the requisite quality for network TV, which is why 35mm was used.  My recollection is that at that time, we only had a 16mm projector on our older Norelco film chain, which was not the good equipment that we used on network movies and commercials at that point.  At least the sound track was on magnetic film so the quality there was pretty good using a so-called double-system transfer.

Somebody needs to mention Johnny Cash's first recording and first hit: "Hey Porter."  Oh, guess that I just did; I still love that record and pay attention when it comes up on my random iTunes play.

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Posted by samfp1943 on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 7:36 AM

Firelock76

My God how I miss Johnny Cash.  Thanks for posting this Overmod.

 

Add a BIG AMEN To that ! 

[On BOTH COUNTS! ]    Bow

 

 

 


 

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Posted by wanswheel on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 9:21 AM

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought to be a Man In Black

I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

Singing in Vietnam Talking Blues
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Posted by Fred M Cain on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 10:54 AM

What about this one:

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

-Fred M. Cain

 

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Posted by Fred M Cain on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 11:11 AM

[quote user="Fred M Cain"]

What about this one:

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

-Fred M. Cain

 


And another really nice one.
 

-Fred M. Cain

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Posted by chatanuga on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 12:01 PM
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Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 4:16 PM

I recall Johnny doing print ads for Lionel, along the line of being sturdy and not finicky so they hold up. I miss him too. As an aside, I used to have a cassette of him, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins live at a concert at Stuttgart, Germany. You hear Johnny speaking German on it and I played it a couple of times and it got eaten. Damn it. Doesn't Neil Young own Lionel now?

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 6:35 PM

If you want to see Johnny Cash the railfan check this out:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=itVvaLeu6d4  If someone can figure out how to activate it, I can't!

Or search You Tube Johnny Cash Ride This Train Story 33

(The Vast Webs of Cross Ties & Iron)

Some of Johnny's best work as a musician AND a storyteller.

 

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 8:30 PM

If you want to see Johnny Cash the railfan check this out:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=itVvaLeu6d4  If someone can figure out how to activate it, I can't!

Let's see if this works:

 

Open the YouTube video in its own window; right-click on the video and select "Copy video URL".  Then go to your post, pick the 'insert/edit video' icon, and paste the copied URL  on the 'source' line.  On my system, the actual video doesn't appear in its frame until you post the message.

 

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 5:35 PM

Thanks Overmod, I'll try it sometime.  and I hope everyone enjoys the video.  If you get a little misty eyed that's OK, I do. 

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Posted by wanswheel on Thursday, November 13, 2014 5:49 PM
“Like the 309,” last song (and last train song) written and recorded by Johnny Cash, recorded August 21, 2003. He died 22 days later, September 12, 2003. 
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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, November 13, 2014 6:01 PM

Wonderful!

Here is a version that provides lyrics:

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