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Posted by mobilman44 on Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:47 PM

Hi again!

  There was a Lionel commercial in the late '50s in the Chicago area that had a jingle that is still heavy in my mind - even when working on the HO layout.

It went.......   "That's real smoke a puffin, that's a whistle I hear, I'm a Lionel (whoo whoo) engineerrrrr"

Sometimes while working on the layout that gets in my head and replays over and over and over.  Does anyone else remember it?????

Mobilman44

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by dragenrider on Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:52 PM

I guess I'm the first poster to list musicals and operas.  Headphones  The last one was the anniversary edition of Les Miserables. 

On the whole I don't listen to music that much, though.  Most of the time I have my radio scanner on so I can listen to the massive number of fire & EMS calls in the metro area. 

The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!

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Posted by Driline on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:03 PM

 I'm surprised. Since most model railroaders are senior citizens or older, I thought for sure I'd hear some Benny Goodman or some Big Band music Tongue

Modeling the Davenport Rock Island & Northwestern 1995 in HO
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Posted by blownout cylinder on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:20 PM

Sometimes I listen to Wu Tang or some other Urban Hip Hop. There are times i listen to groups like Yes, Anekdoten, Daevid Allen's Gong, Hawkwind, Gentle Giant or Christian Vander's group--Magma.

Then I'll just throw in Black Sabbath, Trouble or something from a french guitarist Richard Pinhas---then throw in some Stravinski, Rimski-Korsakov, Bach, Brahms or Schubert.

Jazzier days do require Count Basie, Duke Ellington then John Coltrane and Joe Lovano or Peter Brotzmann.

I'm just over the map here----

Or for quieter days the purring of 'Spring'

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...

http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/

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Posted by mononguy63 on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:49 PM

Driline

 I'm surprised. Since most model railroaders are senior citizens or older, I thought for sure I'd hear some Benny Goodman or some Big Band music Tongue

Funny you should mention that, though I ain't "senior" just yet...

I've always been partial to the Count Basie Orchestra, but sometimes Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey might slip in as well. Or, I'll play some of my bluegrass collection. Both genres seem appropo to railroading. Got the ol' stereo set up with a couple of speakers at the work desk and a couple more under the layout.

Then again, I have four kids and two dogs in the house. Oftentimes, disappearing into the basement and not having any noise at all truly is golden!

"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley

I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious.  -Stephen Wright

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Posted by AntonioFP45 on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:54 PM

 I listen to smooth jazz-funk music that, to me, conveys the image of riding a fast passenger train as it gently sways on the track ( Yes, I've ridden passenger trains Wink).. I also enjoy listening to music that relaxes me while I'm working on my models.

Here are two samples. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUQCHypx-xQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM7r-Vlgmd0&NR=1

Joyce Cooling, Paul Brown, Chuck Loeb, Bobby Lyle, Acoustic Alchemy, and the late Wayman Tisdale just to list a few.

I like this type of relaxing cool tune when I'm detailing an item that can be a bit tedious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AH_hywcHtE&feature=related

"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"

 


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Posted by twhite on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:58 PM

Driline

 I'm surprised. Since most model railroaders are senior citizens or older, I thought for sure I'd hear some Benny Goodman or some Big Band music Tongue

Sorry, there.  I'm a Senior Citizen and still an active Classical Musician by profession.  Never liked Big Band.  Too 'Thunky.'  Stuck inexorably in 4/4 metre and never gets out of it. 

Actually, I don't listen to music when I'm working on my MR, Classical or otherwise.  One is my Profession, the other is my Hobby.  I don't intermix them.  Once I was listening to the second movement of Copland's Third Symphony while running a big Mallet over my mountains.  My Mallet stopped.  The music didn't.  'Atmosphere' was ruined.  Haven't repeated the experiment. 

Tom Smile 

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Posted by on30francisco on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:59 PM

 I listen to Classic Rock, oldies from the 50s and 60s, REAL Jazz, big bands, and sometimes disco.

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Posted by hcc25rl on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:06 PM

I do not listen to music while I'm "workin' on the railroad", however, I do listen to talk radio, both national and local stations. I find that I can "tune in and tune out" at will rather than having to try to watch TV. Music seems to distract me more so than does talk. I've been an amatuer musician (Bass/Vocals)  for over 35 years so I get my fill of everything from 50's to 2000's music most week-ends. Also, I like to keep as current as I can as regards local/regional/national news etc. I agree that Rod Stewart's layout was a real piece of work, though I doubt that he did all the work by himself. Just my opinion.

Jimmy

ROUTE ROCK!

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Posted by tbdanny on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:14 PM
Call it coincidence, but I've recently begun developing a taste for Frank Sinatra as well...

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Posted by mononguy63 on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:34 PM

tbdanny
Call it coincidence, but I've recently begun developing a taste for Frank Sinatra as well...

Put him in front of the Basie band or Nelson Riddle Orchestra - now that is Good Stuff!

And twhite, take a listen to Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. They throw out a wall of sound that'll knock your socks off. No "thunky" there.

"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley

I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious.  -Stephen Wright

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Posted by tomikawaTT on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:34 PM

shayfan84325
vsmith
That was like a root canal!

 

Well, well, whaddya know.  There's actually something WORSE than Rap!!!

My personal preference??  Classical.  No, not classical (fillintheblank.)  Classical, as in Beethoven, Brahms and a whole bunch of long dead Russians...

And then there's Honneger's Pacific 2-3-1.  The announcers usually call it, "Pacific Two-Thirty-One,"  which cracks me up.  (2-3-1 counts axles, 4-6-2 counts wheels...)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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Posted by hardcoalcase on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:42 PM

Beethoven Symphonies, preferably the odd-numbered ones, especially the first and last movements;  and Overtures, the Lenora group are favorites.  Mozart Symphonies, especially the later ones.  Overtures too.  Throw in some Mendelssohn, Rosini, and a handful of others.  This is barn-burning, thundering classical at its best.  If these don't get your blood pumping... better check for a pulse!

Jim

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Posted by twhite on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:45 PM

tomikawaTT

And then there's Honneger's Pacific 2-3-1.  The announcers usually call it, "Pacific Two-Thirty-One,"  which cracks me up.  (2-3-1 counts axles, 4-6-2 counts wheels...)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

 

Great piece.  I like Honneger a lot.  The original title was "Toccata for Orchestra: Pacific 231".   He also wrote another Toccata for Orchestra called "Rugby".  

There's a neat French short film that uses "Pacific 231" as its soundtrack.  Yup, it's a film about a locomotive from start to finish.  Pretty stunning, just like the music. 

Tom Smile

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Posted by Philly Bill on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:45 PM

AlreadyInUse
Hits River Junction
at seventeen to
at a quarter to ten
you know it's trav'lin again"

 There you go!  All I can do to keep from quoting the next line!  I'm still in the basement preparation phase, so I just have FM radio on the local AAA / NPR station, WXPN.  Unless the Phillies are playing, who definitely are worth hearing this year.

Hanging around Horseshoe Curve
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Posted by loathar on Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:45 PM

Music? We don't need no stinking music!Big Smile

http://www.railroadradio.net/

 

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Posted by climaxpwr on Thursday, July 16, 2009 10:51 PM

For me its light jazz or piano jazz.  The Rippingtons, Pat Methany, Basment Jaxx, Vince Guarldi (peanuts music)   I work better if I stay relaxed and focused.  if not in a music mode, I have a TV in the room and I can put it on CNN Headline news, History Channel ect.   Cheers  Mike

LHS mechanic and geniune train and antique garden tractor nut case! 

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Posted by alcodave on Friday, July 17, 2009 1:29 AM

You guys all have unique and interesting taste in music! Model Railroaders are probably the must interesting and diverse people you can ever meet.

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Posted by aloco on Friday, July 17, 2009 3:54 AM

I got my first train set back in 1974, and later that year I bought a couple more locos, some extra track, a couple of switches, and a few more freight cars.  I always had the radio playing when I ran trains, and I was really 'into' model railroading and listening to music in late 1974 - early 1975.  Here's a list of the songs I remember hearing back then:

 

Star - Stealer's Wheel

I'm A Train - Albert Hammond

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Passing Time - Bearfoot (c)

Longfellow Serenade - Neil Diamond

When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees

Cat's In The Cradle - Harry Chapin

Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

Boogie On Reggae Woman - Stevie Wonder

Dancin' Fool - The Guess Who (c)

Dark Horse - George Harrison

Bungle In The Jungle - Jethro Tull

Lady Ellen - James Leroy (c)

Can You Give It All To Me - Myles & Lenny (c)

I'm A Fool To Do Your Dirty Work - Songbird (c)

Mandy - Barry Manilow

I Wouldn't Want To Lose Your Love - April Wine (c)

Some Kind Of Wonderful - Grand Funk

Ready - Cat Stevens

Black Water - Doobie Brothers

Lonely People - America

Magic - Pilot

(c) stands for Canadian content.  Canadian radio stations were required by law to play at least thirty per cent of music recorded by Canadian artists.  And I didn't mind that at all because there was some really good Canadian rock and pop music to listen to during the early to mid 1970s.

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Posted by mobilman44 on Friday, July 17, 2009 7:34 AM

Aloco,

   Coincidently, the selections you quoted are all among the songs that cause me to "change the station".  I honestly reviewed each one and just had to laugh.  Ha, its a good thing we aren't working together. 

But hey, it just goes to show you, we all have different tastes - not a bad thing of course.

ENJOY,

Mobilman44

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by TMarsh on Friday, July 17, 2009 7:49 AM

mobilman44

I prefer the "classic rock" for the most part, but now find what the radio calls "classic rock" is just not all that "classic" - and is more a mix of late '70s and '80s stuff.

Classic rock - to this "war baby" - is mid '50s thru early '70s.  I also like "classic country", but again the radio's definition doesn't quite match with mine.

As an aside, there are tons of classic country & rock songs out there, but the stations here (Houston area) seem to have about 100 song playlist and everything else is verbotten!

For what its worth......

Mobilman44 

Sounds like the radio stations here. I don't listen to the radio much at all. When I do, for the most part the same songs are playing, with a few exceptions, that I heard a month ago. Grumpy

Todd  

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Posted by TMarsh on Friday, July 17, 2009 7:54 AM

superbe
Radio doesn't play my kind of music any longer so I am strickly CD

Same here. And for the most part it's.....(drum roll) Waylon Jennings. It don't get no better 'n at!! (well, to me anywayBig Smile)

 

Todd  

Central Illinoyz

In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.

I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk. Laugh

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Posted by UncBob on Friday, July 17, 2009 8:14 AM

 I play my RR CD created from my music collection

1. Chattanooga Choo Choo --Glen Miller/Tex Beneke

2. AT&SF--Pied Pipers

3.Wreck of Old 97--Hank Snow

4. Ben Dewberry's Last Run --Jimmie Rodgers

5. City of New Orleans--Willie Nelson

6. Pan American--Hank Williams 

7.California Zephyr--Hank Williams 

8.Freight Train Blues--Roy Acuff

9.Fireball Mail--Roy Acuff

10.Night Train to Memphis--Roy Acuff

11.Wabash Cannonball --Hank Locklin

12.Orange Blossum Special--Johnny Cash

13.Midnight Special--Leadbelly

14 Waiting For a Train--Merle Haggard 

15. So Long Train Whistle --Merle Haggard

16. Canadian  Pacific---George Hamiltown

17. Engine Engine Number Nine --Rodger Miller 


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Posted by alfadawg01 on Friday, July 17, 2009 9:13 AM

It depends on what I'm doing.  If I'm putting all of Kato's little details on one of their diesels, then I prefer silence so I can concentrate.  During less intensive kit-building or decaling, classical, jazz, Pat Metheny, Watermark or any solo instrumental pieces work well.  And since my synthesizers are in the same room that I work on the trains in, sometimes I listen to whatever musical projects are in progress at the time.  To wit:

 
 
Enjoy!
 

Bill

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http://www.soundcloud.com/wjwilcox

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Posted by aloco on Friday, July 17, 2009 12:15 PM

mobilman44
Coincidently, the selections you quoted are all among the songs that cause me to "change the station".  I honestly reviewed each one and just had to laugh.  Ha, its a good thing we aren't working together. 

 

The top 40 AM pop stations were all I had to listen to back in those days.  I was also 12-13 years old at the time.

I listen to a wider variety of music nowadays, and I've written and recorded a few of my own songs. 

But I since I've gotten more serious about the hobby I find that I can't listen to music while I'm working on model railroad equipment.  It breaks my concentration.

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Posted by BobL609 on Friday, July 17, 2009 3:16 PM

There is someone to listen to other than Jimmy Buffet?

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Posted by salt water cowboy on Friday, July 17, 2009 3:48 PM

I'll join in with the rock'n'roll crowd......Aerosmith, Sabbath, Genesis, Yes, Van Halen, Nickleback, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynrd, Metallica, Judas Priest, Kiss, Molly Hatchet, Zeppelin, The Cars, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Heart, ZZ Top and everything in between!        Course I cant' forget to mention the BEST BAND EVER (imho) Canadian trio> RUSH.............

Matt

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Posted by wjstix on Friday, July 17, 2009 5:41 PM

 Generally I click on the local public radio, doing classical music or their news channel. Back when I was single and used to work on the layout a lot at night I would put the news channel on to hear BBC programming.

Stix
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Posted by saronaterry on Friday, July 17, 2009 6:10 PM

Blues for me. Any and all. Kenny Wayne Shepard, Vaughn ,Clapton, Delbert McClinton, Blues Brothers, Et Al.

Terry

Terry in NW Wisconsin

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Posted by dinwitty on Friday, July 17, 2009 7:39 PM

 Big ELP fan, have collection of CD's installed on a 50 CD player BUT here's something else.

Get WinAmp online then visit

the mod archive

http://modarchive.org/

not all the music might be your cup of tea but you may find some goodies, some fun, some odd, some unique, just about anything, and there are some that have a railroad theme/sound/etc

Being a music person, played guitar, own a synthesizer, I like stuff like thats at the mod archive.

 

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