Here are the lyrics and audio for "The Pennsy Aerotrain, an original bluegrass-adjacent streamliner train song by Lannie Dietle. This wistful tune recalls watching the futuristic aluminum Pennsy Aerotrain thunder around Altoona's famous Horseshoe Curve in the mid-1950s — when the narrator was only three — as the gleaming age of American passenger rail passed into history. Enjoy the free lyrics, notes, and streaming audio below.
We drove up to the Horseshoe Curve,
And we parked there beside the bend.
We had come to see the future,
But found the beginning of the end.
We waited at that famous curve
To see that Pennsy Aerotrain.
A greenhouse like a Chevrolet,
And a nose like an Aeroplane.
An aluminum streamliner
Like nothin' you've ever seen.
Was she an aeroplane, or a train,
Or maybe somethin' in between!
She was majestic in the distance
As that big turn she rolled around.
By the time she got to our side,
She was shakin' the very ground.
She was pullin' ten shiny coaches
In their futuristic glory,
But the age of the passenger train
Was headin' on into history.
She ran from Philadelphia
On west to that Pittsburgh town.
They only ran her for a year,
And then they shut the Pennsy down.
No fancy streamlined train like that
Could compete with the modern car,
And people were flyin' on airplanes
When they needed to travel far.
But that new Pennsy Aerotrain
Was really somethin' for to see.
I saw her there in Altoona
Way back when I was only three.
Oh, I saw her in Altoona
Back when I was only three.
I saw her come around the bend
As she rolled on into history.
Yeah, I saw her rumble round the bend
As she rolled into history.
I saw her rumble round the bend
As she passed into history.
Thoughts on a unique streamliner train song
My parents had an 8mm movie camera when I was a kid, and one of my favorite home movies captured the futuristic-looking Pennsy Aerotrain coming around the famous Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This song, "The Pennsy Aerotrain," celebrates that day in Altoona while also waxing nostalgic about the end of the United States passenger train era.
Pennsylvania Railroad history
The reason we were train watching at the Horseshoe Curve was because Nevin Korns told us the novel Pennsy streamliner train was going to pass through. Nevin was my mother's uncle, and worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona. The Pennsy streamliner ran between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from June of 1956 to June of 1957. Previously, beginning in February of 1956, it ran between New York City and Pittsburgh.
Is it bluegrass or folk music?
As far as genres go, this streamliner train song is something of a genre bender. To me, it sounds a bit like a cross between Appalachian bluegrass and Irish folk music. I guess I like to think of it as being bluegrass-adjacent, or possibly progressive bluegrass. Although I'm not quite sure what it is, I am quite sure of what it is not — it's definitely not the worst train song I've ever heard!
This photo, which was taken in Chicago by Roger Puta, shows an Aerotrain streamliner train being used for commuter service by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. That company owned and operated two Aerotrains, including one that was previously operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad as the Pennsy Aerotrain.
Listen to other songs about Appalachia
Now that you've heard my streamliner train song, if you're looking for more Appalachia-influenced folk and bluegrass songs, try these:
