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Code
of the Railroad
by
George
Fosty
If
you want to work
the railroad
You need to learn
to spike.
A good man can
hammer one into
the wood
On two or three
drives.
Some take longer.
They learn fast
Or soon they're
gone.
She don't take
kindly
To men too slow
for the job.
So if you want
to be a railroader,
boy
You must hit it
on its head.
You'll probably
miss the first
swing or two
And feel the frustration
SET!
Then again, you
just might hit
The top of the
rail.
Well, don't you
worry, they say
Steel, She no
cries!
In fact, the sound
you hear
When your hammer
makes contact
Is the railroader's
drum beat
Across
the base of the
Transport Line.
Yes,
Boy that's music!
Music
to the ears
Every
time a railroader
Spikes
his hammer
Along
the face of the
Steel
ribbons
That
show no tears.
So
if you want to
be a
Railroader,
boy
Take
it from me and
the others
And
learn to spike.
Because
the sooner it
is you hear
Steel
rail music
The
sooner you'll
Know
what the job of
A
railroader is
Really
like.
©
2010 by
George
Fosty
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About the Author
George
Fosty
is a Canadian-born
historian and
writer living
in New York City.
He is the co-author/author
of six books:
"Sustaining
The Wings"
(1991) , "The
Desperate Glory:
The Battle Of
Dieppe, 1942"
(1991), "Splendid
Is The Sun: The
5,000 Year History
of Hockey "(2003),
"Black Ice:
The Lost History
of the Colored
Hockey League
of the Maritimes,
1895-1925"
(2004), "Footie's
Black Book: A
Guide To International
Association Football"
(2010), and "Short
Lines: The Poems
Of A Railroad
Trackman 1979-1987"
(2010). In addition,
he is also a featured
writer in the
book, "Multiple
Lenses: Voices
From The Diaspora
In Canada"
(2007).
He and his brother,
Darril, are two
of Canada's best
known historians
and are considered
the leading experts
on the Colored
Hockey League
of the Maritimes,
an all-black hockey
league that existed
in Eastern Canada
from 1895 to 1931.
In 2007, the Fosty
brothers gained
international
recognition and
acclaim for their
historical work
in the sport of
ice hockey after
being featured
in the ESPN documentary
"Frozen Out."
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