It belonged to John R. Crosby, a fireman on PRR’s Fort Wayne Division before (and after) he was a member of the 717th Railway Operating Battalion, stationed in Ashchurch, England. Crosby had some two dozen of his fellow soldier-railroaders sign his copy; in doing so, the men also put down their hometowns, plus the railroads they had worked for. We can’t make out all the signatures, but the railroad initials – NYC, CB&Q, LIRR, KCS, and a dozen others – ring out like a roll call of great names from the past. Like the men of the 717th, they were ready to serve the nation when it needed them most. – Robert S. McGonigal, editor
Words by Capt. Robert B. Rivers, U.S. Army
Music and arrangement by Sgt. Joe Tomaselli (Joe Elly), U.S. Army
Once we ran the Santa Fe and good old B&O
But now we’re laying tracks to Rome, Berlin and Tokio
Along that Army route we’ll knock the Axis out
And when we roll up to the front you’ll know us by our shout
We’re railroaders always
We’ve got the stuff it takes to do the trick
Railroaders always
We’ve got a job to do and do it quick
Along the rail we blaze a trail with steam and steel and sweat
We tote your food and feed your guns but buddy don’t forget
We’re railroading soldiers, ready to “ball the jack” or FIGHT!
From Maine to California and from every whistle stop
From engine and the doghouse and from shanty and the shop
We’ve come to see it through beneath our colors true
We’re soldiers of the U.S.A. who’ll fight and work with you
We’re railroaders always
We’ve got the stuff it takes to do the trick
Railroaders always
We’ve got a job to do and do it quick
Along the rail we blaze a trail with steam and steel and sweat
We tote your food and feed your guns but buddy don’t forget
We’re railroading soldiers, ready to “ball the jack” or FIGHT!
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