Nostalgia & History > "Sounds of a Vanishing Era" Record Album

I have a copy of this late 1950s Railroad sound effects album on the Audio Fidelity label. This "Stereodisc" was obviously aimed at the audiophile market, as the jacket notes contain mainly info about recording equipment used, microphones, etc., and nada about the locomotives, locations, and stuff of pertinence to railfans. There's a small acknowledgement of the Illinois Central's New Orleans Division, but that's all. Does anyone have any further information on where and when this great album was recorded?

I have a copy of that recording too. It's a keeper with steam and diesel. Even the diesel stuff is nifty with the early horns and the sounds of a passenger train bearing down at high rate of speed.

It's a keeper, all right! Those early horns ARE cool, aren't they? I just wish I knew more about the locomotives depicted. I think the onnes that start side two sound like early Geeps, but I could be wrong. On another note, I think this must be one of the most popular albums of train sounds released. I've seen at least one copy for sale at every train show I've ever been to, and within the last year or so I've seen several copies at garage sales and thrift stores. I even seem to remember seeing cassette copies in stores in the early 80s. A good record...

Steamhawk,

IIRC, the IC yard where this recording was made had dieselized already. Steam was still stored and hadn't been scrapped yet.

When Mobile Fidelity showed up, the Yardmaster Or Trainmaster had the engine house fire up the Steam Engine (0-8-0, I think) for Mobile Fidelity to record.

The recording was made in the early to mid 1950s.

This was the very first railroad record that I purchased. In fact, it was the only one available that I knew of at the time.

Yardclerk

If you listen close there is one part where a someone is heard to exclaim "Fire up Mama! or something like that.

I would think that determining what diesels were being recorded wouldn't be too hard. The IC was diselized for the most part with EMD 1st generation geeps for freight and EMD E's for passenger trains. If you hear a fast passenger train roaring by it's probably E-6's-E-7's-E-8's. The earlier style horns were the single chime.

I also like to hear the slop in the steam switcher as it goes "clank-clank, clank-clank".

If one could track down the crew that made the recoding possible it might make an interesting reminisce in Classic Trains, Railfan & Railroad etc.

I have that one too. The other one that is a "must have" is the record that features the "fairwell to Steam" excursion that AT&SF ran out of LA in 1955 or so with 4-8-4 #3759 running from LA to Barstow and back. Amazing steam sound on that one with the Northern reaching the 100MPH mark during the desert portion of the run.

The added bonus on that one are recordings of SP GS 4-8-4's and a cut of a Cab Forward too....

Brian A Elchlepp

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> If you listen close there is one part where a
> someone is heard to exclaim "Fire up Mama! or
> something like that.
>

I think that exclamation is actually "Put her there, patner!" yelled in a southern accent. It comes after the sounds of a diesel led freight highballing past the microphone. In spite of my love for steam, this was always my favorite part of the record as a kid. I always wondered who yelled that, and why. Guess it just sorta adds to the mystery.

m420 Wrote:
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> the "fairwell to Steam" excursion that AT&SF ran
> out of LA in 1958 or so with 4-8-4 #3759 running
> from LA to Barstow and back.

A video ad:

Santa Fe's "Final Run" of steam power over Cajon Pass took place on February 6, 1955. Locomotive 3759 was brought out of storage to pull an excursion train dubbed Farewell to Steam. The documentation of this famous event was the work of noted photographer and railfan J. Allen Hawkins, whose 5 man camera and sound crews recorded this historic event.

http://www.train-video.com/VR035.html

I have this record, too! My favorite cut is the GP's leaving town after switching; the engineer opens the throttle one notch at a time, a slight pause between each notch, and really lays on the air horn!

Aye, Aye, Aye, I bought that album 47 years ago. I think I paid $2.99 for it brand new!! I played it all the time as a kid. It used to drive my family nuts.........lmao.
I still have the album somewhere, but I haven't listened to it in years. IIRC there was also a segment that sounded like it was recorded at a tower. It had the sound of someone talking over a loudspeaker.

Other vanishing sounds: The clippity-clop of the junk man's horse as he hollered for rags, bottles and bones and the produce peddler's horse and wagon. The sound of the Pennsy's street tractors that operated out of the President Street Station here in Baltimore as they serviced various businesses.

Vanished sights: Streetcars and trackless trolleys, street running by the Pennsy and the B & O RR, the man who walked around and sharpened knives and repaired umbrellas, candy bars and soda for a nickel.

Geez, I better stop, I'm getting melancholy...lol

BaltoJoey<--- who will be a vanished sight one day

Like others on this list the "Sounds of a Vanishing Era" Record Album" was my first train sounds album. I bought my new in the late 1950s. TRAINS magazine wrote about it soon after the album came out and this is what I can recall.

As someone on the list already pointed out, the recording company wanted to record steam locomototive action and so they went to New Orleans. There was no live steamers available so one was brought out of storage for the crew. I believe they had some huge Ampex recorder and they needed to be close to a power supply to run their machine. (Oh how things have changed since then.)IC paraded the 0-8-0 and diesels past the strickly non-portable tape recorder. There was a photo of this in TRAINS.

I own other vinyl train albums but this album has always been one of my favorites. The very best recording of a steam-powered freight at speed is on Side Two. The lonely whistle heard far away gets under your skin.

I agree with others that another great album is "FAREWELL TO STEAM". The sound of the Santa Fe 4-8-4 climbing the grade between buildings, and the sound of the exhaust echoing back is awesome. The engineer must have been the greatest ever and he someone manages to keep the unassisted 18-car train from stalling on Cajon. I think the drivers slip 8 or 10 different times, with the train slowing to less than a walking pace before the train finally makes it.

Another genertic railroad album of the 1950s is DIESEL AND STEAM LOCOMOTIVES from Major Records. There is no better whistle sound than that of UP 4-12-2 #9000 whistling in a yard somewhere. What an echo!

Another is STEAM ECHOES produced by the Southern California Chapyer , R&LHS. It features SP 4-8-2 and 4-6-2 in commute service, SP 2-8-0s, UP 4-12-2 #9000 and a classic cut taken from the rear platform of a observation car at speed.

Tony Johnson

See Classified section for the 2 record set of 33 1/3 Mexico steam by Mobile Fidelity.

Brand new sets for sale.

My favorite is Steam Under Thundering Skies.