It's 1949

I model the Nickel Plate Railroad in the year 1949 as it passes through West Central Ohio and East Central Indiana. I was born in 1952, so I don't really have first hand knowledge of the times. What's more, I was born and raised in California and my decision to model the NKP was made before I had ever set foot in either Indiana or Ohio.

One of the great benefits of prototype modeling, though, is the opportunity to research a specific time, place, and culture, not to mention a railroad. While preparing a presentation on my layout to the local chapter of the National Model Railroad Association, I did some research into the cultural milestones of 1949. One of the cool things that I found was Frankie Laine's recording of "Mule Train." Laine was a minor country and western singer until he released this song, which some experts claim was the very first pop hit single. The song was a huge hit, and it was a defining audio track for the transition from the war years to the Eisenhower years.

When I was about eight or nine years old my parents gave me a hand-me-down phonograph that looked (and sounded) remarkably like the one in the accompanying YouTube video. Along with the boxy, monaural machine came a couple of dozen hard black plastic records. One of them was Mule Train, and I listened to it for hours.

It was a wonderful thing to rediscover this song after almost 50 years, and it's one of my newest favorites. Go ahead, push the play button and listen to that nasal croon and those unforgettable whip-cracks.

(A big shout out to kjigmond for originally recording and posting this song!)