There
are railroads
that carry
their crowds to the sea,
All
over this vast
domain,
With
double-tracked
system and ballast roadbed,
And
solid vestibule
train.
There
are railroads
that boast
of their scenic routes,
O’re
prairie and
mountain high,
But
let me live in a
house by the side of the track
Where
the Wopsy train
goes by.
Let
me live in the
house by
the side of the track
Where
the Wopsy train
goes by,
Bearing
my friends,
some rich,
some poor,
Aye,
most of them poor
as I.
Most
of them plain
folks, who cannot afford
A
trip to the rolling
sea;
So
the next best thing
is the mountain top
Where
the air is pure
and free.
Here
is the father, who
toils in the shop,
With
weary and aching
feet;
And
the sad-eyed
mother, whose
face is seared
By
the kitchen range’s
heat.
And
William, and
Nellie, and
little Flo,
And
the baby, too, I
spy.
All
wave and nod with a
pleasant smile,
As
the Wopsy train goes
by.
There
is surcease from
care ahead of them
(If
the cars keep on
the track).
They’ll
view the vale
from the heights above
(And
maybe they’ll walk
back).
But
with laughter and
song they roll along,
All
bound for the
mountain high,
And
a noise is made
like a
real railroad
When
the Wopsy train
goes by.
I
see from my house by
the side of the track,
When
the Wopsy train
goes by,
A
fellow that’s holding
a young girl’s hand,
Most
certainly, I know
why.
There’s
some terrible
curves on the the Wopsy road,
That
the engine takes
on “high.”
It’s
an awful peril,
‘spose you lose your girl,
When
the Wopsy train
goes by?
So,
friends, I would
live by the side of the track
That
leads up the
mountain side.
There
are other
railroads that are longer, I know,
But
ours is just as
wide.
It’s
the railroad that
carries the people like me.
They
are workers, and
so am
I
From
the city’s heat to
where it’s cool and sweet,
When
the Wopsy train
goes by.
-Robert
Fleming Lantz
The following quote is
from Blair County's First Hundred Years, 1846-1846, edited by
George A. Wolf,
published by The Mirror Press, Altoona, Pennsylvania, 1945:
Mr. Fleming "Has been a
resident of Juniata since 1899.
Works as a Machinist for the P.R.R. He is well known for his
poetry readings.
His work has appeared in the "New York Times."