It was blowing a gale, on the eastbound rail,
Snow was a sight
The crew was just a few, Hardy souls on the rail that night.
They'd been caught, as shelter they sought, the storm to fight.

Warning flags were down, and there was no sound,
Except for the screaming wind.
The radio was out, as the foreman paced about.
The religious guy said, " It's because we sinned."

5570 was on time, with a full load of fresh lime
running full tilt.
Four engines strong, a thousand cars long,
She was just newly built.

She was plowing snow, as she did go
Upon the east bound rail.
Her engineer was new, the whistle blew
As along she did sail.


McGregor was first to say, he'd had a day,
of freezing fucking cold.
John Eric Ness said, "What a fucking mess,
for this my soul I've sold."

The young lad, got searing mad
and said, "That's not funny" to everyone
Now me, I began to see this,
as just a bit of fun.

The power was down, signals in darkness all around
The switch out of align.
The wind screached and howled, the wires twisted and fouled
The power shack we had to find.


Tucker said, " I can fix the fucker,
if the break ain't too big."
To save the day, we'd find a way
In the dark to dig.

Bob Early was acting surly
And wouldn't leave the truck.
Foreman Saluk hunkered under his toque
And wished us luck.

My fingers cold, my mouth was bold
I whispered, " A crossing up ahead."
We gambled, as everyone scrambled
Off the rail alive, rather than dead.

Through the snow appeared a lantern all aglow
it beckoned us to there.
He pointed to the ground at wires found
And then just stared,

We thanked him kind For helping us find,
The wires broken through.
By his lantern light, Tucker laboured that night
A test of perseverance true.

With care, the broken wire repaired
We turned to the lantern light.
The old signal man said, " I guess boys you know that I am dead,
but I've done my deed this night!"

"I've saved 5507, so now I'll make it into heaven."
And just like that the wind quit.
The clouds parted, someone of us, farted,
We laughed at the wit.


The signals flashed bright, Everything was alright,
The switch itself aligned.
The whistle blew, as by us those four engines flew
and the big engines whined.

Down the track, waiving us back
A signal mans ghost.
We stared into the night, At this apparition bright,
We watched him board his host.

The block was lit, the RTC in a fit,
As the radio crackled to life.
Foreman Saluk said "I'm sure it's just a fluke,
but now I'll call my wife."

Eric said "I wish, they'd just feed him fish,
rather than what I've seen."
Young Shawn just stifled a yawn
And asked where the hell we'd been.

I'll have another brew, And swear this story is true.
Boys now you have to believe.
A story like this,Couldn't be amiss,
And you know I'd never deceive.

For I was on the east bound rail, In that screaming gale,
On a night blacker than hell.
We wrote the book, For the courage it took,
To live this story to tell.