and the sons of Pullman porters
and the sons of engineers
ride their father's magic carpets made of steam (steel)
mothers with their babes asleep
are rockin' to the gentle beat
and the rythm of the rails is all they dream (feel)

I believe the above are Steve Goodman's original lyrics to this verse, Somewhere along the way steam became steel and dream became feel. I'm curious to know when the change occured and who first sang/recorded the altered version. As a railroader the word steam brings to mind the majestic steam locomotve, but by the time American railroads and the passenger train in particular were in serious decline the steam engine was long gone. passenger trains however were still heated into the Amtrak era. The connections between the cars usually leaked and the running gear of a moving train would be wreathed in steam giving the appearance of floating on a carpet of steam. Also a standing train would be engulfed by escaping steam (espescially in cold weather) giving a scene a dreamlike quality. So the original lyrics work for me. The revised lyrics while perfectly descriptive are not as romantic to me. How do you feel? BTW The freight rr's in this country are in better shape than ever while the passenger train limps along while Congress can't seem to be able to decide wether to eliminate subsidys or fund the system at a level where real inmprovements in service could be made.