–Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The Lehigh Valley Committee to Talk About Trains has secured a promise of $225,000 from Lehigh County to fund its essential work of talking about trains.
That nearly quarter-of-a-million-dollar sum to talk about trains needs a match from Northampton County to talk about trains even more. I’m hoping Northampton, where I live, will “just say no” to this boondoggle about talking about trains. (Thanks, Nancy Reagan!)
The group is not really called the Committee to Talk About Trains, but its real name doesn’t matter. It is a Committee to Talk About Trains. It might even potentially talk about potentially preparing for the potential development that will come from the potential train that potentially is rolling along when I’m potentially 80 years old.
I’m excited about that!
We have been down this road before, promises of looking at having three trains in 10 to 12 years, or maybe one in 15 years, or … maybe more committees to talk about trains?
If there is to be a train, it has to be to New York. Building a train to Reading is ridiculous, unless it goes directly to Jimmy’s Peanut Bar, and Philadelphia is a poor substitute for the Big Apple. There almost surely isn’t going to be a train, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.
This effort would benefit from having a theme song. Train in Vain (The Clash, 1979) is perfect. In vain, indeed. However, it hits too close to home, and the song isn’t really about a train.
Crazy Train by Ozzie (1980). OZZIE! He’s always in style, or coming back into style, but I don’t think this classic has quite the gravitas favored by Lehigh Valley bureaucracy.
There are many songs about trains, such as “City of New Orleans,” an amiable but long-winded ballad performed by Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson. It’s nice, but who really listens all the way through?
“Train, Train” by Blackfoot (1979) is a classic, but with a 30-second harmonica solo at the start, most people under 40 will flip it off. I mean, turn if off.
A dark horse candidate has to be The Thomas the Tank Engine theme (“Thomas is the cheeky one, James is vain but lots of fun, Percy pulls the mail on time, Gordon thunders down the line”).
But this is a serious effort, right? No Island of Sodor references!
Here’s my nominee: “Train Kept’a Rollin'” performed by many, including the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and the most popular version was by Aerosmith.
Some small-minded types may find the theme a bit risque for a serious committee about trains. I say it will liven up otherwise dull meetings.
Talk all you want. Don’t spend a penny of my tax money.
Even if somebody showed up tomorrow with a billion dollars, or a promise of a billion dollars, that would not guarantee the region would get a train.
Talk … talk … I move that we talk some more … I second that motion …
Talk keeps a’rollin’!
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 