Lyrics: Silver Ghost

(Sterling Whipple)

On a cold and rainy night I was sittin' by the light
Of my switchman shack a mine post on the mountain
The storm was pretty bad, the telephone was dead
But it was just eleven hours till the dawn.

Then much to my surprise the telegraph jumped into life
As I read the code I thought could this be true
A train was on its way headed up to mountain grade
But she didn't have no engineer or crew.

At the other switch they tried to put her on the mountain side
But she kept on coming up the mountain grade
Then I quickly dowse the light to try to see into the night
Maybe I could spot her headlight in the rain.

She was poundin' down below I could hear her whistle blow
And I thought Lord that's a high and mournful sound
Then the telegraph again there's a cave-in at the mine
And a hundred men are burried neath the ground.

Lord, she's coming now I see her round the bend and straight at me
And her boiler's glowin' red as coal in hell
Her headlinght switchin' wide searchin' all the mountain side
But the only sound she's making it's a wail.

Then I recognized the train by the number and the name
It's from miners Silver Ghost ol' 41
Then she vanished up the track by the lonely switchman shack
Like a mother who was looking for her son.

Now I once heard a story how an engine went to glory
Over fifty years ago on this same line
It was steaming for a cave-in there were men needed savin'
But it missed the curve in trestle near the mine.

Every now and then you'll hear a whistle on the wind
If a mountain slides and many men are lost
It's a high and lonely wail and searching up and down the mountain
It's a train they call the Miners Silver Ghost.

It's a train they call the Miners Silver Ghost.
It's a train they call the Miners Silver Ghost...