The 1361

[Verse 2]
She carried the mail, carried soldiers to war,
Pulled the finest trains on that old mountain floor.
Through storms and summers, through coal-smoke dreams,
She thundered the rails with the strength of steam.
And every mile she ran beneath the sun,
You could feel the pride of the thirteen sixty-one.

[Chorus]
She’s the heart of the mountain line,
Built by hands of a proud rail town.
Through Horseshoe Curve and the dark incline,
Her driving wheels shook the ground.
From Altoona’s shops to the world beyond,
Her legacy rolls on and on—
For the spirit of the rails still shines
In the thirteen sixty-one’s steel spine.

[Verse 3]
The diesel age came and the steam days died,
But they saved this queen of the mountainside.
Set her high on the Curve where the freight trains climb,
A silent sentinel holding back time.
Kids touched her wheels, heard the tales men spun,
Of the golden age and the thirteen sixty-one.

[Verse 4]
Then they brought her down for a second life,
To breathe again past the rust and strife.
Frames were cracked and the years were long,
But her spirit stayed like a railroad song.
Now welders work where those old fires burned,
And the town holds hope she’ll someday return.

[Bridge]
Steel remembers every mile,
Every whistle, every trial—
And the shop men say the job’s not done
’Til they hear her run… hear her run…

[Final Chorus]
She’s the heart of the mountain line,
Forged in a place where legends grow.
Through smoke and time she still reminds
What the people of the mountains know:
That the soul of the rails is never gone,
It sleeps until the dawn—
And someday soon under rising sun,
We’ll see steam fly from the thirteen sixty-one.

2280/7500

[Verse 1] Born where the iron meets the Allegheny sky, In the Juniata Shops where the steel sparks fly. A four-six-two beauty in nineteen eighteen, Broad drivers shining with a passenger’s gleam. She rolled out proud with a whistle so clear, A child of Altoona the railroad held dear. [Verse 2] She carried the mail, carried soldiers to war, Pulled the finest trains on that old mountain floor. Through storms and summers, through coal-smoke dreams, She thundered the rails with the strength of steam. And every mile she ran beneath the sun, You could feel the pride of the thirteen sixty-one. [Chorus] She’s the heart of the mountain line, Built by hands of a proud rail town. Through Horseshoe Curve and the dark incline, Her driving wheels shook the ground. From Altoona’s shops to the world beyond, Her legacy rolls on and on— For the spirit of the rails still shines In the thirteen sixty-one’s steel spine. [Verse 3] The diesel age came and the steam days died, But they saved this queen of the mountainside. Set her high on the Curve where the freight trains climb, A silent sentinel holding back time. Kids touched her wheels, heard the tales men spun, Of the golden age and the thirteen sixty-one. [Verse 4] Then they brought her down for a second life, To breathe again past the rust and strife. Frames were cracked and the years were long, But her spirit stayed like a railroad song. Now welders work where those old fires burned, And the town holds hope she’ll someday return. [Chorus] She’s the heart of the mountain line, Built by hands of a proud rail town. Through Horseshoe Curve and the dark incline, Her driving wheels shook the ground. From Altoona’s shops to the world beyond, Her legacy rolls on and on— For the spirit of the rails still shines In the thirteen sixty-one’s steel spine. [Bridge] Steel remembers every mile, Every whistle, every trial— And the shop men say the job’s not done ’Til they hear her run… hear her run… [Final Chorus] She’s the heart of the mountain line, Forged in a place where legends grow. Through smoke and time she still reminds What the people of the mountains know: That the soul of the rails is never gone, It sleeps until the dawn— And someday soon under rising sun, We’ll see steam fly from the thirteen sixty-one.

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