Life is Like a Mountain Railroad

Some time ago some of the words of this song came back to me and at the time lifted my spirits. Sometimes songs show me things of God I have missed. I finally looked up the words on the web. I know songs aren’t scripture but when they point us to scriptural truth they are good. As a guy that fell in love with railroading about sixty years ago, this is so meaningful because the analogies are so close to life. I copied this song from a web site that has a lot of Christian music. The song copyright information is at the end of the post.

Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that’s brave;

Mountain railroads were treacherous. The tracks could shift, more than a few trains were lost because an engineer got scared on a turn or downgrade and applied the brakes too hard. But if the engineer had the courage he could make the run. And we will only have that courage if we place our hand in His hand and face what comes with His strength.

We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave;

It didn’t matter if a train got out of the station or half way to the destination or even if it made 595 miles of a 600 mile trip. It had to complete the run. It was the last mile, the last 100 feet that has to happen or else all was for nothing. What a description for the life of a Christian! Paul said it, “I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.” Even if we have to “carry the sled over the finish line” as the Jamaican Bob Sled team did, we must finish the race.

Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail;

The curves on many mountains were treacherous. You had to take every one of them at just the right speed. Too fast, you leave the rails and there is a disaster. Too slow, maybe the next grade would choke you. You don’t downshift a railroad engine. You could be stuck there between two hills till help arrived. The fills were places that dirt was filled in to make the proper grade. The equipment to pack the fill it wasn’t available then so it often sunk after the tracks were built. If it got wet and these sunk a little they could bring disaster if the engineer didn’t see it and slow down or stop. But many Christians go full speed ahead, never looking to the spirit for guidance. Only the experienced eye and sense of the engineer prevented many disasters. Remember we are not in control, the Holy Spirit has that job, unless we have given him time off. What a dangerous way to live! The tunnels had many problems like fallen rock or timbers. But the engineer had to keep his focus. The job was to get the train there and on time. To be late or early could put him on a track with another train coming the other way. The word quail I had to look up. An old meaning of the word, coming from the idea that quail are easily frightened is “To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower.” We must never sink under trial or apprehension of circumstances or the enemy!

Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

This to a railroader is something like “watch and pray.” Never quit looking to God and always be willing and able to change.

Bless’d Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore;
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

If that corus doesn’t lift you, I have no idea what it will take.

You will roll up grades of trial; you will cross the bridge of strife;

Most of us have the idea that a railroad engine is so powerful. Actually they are not as powerful as we think. All but the most modern engines had only a few hundred horsepower. And the line of cars they pull is long. The upgrades were times of trial. On the Horseshoe curve in Western PA, a notoriously treacherous curve and upgrade, still difficult for even the more powerful diesel trains, a helper engine sits at the curve on a siding waiting for a train. When a train came it was allowed to pass, the “helper” would come behind and push to help the train over the curve, then release and go to the proper end for the next train. I would liken it to the Christian Friend that comes along side us at a time of trial.

Then there is the bridge of strife. Bridges were difficult, the mainline often had two tracks, one for each direction, but many the bridges had only one. There was often contention for who would get that track first. It takes over a mile to stop a train and even more to restart. If you had to stop for the other train to pass it meant lost time. But the alternative to that deferring is disaster. So is it in life.The scripture talks about preferring one another.

See that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life;

Christ, the conductor. Every kid wanted to be an engineer, none a conductor. The engineer drove the train, but the Conductor was the one who told the engineer what to do and when to do it. Sure we control our lives. But what is more important is who do we take our direction from?

Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail;

Stray items on the tracks were always a problem. Rocks would fall in cuts. Trees would fall over the tracks. Vandals would block tracks. Cars would stall on crossings. Each had it’s own potential for disaster. And I love the line, “do your duty, never fail.” Stand fast in the calling Christ has given you. Never be found AWOL. There is a good study on this in COD OR AWOL 

Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.

A good reminder. Always exercise good self control with the guidance of the spirit.

You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain;

As I said stray items on the track were problems. And storms were a frequent cause of them. A downed tree could derail a train. Rain could flood a track, soften a fill or even take out a bridge.

On a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train;

If they were on a place that was difficult these could cause a derailment. And so it is in life.

Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail;

No comment here but this is the bottom line.

As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan’s swelling tide,

All the end time discussion aside, here it is in one line. The trestle over a gorge was a place where the trains were in single file, where it went alone, we must take that part of the journey alone.

You behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide;

At the end of a long trip the depot was the place the engine got serviced, the crew got rest and food. It was where they could look back and feel they had accomplished something.

There you’ll meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son,

In the railroad, the Super was the master. If he saw you with favor, you had favor. And favor went to those who gave it their all.

With the hearty, joyous, plaudit, “Weary pilgrim, welcome home!”

Many times engineers made difficult runs. At times of disaster, war, etc. trains called “specials” were sent out with a purpose, with the best equipment, with the best crew available and orders to make the trip as fast as possible. These crews were welcomed at the disaster site as heroes. I can remember the story of one such train that brought supplies to Johnstown PA after the flood. Time was critical to save lives. Food, medicine and shelter was sorely needed to prevent deaths.  They were heralded as heroes when they delivered the supplies. It was a long and hard run. But that was only the first half of the job for the crew. They brought back many injured for medical treatment. The train crews helped load and unload both the supplies and the injured. It was hard, it was tiring. But there was a homecoming for them when they got back home. The crews would be met personally by the railroad officials and politicians and honored and welcomed on the return. So much is it for a Child of God to hear “well done.”

Bless’d Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore;

This is how we will make that run successful, by allowing Him to guide us.

Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.

This is one of the most interesting two lines in the song. “Where the Angels wait to join us.” I would have said where we will join them but maybe they are waiting for us to be there to start a special hymn of praise. But no matter which; we will be there to praise Him.

• Words: See notes below.
• Music: Charles D. Tillman.

The origin of this song is murky. Eliza R. Snow (1804-1887) may have written the original lyrics, with M. E. Abbey (a Baptist minister in Georgia in the 1890s) supplying the chorus. There is a similar poem/hymn by Snow, called “Truth Reflects upon Our Senses,” which Tillman put to this same tune in 1909. At any rate, Abbey and Tillman copyrighted “Life’s Railway to Heaven” in 1890. It has long been a favorite in the railroading community.

Hope this lifted you.

Other Articles by Ralph Brandt

Churches That Get Government Money

Financial Help in These Trying Times

Anonymous and Irresponsible: the Radical Left

The Comparison of the Assassinations of Kennedy and Lincoln

Relationship of Church and State

I’m Going on
Compromise in the Church
Come Away My Beloved
Communion
Contradictions – Science and Religion