Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong. Norm Cohen provides a sweeping discussion of the human aspects of railroad history, railroad folklore, and the evolution of the American folksong. The heart of the book is a detailed analysis of eighty-five songs, from "John Henry" and "The Wabash Cannonball" to "Hell-Bound Train" and "Casey Jones," with their music, sources, history, variations, and discographies. A substantial new introduction updates this edition. Winner of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award, 1982. "Norm Cohen's anthology of railroad folksongs will delight anyone smitten with the romance of the rails."-- Newsday "A masterpiece."-- American Music "Meticulously researched and clearly written,  Long Steel Rail  is now the sourcebook for American railroad folksongs."-- New York Folklore "Norm Cohen has not only filled a gap; he has applied mature scholarship, historical sensibility, enthusiasm, and love to produce a major work on folklore, folk song, and the railroads' pervasive impact on popular culture."-- Railroad History "A delightfully readable book for any armchair railroad engineer."-- Choice "A delightfully readable book for any armchair railroad engineer."-- Choice Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong. Norm Cohen provides a sweeping discussion of the human aspects of railroad history, railroad folklore, and the evolution of the American folksong. The heart of the book is a detailed analysis of eighty-five songs, from "John Henry" and "The Wabash Cannonball" to "Hell-Bound Train" and "Casey Jones", with their music, sources, history, variations, and discographies. A substantial new introduction updates this edition. Norm Cohen  worked for the Chemical Kinetics Department at the Aerospace Corporation in Los Angeles. His books include  American Folk Songs: A Regional Encyclopedia . He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and son and teaches chemistry and folk music part time.