[78-L] Non-Music Release on Tops

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "agp" <agp2176 at verizon.net>
> This is more an observation about an oddity being offered on eBay:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Railroad-Sounds-Tops-1020-78rpm-10-Record_W0QQitemZ220508872116QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item33575a5db4
>
> It is a 78 of train sounds, in a picture sleeve that says Authentic
> Train Sounds. The sleeve says 'Tops for Tots' but the label just says 
> Tops.
> What I had to chuckle about was that; given the fact the the majority
> of stuff on Tops was cover versions with (hopefully) sound alike
> artists, I could just imagine some guy in a studio doing train
> imitations (chug chug toot toot wooo-wooo) or perhaps they had
> someone rev a truck engine and honk the horn and the slowed down the
> tape so that it sounded like a train.
>
These "train sound" records were generally recorded "live," using actual
trains! They were usually marketed to folks who had large model-railroad
set-ups (although some were sold to youngsters with electric train 
sets...?!).
I have one, in fact, whose label cites exactly where the sounds were
recorded; note that serious "model-train fans" with "systems" that can
occupy entire rooms used these records to add authenticity...!

Steven C. Barr