About the Song
A railroad doesn’t build itself.
“The Nasonville Valley Work Crew” is dedicated to the work behind the Nasonville Valley Railroad—the laying and maintaining of track, moving and rebuilding structures, and constructing the bridges and trestles that carry the railroad through the valley.
Written in the spirit and language of the old railroad section gangs, the song follows the crew through three projects: laying the iron, raising the Shirley Covered Bridge to improve the grade, and building one of the railroad’s wooden trestles.
There is a lot of work hidden beneath a passing train. Every tie must be set, every rail gauged, every curve aligned, and every bridge and trestle made strong enough to carry what passes over it. Long after the work is finished, each passing locomotive is a reminder of the hands that built the road beneath it.
The Nasonville Valley Work Crew
Verse 1 – Laying the Iron
At first light the section gang
Reports to the section house,
Roadmaster’s orders on the wall,
No time for standing ’round.
We set the ties and drop the rail,
Spike mauls ring all day,
Gandy bars and track jacks lift,
As the line finds its way.
We spread the stone from shoulder to shoulder,
Ballast deep and true,
Then tamping bars beneath the ties,
’Til every dip is through.
We check the gauge and sight the line,
Make every curve run smooth,
For trains will roll the valley soon,
So the track must tell the truth.
Chorus
We’re the men of the Nasonville Valley,
Working from dawn to setting sun,
Building a railroad through the pines,
One rail, one tie, one mile at a time.
Swing that maul and lift that bar,
Hear the section foreman call,
The Nasonville Valley Railroad lives,
Through the hands that build it all.
⸻
Verse 2 – Raising the Covered Bridge
The Shirley Covered Bridge stood proud,
But the grade was running steep,
The roadmaster said, “Raise her up,
The climb’s too hard to keep.”
We braced her timbers, lifted slow,
And rolled her from the way,
While new abutments rose from stone,
Beneath the summer day.
Concrete cured and forms came down,
The measurements were right,
Then back she went across the stream,
A handsome, sturdy sight.
Now trains roll through her weathered frame,
With easier climbing still,
A better road for years to come,
Along the valley hill.
Chorus
We’re the men of the Nasonville Valley,
Working from dawn to setting sun,
Building a railroad through the pines,
One rail, one tie, one mile at a time.
Swing that maul and lift that bar,
Hear the section foreman call,
The Nasonville Valley Railroad lives,
Through the hands that build it all.
⸻
Verse 3 – Building the Trestle
Survey stakes along the line,
The grade book in our hands,
Checking every rise and fall,
Across the valley land.
We dug the footings deep and square,
And poured them strong and true,
Then built the bents from timber stock,
The way railroaders do.
One by one the bents stood tall,
Marching through the air,
Caps and stringers locked in place,
With careful, patient care.
The wooden trestle crossed the gap,
Stretching far and long,
And when the final spike was driven,
The whole crew sang this song.
Chorus
We’re the men of the Nasonville Valley,
Working from dawn to setting sun,
Building a railroad through the pines,
One rail, one tie, one mile at a time.
Swing that maul and lift that bar,
Hear the section foreman call,
The Nasonville Valley Railroad lives,
Through the hands that build it all.
⸻
Outro
Now when San Pio climbs the grade,
And echoes fill the air,
She crosses every bridge and trestle,
Built by the hands that care.
The rails may shine beneath her wheels,
But every mile recalls,
The section gang of Nasonville,
Who built and maintained it all.
Lyrics © 2026 Jay Anthony Finelli. All rights reserved.