About the Song

“The Potbelly Stove at Nasonville Station” takes us inside the station on a cold winter morning.

Outside, snow covers the railroad and the locomotives wait for another day. Inside, the potbelly stove is glowing, the coffee is hot, and the railroad men are beginning to gather.

The song imagines the Nasonville Valley as a working railroad of an earlier time, when many different people were needed to make a railroad run. The Station Agent, Ticket Clerk, Baggageman, Section Foreman, gandy dancers, Carpenter, Bridge Gang, Roundhouse crew, Fireman, Hostler, Engineer, Yardmaster, Brakeman, Conductor, and Call Boy all have their work to do before the first train can depart.

Meanwhile, across the yard, fires are being lit. Steam pressure is rising. The Queen of Peace begins to breathe, and San Pio answers her call.

For a few quiet minutes, though, everyone can still gather around the potbelly stove—sharing coffee, stories, friendship, and the anticipation of another day on the railroad.

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The Potbelly Stove at Nasonville Station

(Verse 1)

Snowflakes drift through the silent pines,
Blanketing every rail.
The valley sleeps beneath the frost,
As dawn lifts soft and pale.
The station lamps are glowing warm,
Against the winter sky.
Smoke curls from the chimney top,
As another day draws nigh.

(Chorus)

Around the potbelly stove we gather,
While the north wind starts to blow.
Coffee’s hot and stories grow,
As the fire burns bright below.
The rails are waiting, engines dreaming,
Morning’s coming slow…
There’s no finer place on earth to be
Than Nasonville in snow.

(Verse 2)

Old Charlie checks the telegraph,
Listening for the line.
The Station Agent stamps the mail,
And keeps the schedule’s time.
The Ticket Clerk counts yesterday’s fares,
Then sweeps the wooden floor.
The Baggageman oils his handcart,
And unlocks the freight room door.

(Verse 3)

The Section Foreman studies maps,
Planning where he’ll grade.
His gandy dancers joke and laugh,
With tamping bars they’ve made.
The Carpenter sharpens all his tools,
For bridges yet to mend.
The Bridge Gang waits beside the stove,
For daylight’s first descend.

(Verse 4)

Across the yard the Roundhouse crew
Has kindled San Pio’s fire.
The Fireman feeds the hungry box,
To build the boiler higher.
The Hostler wipes the brass to shine,
The Engineer checks steam.
One hundred pounds is all they need
To wake the iron dream.

(Verse 5)

The Yardmaster unfolds his list,
Switches set just right.
The Brakeman checks the lanterns’ glow,
Still burning through the night.
The Conductor buttons up his coat,
His watch held in his hand.
The Call Boy’s finished waking crews,
All across the land.

(Bridge)

Outside the whistle echoes,
Rolling through the snow.
The safety valves begin to sing,
The pressure starts to grow.
The Queen of Peace is breathing now,
Her stack sends sparks on high.
And mighty San Pio answers back,
With smoke against the sky.

(Final Chorus)

Around the potbelly stove we gather,
Friends both old and new.
Every soul has work to do,
Before the morning’s through.
Then hats come down and coffee’s gone,
As whistles proudly ring…
The little station comes alive,
When the first trains start to sing.

(Ending Spoken)

“Another winter morning… another day on the Nasonville Valley Railroad. The fire is warm… the coffee is strong… and before long, the sound of steam will fill the valley once again.”

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Lyrics © 2026 Jay Anthony Finelli. All rights reserved.

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