The Great Chocolate Wreck

from Isto on the Go by Isto

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lyrics

The O & W Railroad had long been in decline
In the local parlance called the Old and Weary Line
When one autumn evening in 1955
Engine 803 began her fateful drive

She started in Oswego on her regular run
She was bound for Norwich, but destined for Hamilton
Furniture, steel and lumber she carried in her cars
And from the Nestle Factory a freight of chocolate bars

Someone flipped the track switch, they never found out who
It was too late to do anything once the train went through
She rose up on an incline - went sailing through the air
Crashed into Leland's coal shed some 90 feet from there.

The little ones of Hamilton were in for a surprise
They approached the wreckage cautiously and there before their eyes
Treasure all around them - more than they could eat
The Great Chocolate Train Wreck lay there at their feet

Families returned with wheelbarrows to gather up the loot
Nestle bars, cocoa, and chocolate chips to boot
500 grand in damages, sure, but nothing could be finer
Especially since the injuries were relatively minor

In 1957 the line shut down for good
And in Fulton there's an Aldi's where the chocolate factory stood
But the chocolate wreck lives on in local village lore
If you grew up in Hamilton, you've heard this tale before.

Many years later a stranger came to town
And made his home the site where the chocolate wreck went down
He was a former brakeman who had traveled near and far
His name was Ed Vollmer and he taught me to play guitar

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from Isto on the Go, released January 11, 2019

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Isto Newark, New Jersey

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