"Chattanooga Choo Choo"

This song will be included in the EP, Chattanooga Choo Choo. When that EP is released, (target summer 2026) you will be able to purchase and download either, the entire EP (including this song), or only purchase and download this individual song. To check on release of this EP, 1) Click Here to go to Nostalgic Love Songs on our Store Access page, then 2) click on the link for the EP I Am the Starlight EP.

When that EP is released, the entry on the Store Access page will have a link added for the online marketplace product page, where you can listen and purchase a digital download of either, the entire EP, or just this song. As always different fidelity formats will be available.

(CAUTION - the small, lower fidelity mp3 is the default download format. If you want an audiophile format like FLAC or WAV, you must change the download format, Before clicking download.)

Notes. We are adding String Bass and Drums, and evaluating adding synth orchestra.

Advance Preview -

Story of this Song

Material is drawn from several websites about this song.

The 1941 song was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. It was featured in the film Sun Valley Serenade and became one of the first recordings to earn RIAA Gold Record status, selling over 1.2 million copies. The song captured the romance of rail travel at its absolute peak — a moment when trains still represented freedom, excitement, and connection.

The song is a lyrical imagination, stitching together the idea of a journey from Pennsylvania Station in New York City (completed in 1010), to Chattanooga Tennessee (completed in 1906). That route never existed as a real train route. Yet it felt so vivid and authentic that millions believed otherwise. Terminal Station in Chattanooga became the first train station in the South to connect with Cincinnati, opening up travel to the North.

Chattanooga was an important rail hub. Recognizing the city’s growing commercial importance, the Southern Railway made a significant investment in 1905, commissioning an entirely new passenger terminal that would match Chattanooga’s ambitions, called Terminal Station.

It was designed by architect Don Barber, drawing heavily on French Beaux-Arts architectural influence. The building featured a striking domed roof, grand arched windows, and ornate detailing that signaled arrival into a city of consequence. It was completed in 1906, not simply as a functional transit hub — but as a statement. The station became a defining landmark of Chattanooga’s urban identity.

Terminal Station embodied civic pride and the transformative power of infrastructure investment. At its peak, the station served thousands of passengers daily, connecting the South to the rest of the nation.

• By the end of the 1940s, Terminal Station had 60 arrivals per day. However, the growing influence of the automobile industry led to a decline in rail service nationwide.
• By 1960, only two trains were stopping in Chattanooga.
• 1970: The final passenger train left Terminal Station on August 11.
• 1972: Southern Railway voted to tear down Terminal Station, but a group of businessmen inspired by the Glenn Miller song “Chattanooga Choo Choo” bought the station instead, and invested $4 million in renovations. They turned Pullman cars into hotel suites, removed many of the tracks, and restored the dome.
• 1973: Terminal Station reopened as The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hilton.
• 2018: Now owned by Choo Choo Partners, the central dome was donated to local nonprofit preservation organization Cornerstones for continued restoration.

Today, Terminal Station, now known as The Chattanooga Choo Choo, is bustling with activity. It stands as a piece of American cultural history, representing an era when railroads defined national progress. The complex is a popular destination for visitors, and is home to the Chattanooga Jewelry Complex, The Comedy Catch, Escape Experience, Glenn Miller Gardens, Station Street Entertainment District, Sweetly Southern, American Draft, Backstage Bar, Frothy Monkey, Nic & Norman’s, STIR, and the Gate 11 Distillery. To learn more, go to https://choochoo.com.

The song, the station, and the city together tell a story that resonates far beyond Tennessee’s borders.

Lyrics

Pardon me sir, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Track 29, yes, you can give me a shine.
I can afford to board the Chattanooga Choo Choo
I've, I've, I've got my fare, and just a trifle to spare.

You leave the Pennsylvania Station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina.

When you hear the whistle blowing eight to the bar.
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far.
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rolling
Whoo, whoo, Chattanooga, there you are.

There's gonna be a certain party at the station,
Satin and lace, I used to call funny face.
She's gonna cry until I tell her that I'll never roam
So, Chattanooga Choo Choo, won't you choo choo me home?

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