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about

Sherry Ryan always enjoyed her father's story about his encounter with Lauchie MacDougall and the infamous Wreckhouse winds while working on the NL Railway in the late1950s. Wreckhouse was known for it's high winds blowing trains off the track and Lauchie was a farmer and trapper who lived near the tracks at Wreckhouse in the Codroy Valley. They called him the human wind gauge and he was employed by the railway to notify the station when winds were too high for trains to pass through.

Sherry’s father was new to the area and knew nothing about Lauchie and the Wreckhouse winds. While working alone one day at the station he got a call from Lauchie to Stop The Trains! Sherry's father Jim Ryan helped her write the song.

lyrics

I was a railroad operator in my early days
It was nineteen fifty-seven or fifty eight I’d say
A call came on the crank phone with a message to relay
The southeast winds were baffling down the mountain range

I knew nothing of the winds out there and I was all alone
I could hardly hear the stranger crackling on the phone
It was Lauchie MacDougall the human weathervane
Direct line to the station telling me to stop the trains

Stop the trains, from going down the track
The Wreckhouse winds are blowing and they’re blowing mighty fast
Stop the trains, you don’t wanna let’em pass
Hold them at Riverview and Port Aux Basques

Lauchie MacDougall the human weathervane
Had a way of knowing when the winds were gonna change
When he’d call the station it was time to stop the trains
And many an hour could pass before he’d let’em go again
A highfalutin manager came into town one day
Said one’s man’s authority should not be stopping strains
He replaced him with a forecast and took away his pay
When the might winds picked up a train they hired him back again

credits

released November 1, 2016
Written by Sherry and James Ryan

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Sherry Ryan St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Blending country folk with her Irish-Newfoundland roots, Sherry affirms her place as one of Atlantic Canada’s best-loved singer-songwriters. Once named “St. John’s answer to Lucinda Williams” and compared to John Prine for “reeling you in with her heartfelt stories and a hint of humour,” Sherry’s rich vocal style is described as “so good—so distinct—it’s absolutely unforgettable” (Exclaim!). ... more

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